Daily Aspirin? Or no...?

[SarahW]

The Danger of Taking Aspirin Daily - WSJ.com

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

What is new is that a consensus is finally forming around what has long been in practiced by more thoughtful physicians.

It turns out that the risk:benefit ratio turns favorable toward taking aspirin when your annual risk of a heart attack exceeds a little over 1%. You can estimate your risk using any of the standard calculators (note this is a 10-year risk calculator, so divide the result by 10 to get an approximate 1-year risk.

 

[SarahW]

Wow, that's good info, Rich. Thanks.

 

[Dawg52]

I was taking a low dose aspirin daily but when I pricked myself on the back of my hand not long ago, I had a tough time getting the thing to stop bleeding. I didn't think that was a good thing so I have cut back to 3 times a week. Plus the calculator has me just below the 1% range anyway.

 

[yakers]

Yes bleeding is an issue I guess. When I went to the dentist it takes longer to stop bleeding from the little scrapes & cuts in the process. But I have A-fib and have instructions to take an aspirin each day. The calculator asked about whether the person is under a medication for blood pressure but not about whether the person is taking a statin/cholesterol reducing drug, which I would think is very common and would affect the calculation.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

The calculator asked about whether the person is under a medication for blood pressure but not about whether the person is taking a statin/cholesterol reducing drug, which I would think is very common and would affect the calculation.

No, treated hyperlipidemia give you the risk of whatever values you achieve from treatment. Treated hypertension, OTOH, improves your risk but it remains slightly higher than someone with the same BP untreated.

It's a little confusing, but at any rate these are just broad indicators and should not be treated with more precision than they deserve.

 

[winger]

I had a major stroke in 2008. Since then, docs have me take a daily Plavix and a regular size aspirin.

I bleed and bruise easily now. In my experience, there are always tradeoffs for any meds you take. I'll put up with the bruising, because I may not come out so well from another stroke.

I had no effects from the stroke, except that my balance and far vision improved.

 

[haha]

I had no effects from the stroke, except that my balance and far vision improved.

Wow, good for you. Sounds likea sucessful re-boot!

Ha

 

[rescueme]

As a T2 diabetic, I'm considered at risk for heart attack/stroke (actually, it is considered as if I've already had one heart attack):

Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke

Due to that condition, I take my 81mg, every day.

Does it help? I'll let you know in 100 years ...

 

[Alan]

Good information Rich. I was a little concerned when I first ran the calculator and it came up with 5%, but I hadn't read your note about dividing by 10

I did used to take a low dose aspirin a day until I read the latest recommendations, and then I quit.

 

[W2R]

Mine was 2%, so divided by 10 it would be 0.2% - - one chance in 500, per year.

Good thing the quiz didn't ask about weight or exercise, or I would have flunked! My doctor has my blood values and BP nicely under control with medications.

One of my brothers had a series of severe strokes eight years ago, when he was 60. The resulting physical and mental disability he suffers with is tragic and heartbreaking. I have wondered if that would happen to me, but so far so good. Nobody else in the family has had strokes, but he and I are two peas in a pod - - very similar in appearance and in many ways.

 

[kaneohe]

Instruction for pre-colonoscopy prep suggest discontinuing baby aspirin 5 days before the procedure. Is this adequate time or would it be better to do a bit earlier (how much?)?

 

[kaneohe]

Good thing the quiz didn't ask about weight or exercise, .

why is that? a flaw in the quiz or is the idea that unless exercise or wt control gets reflected in the requested parameters (BP/cholesterol), they are not helping, at least wrt heart attacks?

 

[Alan]

why is that? a flaw in the quiz or is the idea that unless exercise or wt control gets reflected in the requested parameters (BP/cholesterol), they are not helping, at least wrt heart attacks?

I think it indicates that if you have bp and cholesterol under control with either exercise or drugs your chances of a heart attack are the same. Exercise has lots of other benefits of course, plus if you can control bp and cholesterol without drugs you don't have to worry about possible side effects or interactions with other drugs.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I think it indicates that if you have bp and cholesterol under control with either exercise or drugs your chances of a heart attack are the same. Exercise has lots of other benefits of course, plus if you can control bp and cholesterol without drugs you don't have to worry about possible side effects or interactions with other drugs.

That's essentially my understanding. It is very hard to statistically tease out - the bottom line is that obesity and sedentary lifestyle work their harm via BP, lipids, etc. These are outcome studies which look only at results, not mechanisms.

 

[ScottFromUtah]

I take a baby (81 mg) aspirin a day. In Feb 2000, I had angioplasty with three stents, and my annual risk (by Rich's calculator) is 1.5%, so I continue with the aspirin (as well as Lipitor). I bleed and bruise a little more than normal beause of the daily aspirin, but to me it's worth it. A recent (Dec 2007) angiogram showed that I was symptom free of coronary artery disease. Woo hoo!

 

[DangerMouse]

I take a baby asprin a day as recommended by my Dr. Main reason for doing so is my Cardio C-Reactive Protein is 2.47 which increases my risk of cardiovascular disease.