In the past, studies have recommended a daily intake of aspirin for heart attack or stroke prevention. But now, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has claimed that it is not true for some and can even cause undesired side effects.
Based on clinical data gathered since the 1990s, a low dose of aspirin taken daily can help prevent a reoccurrence of heart attack, stroke, or any disease involving the blood vessels in the heart. This is known as “secondary prevention.”
On the other hand, the FDA has identified a different method known as “primary prevention” which readily concludes that aspirin cannot be used as a preventive medication by those who have never suffered from a heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems.
According to the federal agency, daily aspirin therapy should be employed only after a health care professional weighs the benefits and risks. If the medical expert eventually recommends taking aspirin daily in order to reduce certain risks of heart attack and clot-related stroke, the next thing to do is to read the labels carefully.
Knowing the right medicine to take is imperative. There are some drugs that combine aspirin with other types of pain relievers or other ingredients. Some of these drugs are not good for long-term aspirin therapy and, therefore, should never be used.
Heart attack happens when one of the coronary arteries develops a clot that blocks blood and oxygen flow to the heart. This clotting action in the blood is interfered by taking aspirin. However, one must be cautious when aspirin is used with other blood thinners such as apixaban (Eliquis), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), dabigatran (Pradaxa), and warfarin.
There are several large-scale clinical studies that are still going on which aim to continue investigating the use of aspirin as a primary prevention against heart attack or stroke, according to Robert Temple, M.D., deputy director for clinical science at the FDA. These studies and the evidences that could emerge are expected to be closely monitored by the agency.
