Aspirin Therapy and Heart Disease

If you have heart disease, then taking a low-dose aspirin daily may be right for you. It could lower your chances of having a heart attack or a stroke caused by a blood clot (ischemic stroke). Before you start taking an aspirin daily, it is important that you ask your doctor if this is right for you.

The benefits

• A daily aspirin lowers your risk of having a heart attack or stroke by helping to prevent your blood from clotting.
• If you have already had a heart attack or stroke, it helps to lower the risk of having another one.
• In people with poor circulation, it can increase blood flow to the heart and brain.
• If you are having a heart attack, it lowers your risk of death by as much as 23%. (Call 911 before you chew an aspirin!)

The risks

• Gastrointestinal (GI) problems: Aspirin can irritate the lining of the stomach. This can cause things like nausea, vomiting, ulcers, heartburn and bleeding.
• Increased risk of stroke: aspirin can cause blood vessels to burst (hemorrhagic stroke).
• Aspirin thins the blood. If you are having any type of surgery, even at the dentist, you must tell your doctor so she or he is prepared to stop you from bleeding.
  
• Aspirin can mix badly with other medications. This includes some vitamins and herbs.
• Aspirin could cause problems when you have some medical conditions like pregnancy, high blood pressure, bleeding disorders, asthma, stomach ulcers and liver and kidney disease.

Tips

• Do not stop taking aspirin suddenly. This could raise your risk for stroke. Talk with your doctor first.
• Read the label carefully. Some products combine aspirin with other pain relievers.
• Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or experience any side effects.
• Aspirin doses vary. Take the amount your doctor prescribes for you.
• Talk to your doctor before taking other pain medications (ibuprofen) with aspirin. These medications may mix with aspirin and cause it to not work as well.