What is Aspirin? How and for what? Benefits and harms
Aspirin is one of the most popular and widely used drugs in the world. It is used for the treatment of mild to moderate pain or as antipyretics and blood thinners. It also works in the treatment of joint inflammations such as rheumatoid arthritis because of its anti-inflammatory properties. The use of aspirin at low doses prevents the blood from clotting. It is therefore used to prevent recurrence of stroke or heart attack. However, it is a drug that should be used with caution. Patients with stomach disorders or bleeding risk should not use aspirin. Because it can interact with many drugs, you should consult your doctor before using.
What is Aspirin?
The active ingredient of aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid and is a drug belonging to the non-steroid painkillers group. Pain relief, antipyretic and blood thinners. Salicylic acid and its derivatives, which are the raw material of aspirin, are found in the leaves and bark of some plants such as willow. Salicylic acid is antiseptic and is added as a preservative to some foods.
The Bayer pharmaceutical company commissioned chemists F. Hoffman and A. Eichengrün in 1895 to produce a salicylic acid derivative that does not cause stomach upset. In 1897, chemist Hoffman synthesized the salicylic acid derivative called acetylsalicylic acid.
The role of aspirin in preventing diseases has not been understood for 50 years. In 1950, the American general practitioner. Realizing that none of the 8000 male patients receiving aspirin daily for 6 years had suffered a heart attack, Craven recommended daily aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attack (but the FDA did not approve the use of aspirin for this purpose until 1988). In 1970, Sir John Vane et al. They were awarded the Nobel Prize for their pain relief. (1)
Aspirin content
Aspirin contains the active ingredient acetylsalicylic acid. Commercially available forms include acetylsalicylic acid as well as excipients to bring the active ingredient into the pharmaceutical form.
Forms of aspirin
In our country, aspirin is available in tablet, sachet, tablet, enteric coated tablet and capsule forms. These forms are available in different dosage forms. Your doctor will prescribe the most appropriate dosage and form depending on the condition of your disease.
What does aspirin do?
Aspirin shows pain relief, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties in high doses (300 mg or more). It is used for short-term treatment of general pain such as headache and toothache, reducing fever and relieving inflammation. Long-term low doses (75 mg) are used to dilute blood.
It is used after heart attack, angina, stroke, ischemic attack, peripheral artery disease, coronary artery by-pass surgery, and other operations related to the heart and vessels where blood clotting is a risk.
Aspirin is useful for all patients with coronary artery disease who do not have a problem with aspirin use. A dosage of 75-100 mg per day is sufficient for this purpose; at higher doses the risk of bleeding increases. Physicians should decide to use aspirin in patients without known heart disease. (2nd)
How should aspirin be used?
Aspirin should be used with the advice of a doctor because of its blood thinning properties. It should not be used in more or less doses than prescribed.
If your stomach is uncomfortable while using aspirin, it is recommended to take it with food.
Aspirin tablets should not be crushed, chewed or broken.
Some forms of aspirin have been produced in a special form, especially for dissolution in the intestine. Therefore, you should swallow with water without damaging the tablet.
If you are going to have any surgery in the near future, you should inform your doctor about using aspirin. Your doctor may take a break from your aspirin treatment depending on the condition of your disease and operation.
It is recommended that you store your medicine at room temperature away from moisture.
Aspirin doses
Aspirin should be taken with food. Depending on the amount of use, the dosage may vary from 50 mg to 6000 mg per day. Recommended dosages for use are generally:
Mild to moderate pain: Normal doses of 350mg or 650mg every 4 hours or 500mg every 6 hours
Rheumatoid arthritis: 500 mg every 4-6 hours / 650 mg every 4 hours / 1000 mg every 4-6 hours / 1950 mg twice daily.
To prevent heart attack: 75, 81, 162 or 325 mg daily
To prevent the risk of another stroke: 75 to 100 mg per day
160 to 325 mg of non-enteric coated aspirin should be chewed immediately when symptoms of a heart attack occur. (3)
What are the benefits of aspirin?
Aspirin and pain treatment
Aspirin is a pain reliever and relieves inflammation. There are various molecules called prostaglandins that cause inflammation in our body. The production of these molecules involved in pain and inflammation is prevented by aspirin. This effect occurs when the aspirin dose is over 300 mg.
Aspirin and heart diseases
The positive effect of aspirin on heart attack was first demonstrated in 1974. Clinical studies over the past 40 years have shown that aspirin is beneficial in men and women with cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, balloon-stent therapy, or coronary bypass surgery.
Nowadays, patients with cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease are advised to use low-dose aspirin for a lifetime if they do not have any inhibitory condition. (4)
There is no point in using aspirin in patients with low risk of cardiovascular disease. Because while avoiding coronary heart disease, at least that much stomach bleeding may be exposed. If there is no risk, aspirin is not recommended for protection.
Aspirin and cancer
According to the results of many scientific studies conducted in recent years, in some cases regular use of Aspirin has anti-cancer effects. Again, scientific studies suggest that aspirin slows down the development of many cancer products or increases success when added to the treatment of cancer patients. However, regular and widespread use of aspirin, other than doctor's supervision and advice, can have dangerous consequences. (5)
Aspirin mask and skin benefits
Various mask recipes for the application of aspirin on the skin have become quite widespread recently. The application of aspirin, especially recommended for acne treatment, to the skin has not been scientifically proven.
It may also cause redness and irritation of the skin. The active ingredient used in the treatment of acne is salicylic acid, which is the active ingredient of aspirin, and must be administered in a prescribed dose with a doctor's prescription and a pharmacist's medication.
Aspirin is good for what diseases?
Aspirin is one of the most commonly used drugs to treat mild to moderate pain, migraine pain and fever.
Common uses include:
Headache
Menstrual pains,
Cold and flu
Buckling and strain
There are long-term conditions such as arthritis.
For mild to moderate pain, only aspirin is sufficient. For moderate and severe pain, it is often used in combination with other opioid analgesics and NSAIDs.
At high doses, it can treat or reduce the following symptoms:
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic arthritis
Other joint inflammations
Cardiac inflammation
Low-dose aspirin at a dose of 75-81 milligrams (mg) per day can be used as an antiplatelet medication to prevent the formation of blood clots.
Diseases used in low doses:
Prevent the formation of blood clots and reduce the risk of transient ischemic attack (TIA) and unstable angina
Prevent myocardial infarction in patients with cardiovascular disease by preventing clot formation
Paralysis. However, it is not used to treat stroke.
Prevent colorectal cancer
After the discovery of the anticoagulant properties of aspirin, the pain relief effect was left behind. Nowadays, it is mostly used to prevent blood clotting in heart diseases.
Who should not use aspirin?
Aspirin is highly risky in cases that may cause bleeding tendency due to its blood thinning properties. The most important side effect of aspirin is bleeding. Most of the bleeding is gastrointestinal bleeding and some bleeding can be life-threatening. Those with the highest risk of aspirin-induced bleeding:
Those who have had an ulcer or bleeding before,
Patients with any bleeding disorder such as hemophilia
Those over 60
High-dose drug users,
Patients receiving cortisone or additional blood thinners.
WARNING: Dissolving or taking low doses of aspirin in the intestine does not reduce the risk of bleeding. If you are at high risk of bleeding and you still have to use aspirin, you should take aspirin along with stomach protection.
In addition, the use of aspirin may be extremely inconvenient in some diseases. To give an example of these diseases:
Bronchial asthma, hay fever, nasal polyps or chronic respiratory diseases
Severe liver failure, impaired liver function, severe renal failure, uncontrolled severe heart failure, severe hypertension and diseases associated with tachycardia
Coronary artery disease, thyroid dysfunction
Diabetes
Feverish pediatric diseases (The use of aspirin to reduce fever, especially in febrile diseases caused by viral diseases, causes a fatal very serious brain and liver disease called Reye's Syndrome.)
Allergic to painkillers, acetylsalicylic acid, other salicylates or any component of the drug
Cases where aspirin should not be used
Due to the blood thinning effect, acetylsalicylic acid may lead to an increased tendency to bleeding during surgical operations (including minor surgical procedures such as tooth extraction) and after surgery.
Aspirin reduces uric acid excretion at low doses. This may trigger gout in people who tend to have low uric acid excretion.
The use of habitual painkillers (especially combinations of different painkillers) can cause permanent kidney damage (analgesic nephropathy).
Aspirin during pregnancy
The aspirin pregnancy category is C for the 1st and 2nd trimester, and D for the 3rd trimester. If your physician considers it necessary, aspirin may be used in some cases of placental insufficiency, but its use is generally risky. Aspirin should not be used during lactation.
Which medicines should not be used with aspirin?
Other blood thinners
Corticosteroid medications
Digoxin
Diabetes medications
Other pain relievers
Methotrexate
MAO inhibitors
Valproic acid
The above active ingredients are those which have serious interaction with aspirin. Concomitant use of these drugs with aspirin may reduce or increase the effect of the drugs. Therefore, you should always consult your physician and pharmacist before using aspirin.
If you are taking an antidepressant containing one of the active ingredients, citolapram, essitolapram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, trazodone or vilazodone, be sure to consult your doctor before using aspirin.
In addition to these medications, the use of a different painkiller may also increase the tendency to bleed. Always consult your physician before using any painkillers as well as aspirin.
What is the concentration and duration of aspirin?
Aspirin is a drug that shows different effects according to the dose amount. It shows pain relief in high doses and blood thinners in low doses. While it can be used as a painkiller for shorter periods, it can be used for much longer periods for blood thinning purposes.
If aspirin is used for pain relief, it should not be used for more than four days.
Your physician will decide the optimal duration and dosage.
Hazards and side effects of aspirin
As with any medication, aspirin has its beneficial effects as well as its harm and side effects. If you encounter a different condition other than the known side effects, consult your physician and pharmacist.
Aspirin side effects
If you have any symptoms of allergies, such as swelling on your face, tongue, lips or throat after taking aspirin, contact the emergency department immediately. (6) Stop using the drug and call your doctor if you observe any of the following conditions.
Tinnitus, confusion, hallucination, rapid breathing, convulsion
Severe nausea, vomiting and stomach pain
Bloody stool, bloody cough or vomiting
Fever lasting more than 3 days
Edema or pain lasting more than 10 days (7)
Other known side effects of aspirin are as follows;
Various skin reactions
Burning sensation in the chest due to heartburn, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain
Nose, gingival bleeding
Headache, dizziness
Tinnitus
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