Aspirin, the wonder drug (Aspirin Enteric Coated)

Name: collingwood21

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Product:	Aspirin Enteric Coated
Date:	01/07/02 (670 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very cheap, widely available, good for injuries, may help prevent heart attacks

Disadvantages: Tastes bitter, not suitable for children, prolonged use may cause stomach ulcers

We all know what aspirin is, don't we? A common painkiller, a slightly old-fashioned headache pill, cheap, ubiquitous, easily available. Its something we take for granted, and usually think nothing of. However, it is a medicine that I had not taken until recently - having followed my mum?s habit of taking paracetamol or ibuprofen instead - when I was recommended to try it by a nurse at my local clinic for the relief of pain from a sprained knee. I must admit I found this rather strange, as I had always assumed that ibuprofen was somehow better, stronger and safer to use for such treatment. But it appears that I was wrong!


● What exactly is aspirin?
Those little white tablets are synthesised from a chemical compound called acetylsalicylic acid, the active component of which is salicylic acid (a substance found in willow bark, and used for relieving pain and fever by both the ancient Greeks and Native Americans). Aspirin as we now recognize it has been around since the 1890's.


● How does it work?
Aspirin is an analgesic - this means that it can relieve pain without loss of consciousness. It is also classed as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, so it can reduce inflammation and swelling as well as pain.

Pain and inflammation in conditions such as period cramps, sprains and infection are caused by hormones called prostaglandins, which are released by the body and cause blood vessels to contract in the affected area - they can also cause the smooth muscle in the uterus to contract. Aspirin works at the site of tissue damage to reduce prostaglandin production, by inhibiting an enzyme vital to their manufacture. As it is the contraction of blood vessels that causes swelling, aspirin therefore reduces the inflammation and eases pain. This makes aspirin useful for treating injuries, joint swelling, period pain, dental pain and arthritis as well as for headaches.


● What are
the side effects?
It is quite well known now that aspirin can irritate the lining of the stomach and cause small amounts of gastrointestinal bleeding - I suspect this is why my mother never used the stuff! However, this is not as scary as it sounds, and damage (loss of iron and occasionally ulcers) can only occur with prolonged, heavy usage of aspirin. It is always a good idea to take aspirin on a full stomach with plenty of liquid, to reduce irritation though, and if you are at all worried then buy coated aspirin tablets that are more expensive, but avoid these complications.

I should also mention here that aspirin should not be given to children, except on explicit medical advice. This is because it is thought to increase the risk of contracting the rare (and sometimes fatal) Reye's Syndrome, which can cause liver problems, high fever and swelling of brain cells. Although the cause of this illness is unknown, it only occurs in children and teenagers after they have had a virus - the administration of aspirin has been found to occur in a statistically significant number of these patients. It is therefore safer to use paracetamol or ibuprofen that has been specifically designed for children (such as Calpol) instead (see http://www.reyessyndrome.org/).

You should talk to a doctor or pharmacist before taking aspirin if:
- you are pregnant or breastfeeding
- you have liver or kidney problems
- you are haemophiliac
- you are taking medicine for blood pressure, anticoagulants, epilepsy or diabetes
- you have previously had a stomach ulcer
- you are asthmatic


● What about overdose?
It is very important that you read the information leaflet enclosed with your packet of aspirin, and that you never exceed the stated dosage. If you take regular small doses of aspirin and you miss a dose, never try to compensate by "doubling up" the next dose, as this can be harmful. Aspirin overdose is
dangerous because the patient shows very little symptoms at first - by the time they become ill, then serious harm (such as liver damage) could have occurred. If you take an overdose (or suspect that someone else has done) it is vital that hospital treatment is sought - never try to induce vomiting, as this is ineffective and can cause further harm.


● The good news
OK, scary bit over - before you rush to throw out your aspirin, there are some benefits to using this medicine. The first is that it is incredibly cheap and widely available; I bought a pack of 16 tablets from Sainsbury's last week for only 19p!

A second plus is that it has been found that aspirin has an effect on blood platelets, inhibiting clotting and "thinning" the blood. This becomes important when you consider that heart attacks can be caused by a clot in one of the main arteries delivering blood to the organ (a coronary thrombosis). A study in the UK in 1993 demonstrated that taking just half an aspirin tablet a day long-term could reduce the chance of stroke and thrombosis in high-risk patients, and help prevent post-operative clots forming (source - Microsoft Encarta 2000). The Red Cross also recommends that those trained in first aid should give an aspirin tablet (with no water) to heart attack patients as soon as possible as "it may help to limit the damage to the heart" (Red Cross First Aid Manual, sixth edition, page 73).

A more recently discovered benefit has come from research in the USA, where it found that regular aspirin use could reduce the risk of lung and colon cancer (see http://www.aspirin.org/news/ap_o.pdf), slow the formation of cataracts (see http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band92/b92-3.htm l) and possibly prevent migraines (see http://www.walgreens.com/library/feature/feat04300 2.jhtml).


● My experience
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, the reason for my taking aspirin wa
s because of a sprained knee. I had being trying to reduce the pain and swelling with ibuprofen, as this is the painkiller I normally have in the house for treating headaches. While I normally find ibuprofen to be very effective, it wasn't helping my knee at all and I was finding it very painful to walk, even a week after the injury occurred. After being advised to try aspirin by the nurse I saw, I bought some from Superdrug on the way home - I paid around 25p for a pack of 16 own-brand tablets.

Aspirin tastes very bitter, so I recommend taking it with a flavoured drink to help disguise the taste. Normal strength tablets are 300mg, and you take one or two in each dose, leaving at least 4 hours between doses. Maximum safe dose is 12 tablets in 24 hours.

I must say that I was surprised by how effective such a cheap medicine could be! Used in combination with an ice-pack, it really helped to get the swelling down on my injured knee, and eased the pain enough for me to be able to move around without pulling silly faces at every step. Funnily enough though, I have since taken it to ease headaches and found it to work less well than my usual ibuprofen.

I would therefore recommend aspirin for any adults with sprains, strains, joint problems, period pain, muscle pain or dental pain - but not really for headaches!



As always, thanks for reading and rating. :-)
© Collingwood 21, July 2002

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