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I am NOT a doctor, and this unsophisticated Medical advice is worth precisely what you paid for it.

I have been reading reports for years there is a TON of upside, and negligible downside - mainly for folks who do not tolerate Aspirin in their internals, but that is not a large % I understand in low dose situations.

However, unless you have gastro intestinal reasons to avoid Aspirin, we ALL should take one low dose Aspirin (NOT Paracetamol) a day - this is from 2011 in The Lancet - not The Sun.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)62110-1/abstract

As it often said, if Aspirin was only discovered and patented by Pfizer today, it would be $100 a box and regarded as a Wonder Drug.

A box of 112 "Astrix" (100mg) is $3.50 at my pharmacy. $10 a year retail to take 1 a day.

I am sure in every country same low price options are available under different brands.

The government should mail out these tablets to every adult in the country. Bulk buy cost about $5 a year per person. Saving in medical costs - clearly enormous.

This report below relates solely to preventing CANCERS.

As is well known Aspirin also thins the blood. Thinner less viscous blood makes it easier for the heart to pump it around, hence lesser strain, and lesser heart attacks. A wonder drug at 3c a day.

Background

Treatment with daily aspirin for 5 years or longer reduces subsequent risk of colorectal cancer. Several lines of evidence suggest that aspirin might also reduce risk of other cancers, particularly of the gastrointestinal tract, but proof in man is lacking. We studied deaths due to cancer during and after randomised trials of daily aspirin versus control done originally for prevention of vascular events.

Methods

We used individual patient data from all randomised trials of daily aspirin versus no aspirin with mean duration of scheduled trial treatment of 4 years or longer to determine the effect of allocation to aspirin on risk of cancer death in relation to scheduled duration of trial treatment for gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal cancers. In three large UK trials, long-term post-trial follow-up of individual patients was obtained from death certificates and cancer registries.

Results

In eight eligible trials (25 570 patients, 674 cancer deaths), allocation to aspirin reduced death due to cancer (pooled odds ratio [OR] 0·79, 95% CI 0·68—0·92, p=0·003). On analysis of individual patient data, which were available from seven trials (23 535 patients, 657 cancer deaths), benefit was apparent only after 5 years' follow-up (all cancers, hazard ratio [HR] 0·66, 0·50—0·87; gastrointestinal cancers, 0·46, 0·27—0·77; both p=0·003). The 20-year risk of cancer death (1634 deaths in 12 659 patients in three trials) remained lower in the aspirin groups than in the control groups (all solid cancers, HR 0·80, 0·72—0·88, p<0·0001; gastrointestinal cancers, 0·65, 0·54—0·78, p<0·0001), and benefit increased (interaction p=0·01) with scheduled duration of trial treatment (?7·5 years: all solid cancers, 0·69, 0·54—0·88, p=0·003; gastrointestinal cancers, 0·41, 0·26—0·66, p=0·0001). The latent period before an effect on deaths was about 5 years for oesophageal, pancreatic, brain, and lung cancer, but was more delayed for stomach, colorectal, and prostate cancer. For lung and oesophageal cancer, benefit was confined to adenocarcinomas, and the overall effect on 20-year risk of cancer death was greatest for adenocarcinomas (HR 0·66, 0·56—0·77, p<0·0001). Benefit was unrelated to aspirin dose (75 mg upwards), sex, or smoking, but increased with age—the absolute reduction in 20-year risk of cancer death reaching 7·08% (2·42—11·74) at age 65 years and older.

Interpretation

Daily aspirin reduced deaths due to several common cancers during and after the trials. Benefit increased with duration of treatment and was consistent across the different study populations. These findings have implications for guidelines on use of aspirin and for understanding of carcinogenesis and its susceptibility to drug intervention.

Even a coated baby aspirin has tremendous upside and is tolerated by most everybody.

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I collect Souvenir Sheets postally used on cover, WW used stamps up to 1957 except everything of Brasil and Argentina.

Government should hand out these packets free on street corners.

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I take half an aspirin (Solprin) per day along with another blood thinner - Clopidogrel Winthrop - because of my heart condition. Both of these are prescribed.

I suppose these help because I am still alive, but the downside is, if I cut myself shaving or anywhere else, it literally takes hours to stop bleeding. The other downside is if I even breathe heavily on my skin, I bruise. A heavy bump, and even an injection or IV can leave a big bruise which lasts for days.

But a box of 96 Solprin costs $5.80 and lasts over 6 months.

Norm

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Geelong, VFA Premiers 1878, 1879, 1800, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, AFL Premiers 1925, 1931, 1937, 1951, 1952, 1963, 2007, 2009, 2011, .

Post subject: Readers of this Forum should consider taking Aspirin DAILY


Oh dear, did anyone else interpret this thread title differently??

Wellll, at least the title wasn't "Readers of this Board...."

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FORESTS OLD, PASTURES NEW
(An expert is one who knows more and more, about less and less)

Check this with your doctor, FIRST.

I am on medications like many of us, but am NOT to eat grapefruit, NOT to take Asprin, and NOT to take the anti-histamines found in many over the counter cold/flu medications.

Regards

Why not ? They hand out free syringes & condoms...

D.

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Hi all
I have been taking 100mg aspirin daily for years .I had a motorcycle accident back in the 80s which caused DVT in my left leg. The local hospital didn't pick it up ,my local GP did ,spent several days in hospital with 72 injections of Heparin one ever hour to break up the clots and then warfarin ,now aspirin and a lower leg that looks like cooked meat.

Brian

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Life's too short - spend your money now, or someone else will!!

Have to admit, yes...

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Well I have started to, especially after reading the LOW stamps thread.

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Greg - Looking for Goulburn Australia Cancels and Grangemouth Scotland Cancels and Covers
Member of the S.T.A.M.P Club for Slightly Twisted And Mad Philatelists - Motto: "Bring back the lick!"

This is a further comment

http://hsionline.com/2008/05/22/aspirin ... u-believe/

In the U.S., the standard dosage for (daily) aspirin intended to prevent acute coronary syndrome is 81 milligrams, which is 25% of the standard 1-tablet 325 milligram dose.

No one is willing to say why it costs 5 to 6 times more, on a per-milligram basis, than standard aspirin.

Maybe it's the orange flavoring.


From one of our biggest drug chains:

CVS Enteric Aspirin 325 mg Tablets Regular Strength
250 Tablets $9.79

CVS Adult Low Dose Aspirin 81 mg Chewable Tablets Orange
36 Tablets $1.99

Global Administrator, read the articles from the mainstream medical authorities and also from the natural medicine organisations and then make up your own mind. The natural side of the house has problems with aspirin above a particular daily level ( I think it is 80mg ) as there are side effects which come into play

What you are really opening up is the whole gamit of prescription medicines versus natural products. Statins for example are intended to lower cholesterol levels but there are counter arguements. 75% of all heart problems do NOT involve high cholesterol levels and statins have a wide range of side-effects which in some cases can lead to the death of the patient.

The bottom line is that the individual should research every aspect of the medicines being prescribed and identify the risks of the medicines against alternative treatments. Doctors are not God, they bury their mistakes so the individual has to take control of their life and RESEARCH what is best for them.

Recent media articles suggest that 75-85% of cancers are avoidable. Why? How?
The patient has a right to know. So question your doctor and determine the best course of action for YOU.

I have.

And I have taken the huge financial plunge to spend 3c a day to hopefully MINIMISE cancer risk.

The detailed report above makes clear that several YEARS of consistent low dose is needed to have the best effect.

100 mg a day for me has no side effects, and I am not waiting around for a decade that reality to sink into the rest of the world!

Glen

Then do what my Mum did, buy normal ones and cut them into quarters.

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Greg - Looking for Goulburn Australia Cancels and Grangemouth Scotland Cancels and Covers
Member of the S.T.A.M.P Club for Slightly Twisted And Mad Philatelists - Motto: "Bring back the lick!"

I am no chemist but I recall reading that this for most tablets is not wise?

IIRC the tablet has an outer coating and when you break that coating, the air and moisture gets absorbed and the effectiveness is greatly reduced.

Others might know more.

If Doug cares to mail me a few bucks I'll send him one of these.

There is no need to cut up every pill in the box!
Mum would prepare her pills for the week into her daily pill box divider.
Nothing is going to happen to the cut pills within just a couple of days.

Apart from being what her Doctor said to do, there are many medications that as part of the instructions will tell you "take half a tablet morning and night".

I wouldn't cut up pills and wait for a month though.

Not every aspirin has a coating. The ones I use are chewable with a minty flavour. I leave it on my tongue for a bit to speed up the absorbtion when I have a thumper.

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Greg - Looking for Goulburn Australia Cancels and Grangemouth Scotland Cancels and Covers
Member of the S.T.A.M.P Club for Slightly Twisted And Mad Philatelists - Motto: "Bring back the lick!"

You would not want to leave one of these on your tongue!

I was in the USA recently and a friend there who is a pharmacist was in total disbelief we can buy these with no scrip over the counter for a few dollars a pack.

Anything with 9.5mg of Codeine a tablet would never be allowed in the USA she said.

Again I make no comment for others, as i now 500mg of Aspirin for some is most unwise, but for ME these things knock the WORST headaches almost instantly.

The Disprin Max worked wonders with my toothache, and I always take a couple in the months before flying long distances to help with thinning the blood a little.

The question I am asking myself now 'Should I take it out of the packet or leave it in the packet' What do you think Halfpennyyellow?

My Appologies Admin & board, a little sarcastic frustration I had to let out, please delete this post if need be.


Michael

Take it out of the packet, it takes too long to be absorbed otherwise and rather than thin your blood is far more likely to block your bowels!

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Greg - Looking for Goulburn Australia Cancels and Grangemouth Scotland Cancels and Covers
Member of the S.T.A.M.P Club for Slightly Twisted And Mad Philatelists - Motto: "Bring back the lick!"

Yes your right Allanswood, and I am sure it's worth more used. I will take it later if my pain sends another post, I mean message no no I meant when I don't feel well, yeah thats it.

Global Administrator. Some additional information ( opinion) in relation to daily aspirin

"Daily Aspirin Increases The Risk Of Gastrointestinal Bleeding By 30%
Dear Reader,

A recent survey has shown that 50 per cent of over 65s take a daily aspirin to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke... And, about one-in-three middle aged people do the same.

That's appalling. It means that the brainwashing has worked and millions of people are putting their health at risk every day in return for scant protection from cardiac events.

If you know anyone that thinks daily aspirin therapy is harmless (especially your doctor!), you need to make sure they see this.

But here's the kicker: Also tell them they should NOT abruptly stop taking their aspirin. That might actually make matters worse.

Quite convincingly...

I recently told you about the results of a study, which showed how diabetic subjects with a history of heart attack or stroke that took 325mg of aspirin daily, were 23 per cent less likely to have a second heart attack.

Now, keep that dose in mind — 325 mg — and then look at the latest study from St George's University of London.

The UK researchers examined nine studies that compared regular aspirin use to placebo in more than 100,000 subjects who had never had a heart attack or a stroke.

The first part of the results will warm the hearts of medical mainstreamers: Those who regularly used aspirin reduced their risk of any type of cardio event by 10 per cent, and reduced their risk of non-fatal heart attack by 20 per cent.

But the additional results will give the hearts of those mainstreamers a sudden chill: Regular aspirin use boosted the risk of serious gastrointestinal bleeding by 30 per cent.

The lead researcher said that, "We have been able to show quite convincingly that in people without a previous heart attack or stroke, regular use of aspirin may be more harmful than it is beneficial."

Now let's go back to that diabetic study where subjects took 325 mg per day, and I think we can safely say that the much higher dose, consumed daily over a long period, is almost certain disaster.

These findings will help SETTLE the confusion and move us closer to banishing the idea of aspirin as cardio therapy.

If there's any confusion, it's this: How do you safely pull back from aspirin therapy?

A few years ago, I told you about a study that reviewed hundreds of cases of coronary episodes. Researchers found that severe angina and fatal heart attacks appear to be prompted in some patients by the sudden halt of regular aspirin intake.

Patients with a history of heart disease were at particularly high risk, and those are the very patients who are most likely to begin aspirin therapy in the first place.

If you're taking daily low-dose aspirin, talk to your doctor about these studies before you wean yourself off this "wonder drug."

Asprin is dangerous, side effects include Bleeding Ulcers, Kidney dysfunction....and more

If you want to look after your heart,

Look after your health, Diet, Exercise, and more stamp collecting to lower the stress.

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Maszki, your information relates to people taking a 325mg dose. That is the normal "I have a headache" dose in Australia.

What Glen and others have said is a dose of just 100mg. That's less than a 3rd of the other dose. I would take it with a meal and work out which meal of the day is best for you.


Aspirin is dangerous? Yes, perhaps, depending on the dose and your personal health. But so is Wafarin. However my Mum did not have a choice if she wanted blood to keep pumping through her constricted arteries.

I'll bet that the medics that knock Aspirin are the ones that push Ibuprofen and Panadeine. The same with those that knock I and P will push A.

No one is suggesting a standard large dose every day.


The same goes with drinking a glass of wine. Researchers suggest that having 2 glasses a day or red wine greatly helps. The proviso? Have it with you meals and only 2 glasses; as having 3 is no good. It all depends on the dose.

I don't yet take one each day, but it was interesting to see that the local supermarket now sells low dose (100mg) aspirin alongside the regular 300 and 500mg dose packets.

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Greg - Looking for Goulburn Australia Cancels and Grangemouth Scotland Cancels and Covers
Member of the S.T.A.M.P Club for Slightly Twisted And Mad Philatelists - Motto: "Bring back the lick!"

Hi Allanswood. I'm neither for or against aspirin, only that people make informed decisions. Aspirin clearly has both an upside and a downside and anyone contemplating a daily dose should be aware of those factors. Personally I don't use aspirin ( or Ibuprofen or Panadeine) preferring the diet and lifestyle remedies.

Similar situations exist with most medicines. I would bet that you have opened a box of 'pills' and pulled out the large piece of paper with the miniscule writing detailing the benefits and side-effects of the item. Have you read any of them?

Some are frightening.

I read all of them.

I want to know what I'm in for and what to look out for to stop taking them.

I also know that they will put just about every side effect they can think of even if the risk is 1:100,000,000 so that they can't be sued for not saying it.

If a low dose Aspirin will reduce my risk of stroke and heart attack by 50%(?) (and if you happen to have a family history or known problems with the heart) but increases the chances of stomach bleeding by 10% then for some people, so be it.


Sometimes things are over explained to "cover all the possibilities". Like McDonalds having to put "warning contents are hot" on a cup of coffee and peanut packets that have the warning "may contain peanuts".

Like most poison's, everything needs to be monitored for dosage and regularity.

If you don't need to take any of those medications, then lucky you. If you live with migraines from your teenage years onward, then I have not found much else that will offer the same level of relief. Yet I keep searching for more natural therapies and trigger events to reduce the occurance.

Like the title of this thread suggests, consider taking it. It wasn't a command.

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Greg - Looking for Goulburn Australia Cancels and Grangemouth Scotland Cancels and Covers
Member of the S.T.A.M.P Club for Slightly Twisted And Mad Philatelists - Motto: "Bring back the lick!"

Before taking aspirin on a daily basis, readers need to consult their doctor. They are the only ones qualified to look at your medical history and advise whether taking aspirin on a daily basis will be beneficial (and indeed if the benefits outweigh the risks).

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Chris de Haer
Author of 'A Closer Look at Modern Australian Stamps' in Stamp News Australia.
Latest news on my blog http://stamps.chrisdehaer.com.au Follow me on Facebook twitter.com/stampchris

Every medication has a side effect, no medication should be taken without consulting a doctor because it may interact with other medicines you are taking.We have become a nation of pill poppers in the search for eternal life.It has never ceased to amaze me the amount of stuff people buy and take.Some are on more dope than the average junkie and end up in hospital. This also applies to vitamin taking it can land you in big trouble.

At last we start to get some sanity.

Salt, like sugar, like statins, like .....anything, has side effects.

We are so convinced that doctors, or more correctly, pharmaceutical companies know best that we do not question them

They are after the 'buck'. The unholy dollar..and they the pharmaceutical companies do not give a f.... about you; their bottom line is profit.

Remember Vioxx?

26,000 dead because they believed the pharmeucetical companies were concerned about the individual.

If a doctor prescribes a medicine, READ the paper that comes with the packet.There are side-effects which in many cases are worse than the illness.

Information is POWER.

Please READ the first post.

It is about low dose Aspirin, costing 3c a day - $10 a year. No big profit there, after retailer takes their cut of that $10.

Known and heavily used for 100 years or so, with known medical side effects - which in most folks are zero.

Saw an item on the ABC news tonight. The latest medical recommendation is that people do NOT take daily aspirin doses. The side effects are now considered a higher risk than the potential benefits to be gained.

Apparently the new advice, about not prescribing aspirin, is being rolled out (by Health Authorities) to doctors now.

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Peter
Hawthorn - AFL Premiers 1961, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2008.

Yes we should, no we shouldn't...perhaps yes, perhaps no.

From what I have read, yes, our body does need some sodium for normal 'running' but ' no', too much can cause dangerous side-effects.

But what is too much?

Just to add to the confusion- and as an indicator that it is not as simple as a yes/no answer- apparently the sodium/potassium ratio is also important.

"Salt health risks tied to potassium deficiency
07/13/2011
By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Contradictory studies on salt risks have been trickling out over the past few months -- making it tough to determine just how much healthy people need to worry about sodium intake. Some find that eating too much salt takes years off your life, while others find that it doesn’t. Perhaps it’s just easiest to take all the findings with a (no pun intended) grain of salt.

Or perhaps the nutritional puzzle is a bit more complex. Another finding this week published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that it’s not just the amount of sodium we eat but how much we eat in relation to the amount of potassium that determines whether we have an increased risk of dying from heart disease and other causes.

The research, which surveyed the dietary habits of more than 12,000 US adults, found that those who had the greatest sodium to potassium ratio (eating more sodium and less potassium) had a 50 percent higher risk of dying from any cause and more than twice the likelihood of dying from heart attacks over 15 years compared with those who had the smallest ratio, eating less sodium and more potassium.

When considered independently, neither sodium nor potassium contributed as much to health problems as when they were combined in a ratio.

“This may be due to complex interactions between potassium and sodium at cellular levels,” write the researchers from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Harvard School of Public Health, and Emory University. Potassium may counteract sodium’s blood-pressure-raising effect of narrowing arteries by triggering the release of a chemical that widens arteries.

“The study’s findings are particularly troubling because US adults consume an average of 3,300 milligrams of sodium per day, more than twice the current recommended limit for most Americans,” Dr. Elena Kuklina, one of the CDC researchers, said in a statement. We also don’t consume enough potassium; we’re supposed to get 4,700 mg per day, which usually requires us to eat about five to seven servings a day of fruit (bananas, citrus fruits, and raisins), vegetables (leafy greens, potatoes), and beans.

Clearly the take-home message of the study is to eat fewer high-salt processed foods and more fruits and veggies to improve that sodium-potassium ratio and your overall health in general -- regardless of whether salt on its own is the villain. "

I had reason to see my cardiologist last week.
I enquired about the Asprin?
He stated that , yes there were benefits, but they had to be weighed in each individual case with the side effects.
For instance, taking the asprin doubled your risk of bleeding in the brain, and substantially increased the risk of stomach bleeding and there were other possible effects that although uncommon, had still to be considered.
Also, with combination of other medications that I am on and also have their own side effects, just reducing the amount of salt was by far the best solution.....
...in my particular case.
It appears to be the old problem...do I eat the apple, or worry about the possibility of there being a worm in the apple, or that possibly the apple has been chemically sprayed or is starving not the healthy choice either.