by waani

Created on: September 04, 2009   Last Updated: September 06, 2009

Aspirin is one of the most commonly used medications in the world. It is often used to relieve minor aching, pain and for fever as an antipyretic (drugs that reduce body temperature in situations such as fever).

It is also widely used for heart attack and recurrent stroke prevention and it has proved really effective for this purpose. But along with its many benefits, it has its side effects as well. So its minimum dosage should be used and with caution.

When to use it?

Aspirin as mentioned earlier is generally used for minor aches and pains and it is available cheaply, so its benefits are often ignored due to this very reason. However it has proved very effective for such purposes. It is also used for keeping blood flow to normal and to avoid blood clotting, which eventually may lead to heart attack or stroke. Some recent studies show that aspirin might be helpful in colorectal cancer (commonly known as colon cancer) prevention. It is also used for mild high blood pressure; it helps in lowering the blood pressure. It is generally taken at night. Aspirin in minimum dose 75-81 mg is considered ideal for all these problems. There are varied and conflicting views on this. But most researchers believe that it is very useful for the people who already have suffered heart attack or stroke.

It can also be used for minor pain and aches. They are not recommended to use it on daily basis. It is not recommended for people who have not suffered a heart attack/stroke or do not have very high chances of it, because with its side effects, its use on regular basis can cause some serious health issues. So for people who already had heart attack or stroke or who have high chances of having a one may be advised by their personal physicians to use it on daily basis, and it has proved very useful for them. For people who do not have such issues they should use it with caution and on their physician's advice to use it on daily basis.

Some Side Effects of Aspirin

Where aspirin has its many benefits, it has some serious risks associated with it as well.

The risks which it has can be:

Gastrointestinal ulcers, stomach bleeding, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), brain bleeding. Some people also have allergy problem with aspirin. These risks are especially associated with high dose of aspirin or use of aspirin over a longer period of time.

Other Precautions!

If aspirin is used wisely it is a great medication for normal pain and aches. It can be used for relieving headaches, for flu problem, for fever and body pains and for lowering the risk of heart attacks. Here are some useful tips for its use.

Low dose aspirin 75-81 mg is considered ideal for all of issues such as pain, fever, high blood pressure, heart problems and stroke. Remember a high dosage of aspirin is not going to make any difference in terms of its effectiveness.

Do not use it on daily basis unless you are advised by your physician or cardiologist.

Enteric coated aspirin tablets are sometimes advised if someone has some problem with uncoated ones.

Not all strokes are due to blood clots, so do not use aspirin during a stroke unless you are advised by you doctor/physician.

Aspirin should not be given to children and to teenagers, as it may cause Reye's syndrome (a disease which can cause damage to many organs, especially the brain and liver).

Control your diet and avoid food with high cholesterol.

Make a habit of regular exercise; it is better than any medication and it will help you in avoiding many health problems. People with heart problems should not do heavy exercises.

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