How many aspirins should I take? What is the best way to take aspirin for a heart attack? Discover the optimal aspirin dosage and method of ingestion for preventing and treating heart attacks.

Aspirin for Heart Attack: Chew or Swallow?

When experiencing symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pain, jaw discomfort, and shoulder ache, acting quickly is crucial. Your wife’s instinct to provide you with an aspirin was spot-on, as aspirin can play a vital role in limiting the damage caused by a heart attack. However, the method of taking the aspirin can make a significant difference in its effectiveness.

The Importance of Timing and Dosage

A heart attack is a dynamic event, and early intervention can make a substantial difference in the outcome. The paramedics can provide you with oxygen, medication, and monitor your vital signs to prevent complications as they rush you to the emergency room. Once there, doctors will perform tests to confirm if you are indeed having a heart attack and then work to open the blocked artery, either through angioplasty and a stent or with a clot-busting drug.

In this high-tech medical scenario, a humble aspirin tablet can also make an important contribution. Aspirin helps by inhibiting platelets, the tiny blood cells responsible for triggering blood clotting. The sooner the aspirin is absorbed and starts working, the better. Time is of the essence, as the clot in the artery can grow minute by minute, depriving the heart muscle of oxygen and causing further damage.

The Fastest Way to Take Aspirin

Researchers in Texas conducted a study to determine the fastest way to get aspirin into the bloodstream and inhibit platelet activation. They asked 12 volunteers to take a standard 325-mg dose of aspirin in three different ways: by swallowing a tablet with water, by chewing the tablet for 30 seconds before swallowing, or by drinking Alka-Seltzer. The researchers monitored the volunteers’ blood levels of aspirin, its active ingredient salicylate, and an indicator of platelet activation called thromboxane B2 (TxB2).

The Chewed Aspirin Advantage

The results of the study showed that chewing the aspirin tablet for 30 seconds before swallowing it was the fastest method. It took only 5 minutes to reduce TxB2 concentrations by 50%, compared to almost 8 minutes for Alka-Seltzer and 12 minutes for the swallowed tablet. Similarly, the chewed tablet achieved maximal platelet inhibition in 14 minutes, while it took Alka-Seltzer 16 minutes and the swallowed tablet 26 minutes.

Aspirin for Heart Attack Prevention

Aspirin can also play a role in preventing heart attacks in people with coronary artery disease or those at higher than average risk. In these cases, a low dose of aspirin, usually just 1 per day, is recommended. However, if you believe you are experiencing a heart attack, you need to take an additional 325 mg of aspirin, and you need to take it as quickly as possible.

The Ideal Aspirin Regimen

For the best results, chew a single full-sized 325-mg aspirin tablet and avoid using an enteric-coated tablet, as it will act more slowly even if chewed. And don’t forget to call 911 and then your doctor. This updated approach to taking aspirin during a suspected heart attack can make a crucial difference in the outcome.

How many aspirins should I take for a heart attack?

If you believe you are experiencing a heart attack, you should take an additional 325 mg of aspirin, and you need to take it as quickly as possible. The best way to take it is to chew a single full-sized 325-mg aspirin tablet for 30 seconds before swallowing it.

What is the best way to take aspirin for a heart attack?

The best way to take aspirin for a heart attack is to chew a single full-sized 325-mg aspirin tablet for 30 seconds before swallowing it. This method allows the aspirin to be absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly than swallowing the tablet whole or taking it with Alka-Seltzer, helping to inhibit platelet activation and limit the damage caused by the heart attack.

How does aspirin work to prevent heart attacks?

Aspirin helps prevent heart attacks by inhibiting the activity of platelets, the tiny blood cells responsible for triggering blood clotting. When a cholesterol-laden plaque in a coronary artery ruptures, it attracts platelets to its surface, leading to the formation of a clot that can block the artery and cause a heart attack. Aspirin interferes with this process, reducing the risk of clot formation and the subsequent heart attack.

How long does it take for aspirin to start working during a heart attack?

The speed at which aspirin starts working during a heart attack is critical, as the clot in the artery can grow minute by minute. Studies have shown that chewing a 325-mg aspirin tablet for 30 seconds before swallowing it is the fastest method, reducing platelet activation indicators by 50% in just 5 minutes. This is much faster than swallowing the tablet whole, which can take up to 12 minutes to achieve the same level of platelet inhibition.

Why is it important to call 911 in addition to taking aspirin during a heart attack?

Calling 911 is crucial in addition to taking aspirin during a suspected heart attack because the paramedics can provide critical early intervention. They can administer oxygen, medication, and monitor your vital signs to prevent complications as they rush you to the emergency room. In the hospital, doctors can then perform tests to confirm the heart attack and take immediate action to open the blocked artery, either through angioplasty and a stent or with a clot-busting drug.

How does the dose of aspirin for heart attack prevention differ from the dose for heart attack treatment?

For heart attack prevention in people with coronary artery disease or higher than average risk, a low dose of aspirin, usually just 1 per day, is recommended. However, if you believe you are experiencing a heart attack, you need to take an additional 325 mg of aspirin to help inhibit platelet activation and limit the damage caused by the heart attack. The higher 325-mg dose is required for the immediate treatment of a suspected heart attack.

Aspirin for heart attack: Chew or swallow?

How should you take aspirin for a heart attack? You’ve always been healthy, but you seemed to run out of steam at your wife’s 60th birthday dinner last week. And now your chest feels heavy, as if you’re in a vise. You take some antacids, even though it’s 7:00 a.m. and you haven’t even had breakfast. But you get no relief, and the pain is spreading to your jaw and shoulder. You call your wife, who takes one look at you and rushes to the phone. After calling 911, she brings you an aspirin and some water.

Your wife got it right: You may be having a heart attack, and you need to get to the hospital fast. You also need to get some aspirin into your system quickly — but should you chew the tablet or swallow it?

Aspirin for heart attack first aid

The reason you need aspirin is the same reason you should call 911 without delay: A heart attack is a dynamic event, and early intervention can limit the damage. The paramedics can give you oxygen and medication, and they’ll monitor your blood pressure and heart rhythm to forestall complications as they speed you to the ER. In the hospital, doctors will take EKGs and blood tests to see if you are having a heart attack; if so, they will usually try to open the blocked artery with an angioplasty and stent or, if that’s not available, with a clot-busting drug.

It’s modern cardiology at its best, and it has improved considerably the outlook for heart attack victims. But how can a humble aspirin tablet add to high-tech medicine, and why is speed so important?

Most heart attacks develop when a cholesterol-laden plaque in a coronary artery ruptures. Relatively small plaques, which produce only partial blockages, are the ones most likely to rupture. When they do, they attract platelets to their surface. Platelets are the tiny blood cells that trigger blood clotting. A clot, or thrombus, builds up on the ruptured plaque. As the clot grows, it blocks the artery. If the blockage is complete, it deprives a portion of the heart muscle of oxygen. As a result, muscle cells die — and it’s a heart attack.

Aspirin helps by inhibiting platelets. Only a tiny amount is needed to inhibit all the platelets in the bloodstream; in fact, small amounts are better than high doses. But since the clot grows minute by minute, time is of the essence.

To find out how aspirin works fastest, researchers in Texas asked 12 volunteers to take a standard 325-mg dose of aspirin in three different ways: by swallowing a tablet with 4 ounces of water, by chewing the tablet for 30 seconds before swallowing it, or by drinking 4 ounces of water with Alka-Seltzer. Each subject tried all three methods on an empty stomach on different days. The scientists monitored blood levels of aspirin and its active ingredient, salicylate, at frequent intervals, and they also measured thromboxane B2 (TxB2), an indicator of platelet activation that drops as platelets are inhibited.

By all three measurements, chewed aspirin worked fastest. It needed only five minutes to reduce TxB2 concentrations by 50%; the Alka-Seltzer took almost 8 minutes, and the swallowed tablet took 12 minutes. Similarly, it took 14 minutes for the chewed tablet to produce maximal platelet inhibition; it took Alka-Seltzer 16 minutes and the swallowed tablet 26 minutes.

Aspirin for heart attack prevention

Aspirin can help prevent heart attacks in people with coronary artery disease and in those who have a higher than average risk. Only low dose, usually just 1 a day, is needed. But people who think they may be having an attack need an extra 325 mg of aspirin, and they need it as quickly as possible. For the best results, chew a single full-sized 325-mg tablet, but don’t use an enteric-coated tablet, which will act slowly even if chewed. And don’t forget to call 911, then your doctor. It’s a contemporary update on the old reminder to take two aspirin and call in the morning — and it’s good advice to chew over.

Heart failure is manageable. To learn the mechanics of the heart, the symptoms and warning signs of heart failure, and, most of all, the keys to an effective treatment plan, buy the Harvard Special Health Report Heart Failure: Understanding the condition and optimizing treatment.

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Aspirin for the Heart: One Dose Doesn’t Fit All

Cleveland Heartlab August 31, 2018 Aspirin Therapy, heart attack and stroke

For decades, millions of Americans have been advised to take low dose aspirin daily to prevent heart attacks and strokes. But new research is raising questions about this common practice.

It’s not that aspirin doesn’t work to keep the heart healthy. It does. It’s just that the dose your doctor wants you to take may need to change in order to be right for you. Doctors recommend aspirin because it helps to prevent clots from forming that can block blood flow to the heart or brain, causing heart attacks and strokes.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has recommended that people at high risk of a heart attack take a daily low-dose aspirin if their doctors recommend it. People who have had a heart attack are often advised to take it to prevent them from having another heart attack.

The new study found that a person’s weight affects whether aspirin helps to prevent a heart attack or not. Low-dose aspirin (75 to 100 mg.) works best for people who weigh between 110 and about 153 pounds. It doesn’t prevent heart attacks in people who weigh more than about 154 pounds. And when heavier people on low-dose aspirin have a heart attack or stroke, they’re more likely to die from the heart problem than people on aspirin who weigh less.

Researchers also showed that taking a higher dose of aspirin (325 mg. and up) reduced heart attacks and strokes in people who weighed more than 154 pounds. However, higher doses can be harmful. The higher the dose, the greater the risk of bleeding. In the study, higher doses also increased the risk of sudden death, particularly in people who weigh 153 pounds or less.

What does it all mean? Some people may be taking too much aspirin and others too little. And your weight may be an important new factor in how much aspirin you take.

Doctors will probably want to see more research on this. But for now, if he or she has advised you to take aspirin, it’s time for a new discussion about the risks and benefits of aspirin and how much you should be taking.

If you are concerned about your aspirin dose, ask your doctor about the AspirinWorks® Test, a simple urine test that can help you and your doctor know if your aspirin is working to help you avoid heart attacks and strokes.

If you are not taking aspirin, but wonder if it is right for you, the AHA suggests asking your doctor these questions about it:

1. What is my risk for having a heart attack or stroke?
2. Would it be good for me to take aspirin to help prevent a heart attack or stroke?
3. What are the side effects of aspirin?
4. How long should I take aspirin?
5. Will aspirin work well with my other medications?

Since aspirin has health risks, don’t start taking it before talking to your doctor about whether it is right for you and what dose would be best.

Aspirin is a powerful tool for preventing heart attacks and strokes. But as this new research shows, there’s a lot to consider to be sure that it’s working best for you.

Almighty Aspirin.

August 10 is considered the day of aspirin — one of the main centenarians of our first-aid kits. For more than a century, doctors have been studying its properties, and the townsfolk are finding more and more new uses for it. In honor of the birthday of the miracle drug, we talk about five cases in which doctors prescribe it, and about 20 folk ways to use it for other purposes.

The hero of today is a small white tablet that has become one of the record holders in production and sales over the last century (at 19In 1949, it was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling pain reliever). Most likely, it is also in your first aid kit, but even if not, then its contents – aspirin, aka acetylsalicylic acid – will certainly be in the composition of some complex drug. Fans of home experiments can easily find it there: if you drop a solution of copper sulphate on a tablet, it will turn green (and if suddenly iron (III) chloride is lying around in your house, then in reaction with it, the color will turn purple).

How aspirin works

As the name implies, the acetylsalicylic acid molecule consists of two parts – salicylic acid and an acetyl group. The effect of aspirin on the body is provided by the ability of this molecule to attach its acetyl group to various cellular proteins. As a result, target proteins change shape and, as a result, activity.

In this way, aspirin manages to block the work of the cyclooxygenase protein, which is found in many cells of the body and is needed to turn membrane lipids into distress signals, the so-called inflammatory mediators. When many of these altered signaling lipids accumulate in the blood, other cells begin to react to them, and this leads to blood clotting, activation of the immune system, and the development of inflammation. Interfering with the work of cyclooxygenase, aspirin stops the production of inflammatory mediators, and it “calms down”.

What aspirin can do

1. Aspirin is an analgesic, i.e. an anesthetic Nerve endings that transmit a pain signal to the brain respond, among other things, to the concentration of inflammatory mediators in tissues. The more of them, the more intense the pain signal. By inhibiting their production, aspirin thereby prevents pain endings from being excited.
2. Another symptom easily treated with aspirin is fever. Just like pain, fever rises because inflammatory mediators build up in the blood, so aspirin is often used as an antipyretic.
3. In addition to cells, signaling lipids also act on platelets (which, strictly speaking, are not cells). Under their action, platelets are activated, stick together and start the blood coagulation cascade. Therefore, aspirin is used as a anticoagulant and blood thinner , for example, in older people with a high risk of blood clots. Starting from the age of 50, it is prescribed regularly in low doses, even to healthy people. Such prophylaxis has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and atherosclerosis. However, for people suffering from bleeding, aspirin is dangerous – if you take it, then the chances of stopping the bleeding become even less. So, they say that Grigory Rasputin possessed this valuable knowledge, which strengthened his position at the imperial court: he insisted that Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia, should not be given aspirin in any case – the medicine could be fatal.
4. Thinning the blood is often important during pregnancy. With increased activity of the mother’s platelets or her immune reaction to the fetus, preeclampsia develops – a condition in which the pressure is so high that there is a threat to the life of both the child and the mother. Doctors are still arguing about whether aspirin really helps in this case, but it has already been established that in low doses it can be used to prevent preeclampsia . However, after the birth of a child at first, aspirin will be more dangerous for him. Children and adolescents who take aspirin for viral diseases often develop Ray’s syndrome – for reasons not fully known, the liver and brain are affected, which can lead to death. Therefore, doctors recommend refraining from taking aspirin until at least 16 years of age.
5. But the most unexpected effect of aspirin is cancer prevention . It turned out that people who, for various reasons, take low doses of aspirin for a long time, have a reduced likelihood of tumor formation. This is not shown for all types of tumors, but in almost any case, aspirin reduces the number of metastases and increases the patient’s chances of survival.

However, this is not a reason to take aspirin without special indications. In addition to promoting bleeding by thinning the blood, it also inhibits the activity of cells in the gastrointestinal tract, which often provokes the development of gastritis and peptic ulcer.

Aspirin crystals under a microscope. Image: Alexander Klepnev / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

What else can aspirin do? People often turn out to be more curious and inventive than doctors – we found 20 alternative ways to use acetylsalicylic acid (we will not give recipes, they are easy to find on the net upon request.) So, if you believe people’s advice, you can use it:

1. Fight acne.
2. Relieve itching from insect bites.
3. Relieve hangovers.

The anti-inflammatory properties of aspirin seem to be used here.

4. Treat dandruff.
5. Protect the soil from pests.
6. Increase the shelf life of flowers (“to stand longer”).
7. Salt the cucumbers.

Apparently, it also has an antimicrobial effect.

8. Remove dead skin cells.
9. Remove ingrown hairs.
10. Soften skin after shaving.
11. Strengthen nails.
12. Get rid of corns and calluses.

Aspirin seems to work the same here as regular salt.

13. Wash sinks.
14. Clear blockages in pipes.
15. Protect colored hair from pool bleach.
16. Remove stains from clothes.
17. Remove oxide film from metals when soldering.

And in these cases it can be easily replaced with another (usually citric) acid.

18. Recharge the battery (e.g. in a car).

Works just like any other electrolyte.

One can only guess what is the reason for such popularity of aspirin among the people. Probably, the scale of its production made it one of the most accessible chemicals on a par with the same citric acid. But it can also be assumed that people’s belief in a magic pill that saves from any ailments has spread to its use in the household: since he is so successful in cleaning blood vessels from blood clots, then he probably does not care about blockage in the pipe.

Advertisement for aspirin in L’Illustration, 1923. Image: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

What Aspirin Can’t

Like any hero, aspirin is credited with mythical properties, which, unfortunately, it does not possess. So, you can’t use aspirin:

19. Prevent pregnancy.

This method of contraception appears to be a form of citric acid contraception. There is an opinion that washing the vagina with citric acid after intercourse leads to a strong acidification of the environment and the death of spermatozoa. However, practice shows that the effectiveness of this method is low. An aspirin tablet in this case works even worse than citric acid, because it has a detrimental effect on the vaginal mucosa, causing damage to it. And against spermatozoa that have managed to penetrate deeper, even the almighty aspirin, alas, is powerless.

20. Change the state of consciousness.

In the youth culture of the 20th century there was a belief that the combination of aspirin and Coca-Cola can lead to the most unexpected effects. There were many options for this folklore story: it was believed that such a combination acts as an aphrodisiac, causes euphoria and intoxication, or even can kill a person on the spot. They say, for example, that each American college had its own version of this story. Perhaps this was due to the fact that teenagers wanted extreme sensations, and what could be better than the magic pill that most adults take (especially with a hangover)?

However, the super-medicine does not perform miracles here either. Even the great experimental prankster Richard Feynman explored this topic, and this is what he came up with: “…Someone claimed that if you take aspirin and Coca-Cola, you will immediately fall into mortal weakness. I told them it was pure nonsense and offered to drink aspirin and Coke together. Then they started an argument about whether to drink aspirin before Coke, immediately after, or together. Then I drank six aspirins and three glasses of Coca-Cola, one after the other. First I took two aspirins and drank a glass of Coca-Cola, then we dissolved two tablets in a glass and I drank that too, and finally I drank another glass of Coca-Cola and two aspirins. And every time these believing idiots stood around me waiting to catch me when I started to fall. But nothing happened. True, I remember that I did not sleep well that night, but in the morning I got up normally, did a lot of drawings and worked on some formulas related to what is called the Riemann zeta function.

As it turned out, the combination of aspirin and Coca-Cola is not fatal at all. What’s more, cola’s main active ingredient, caffeine, is what many of us regularly use along with aspirin in the old version of the common drug Citramon. Caffeine enhances the effect of acetylsalicylic acid, and together they cope with pain more effectively.

Experiments with aspirin continue, and it is possible that soon we will learn about the new properties of the miracle drug and unexpected possibilities for its use. How do you use aspirin?

Polina Loseva

aspirin and antibiotics for flu and covid can lead to serious consequences

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01/25/2023

After the coronavirus pandemic and another increase in the incidence of influenza, many recommendations have appeared on the treatment and prevention of complications of these diseases.

Because of this, some people start taking drugs without consulting a doctor. Why is it important to take flu and covid treatment seriously? Can I take aspirin to prevent thrombosis in covid? What drugs can be taken for flu and covid without consulting a doctor? – told about it Ivan Romasov, therapist INVITRO .

Why are flu and covid dangerous? Why is it so important to take treatment seriously?

These two viral diseases are so terrible not by the pathogens themselves and their direct action, but by the complications and consequences for the body. As a rule, a person without a medical education, who does not have medical equipment and laboratory capabilities, will not be able to recognize these complications in time, which can lead to serious consequences.

When an influenza virus or a coronavirus infection is detected, it is worth remembering that for these pathogens there is a specific treatment depending on the severity and presence of complications, but it will be extremely difficult for an unprepared person to distinguish these infections. Therefore, the appointment of drugs, as well as the diagnosis of the type of infection, should be carried out only by a doctor. Lists of drugs approved for use in these infections are approved by various international and domestic specialized organizations, and are listed in clinical guidelines.

For example, the only recommended medicine for influenza according to World Health Organization guidelines is oseltamivir tablet. For the treatment of coronavirus infection at the outpatient stage, international and Russian clinical guidelines contain drugs such as Molnupiravir and Nirmatrelvir + Ritonavir.

There is a lot of advice on the Internet from unknown experts who recommend taking aspirin and other drugs to prevent thrombosis and other complications. Should they be trusted?

You can find advice on taking aspirin or anticoagulants to prevent thrombosis in case of coronavirus infection, antibiotics in case of lung damage in case of covid, as well as various “antiviral” drugs, the effectiveness of which has not been proven. Remember that all these drugs are used strictly according to indications, and in most cases they must be determined by a doctor. For example, the use of anticoagulants or aspirin without proven bleeding disorders in most cases leads to dangerous internal and external bleeding, sometimes fatal. Uncontrolled use of antibiotics can lead to at least bacterial resistance or severe clostridial diarrhea that is extremely difficult to treat.

What about other methods such as inhalation? Can they be done with flu and covid?

The simplest inhalation – with saline or mineral water – is good for dry coughs or nasal discharge to moisten mucous membranes and fight symptoms.