How does aspirin prevent stroke

What precautions do I need to take? Limit alcohol Drinking 3 or more alcoholic drinks every day while taking daily aspirin increases your risk for liver damage and stomach bleeding. Talk to doctor before a surgery or procedure Before you have a surgery or procedure that may cause bleeding, tell your doctor or dentist that you take aspirin. Tell your doctor about all your medicines Aspirin should not be taken with many prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, herbal remedies, and supplements.

Be careful taking pain relievers Although nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , such as ibuprofen and naproxen, relieve pain and inflammation much like aspirin does, they do not affect blood clotting in the same way that aspirin does. How do you take aspirin? How does aspirin work to prevent a heart attack or stroke? References Other Works Consulted Antiplatelet therapy for patients with stents. Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics, 50 : 61— Bibbins-Domingo K, U. Preventive Services Task Force Aspirin use for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer: U.

Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 12 : — DOI: Accessed May 16, Eikelboom JW, et al.

Antiplatelet drugs: Antithrombotic therapy and prevention of thrombosis, 9th ed. Chest, 2, Suppl : e89S—eS. Meschia JF, et al. Stroke, published online October 28, Accessed October 29, Circulation, 10 : e—e Pignone M, et al.

Aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular events in people with diabetes: A position statement of the American Diabetes Association, a scientific statement of the American Heart Association, and an expert consensus document of the American College of Cardiology Foundation. Circulation, 24 : — Smith SC, et al. Circulation, 22 : — Steinhubl SR, et al. Aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease: The association of aspirin dose and clopidogrel with thrombosis and bleeding.

Annals of Internal Medicine, 6 : — Food and Drug Administration Concomitant use of ibuprofen and aspirin: Potential for attenuation of the anti-platelet effect of aspirin. Food and Drug Administration Science Paper. September 8, Vandvik PO, et al. Primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: Antithrombotic therapy and prevention of thrombosis, 9th ed. Chest, 2, Suppl : eS—eS. Credits Current as of: August 31, Serious side effects It happens rarely, but some people have serious side effects after taking low-dose aspirin.

Call a doctor straight away if you get: red, blistered and peeling skin coughing up blood or blood in your pee, poo or vomit yellow skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow - this can be a sign of liver problems painful joints in the hands and feet - this can be a sign of high levels of uric acid in the blood swollen hands or feet - this can be a sign of water retention Serious allergic reaction In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction to aspirin.

These aren't all the side effects of aspirin. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicines packet. Information: You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme. Visit Yellow Card for further information. What to do about: mild indigestion - take your aspirin with food. If the indigestion still doesn't go away, it could be a sign that the aspirin has caused a stomach ulcer.

Talk to your doctor - they may prescribe something to protect your stomach or switch you to a different medicine. Always wear a helmet when cycling. Wear gloves when you use sharp objects like scissors, knives, and gardening tools. Use an electric razor instead of wet shaving, and use a soft toothbrush and waxed dental floss to clean your teeth.

See a doctor if you're worried about any bleeding. Pregnancy and low-dose aspirin It's generally safe to take low-dose aspirin during pregnancy, as long as your doctor has said it's OK. Your doctor may advise you to take low-dose aspirin during pregnancy: to help prevent heart attack and stroke to help prevent pre-eclampsia pregnancy-related high blood pressure if you're having fertility treatment if you have had several previous miscarriages For more information about how low-dose aspirin can affect you and your baby during pregnancy, read this leaflet on the Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy BUMPS website.

Breastfeeding and low-dose aspirin Aspirin is not generally recommended while you're breastfeeding. Non-urgent advice: Tell your doctor if you're:. Some medicines interfere with the way aspirin works. Tell your doctor if you're taking these medicines before you start taking aspirin : medicines to thin blood or prevent blood clots , such as clopidogrel and warfarin - taking them with aspirin might cause bleeding problems medicines for pain and inflammation, such as ibuprofen and prednisolone medicines to prevent organ rejection after a transplant, such as ciclosporin and tacrolimus medicines to treat high blood pressure , such as furosemide and ramipril digoxin , a medicine for heart problems lithium , a medicine for mental health problems acetazolamide, for an eye problem called glaucoma methotrexate , a medicine used to stop the immune system overreacting and sometimes to treat some types of cancer diabetes medicines, such as insulin and gliclazide Taking low-dose aspirin with painkillers It's safe to take paracetamol with low-dose aspirin.

Mixing low-dose aspirin with herbal remedies or supplements Aspirin may not mix well with quite a lot of complementary and herbal medicines. Important: Medicine safety Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. How does low-dose aspirin work? When will I feel better? How long will I take it for? Is it safe to take for a long time?

Can I drink alcohol with it? Yes, you can drink alcohol while taking low-dose aspirin. Does low-dose aspirin cause stomach ulcers? Can I take painkillers with low-dose aspirin? Is there any food or drink I need to avoid? You can eat and drink normally while taking low-dose aspirin.

Will it affect my fertility? Will it affect my contraception? Are there alternatives to low-dose aspirin? Should we all take low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes? No, this isn't recommended. Can lifestyle changes help?

Quit smoking - smoking increases your heart rate and blood pressure and increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. Try to avoid secondhand smoke, too. Cut down on alcohol - try to keep to the recommended guidelines of no more than 14 units of alcohol a week. A standard glass of wine ml is 2 units. A pint of lager or beer is usually 2 to 3 units of alcohol.

Exercise - regular exercise keeps your heart and blood vessels in good condition. It doesn't need to be too energetic - walking every day is enough.

Eat well - aim to eat a diet that includes plenty of fruit and veg, wholegrains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products and lean proteins. It's a good idea to cut down on salt , too. Aim for no more than 6g of salt a day.

Deal with stress - when you're anxious or upset, your heart beats faster, you breathe more heavily, and your blood pressure often goes up. This raises your risk of heart attack and stroke. Find ways to reduce stress in your life. To give your heart a rest, try napping or putting your feet up when possible.

Spend time with friends and family to be social and help keep stress at bay. Vaccinations - if you have heart disease, it's recommended that you have a flu jab every year and a pneumonia vaccination also called the pneumococcal vaccine every 5 years. Ask your doctor about these vaccinations. You can have them free on the NHS.

There is good reason to be wary of aspirin, warns Michos, particularly for women. Some benefit was seen for women over the age of More recently, two large clinical trials comparing aspirin with placebo among people without known heart disease give even more reason to be cautious with an aspirin. The ARRIVE trial included men over the age of 55 and women over age 60 who were deemed to be at elevated risk for heart disease by having several risk factors. Both trials showed that low dose aspirin at milligrams per day did not prevent subsequent heart attacks or strokes over a period of approximately five years.

However, aspirin did increase the risk for major bleeding. It is likely that other therapies such as the appropriate use of statin medications , more intensive blood pressure control and smoking cessation are more important measures for prevention than taking aspirin.