Contents:
- Medical Video: Coated Aspirin and Your Heart - Mayo Clinic
- Multifunctional aspirin content
- What is the right dose of aspirin?
- Benefits of aspirin for health
- 1. Overcoming fever
- 2. Effective headache medicine
- 3. Good for skin health
- 4. Reducing mortality from cancer and fatty liver
- 5. As a blood thinner
- Aspirin side effects that may occur
- 1. Bleeding internal organs
- 2. Aspirin is dangerous for children
- 3. Aspirin is dangerous for pregnant women
Medical Video: Coated Aspirin and Your Heart - Mayo Clinic
Aspirin is one of the oldest drugs in the world. This drug was first recorded used by the Sumerians and Egyptians in daily medicine, especially to treat pain. An ancient aspirin drug was made from willow leaf plants. Hippocrates also developed aspirin through extracts of this plant. Then, a lot of research was developed to find the various properties of aspirin and the dosage used. In fact, aspirin is now a drug that can overcome many health problems.
But, behind its multi-functional properties, this drug also has several side effects to watch out for. Are there any good drugs for a million people? Come on, follow the explanation below.
Multifunctional aspirin content
An aspirin drug, or in the pharmaceutical world called acetyl salicylate, is a form of processed salicin compound found in many plants. This compound has several functions, according to the dose. Basically, aspirin works to inhibit an enzyme that produces and regulates the work of prostaglandin, a compound in the body that is produced when inflammation occurs. So all things involving prostaglandin can be prevented by aspirin.
Some of the effects produced by aspirin include:
- Antipyretic effect → function to reduce body temperature during a fever.
- Anti-inflammatory effect → function to relieve inflammation.
- Analgesic effect → pain reliever.
- Anti-platelet effect → preventing blood cells (platelets) from attaching to the walls of blood vessels, so that blood clots can be blocked.
What is the right dose of aspirin?
There is a difference between over-the-counter and aspirin drugs prescribed by a doctor. Free-selling aspirin in pharmacies is usually available in the form of oral tablets, chewable tablets, powdered forms, as well as gum. Whereas the doctor prescribes usually in the form of periodic loose tablets, so that the drug can be released slowly. On periodic tablets, drug levels in the blood can be maintained and produce long-term therapeutic effects.
In the book pharmacology, Katzhung et al said that the aspirin dose for anti-pain and anti-fever effects was 300-900 mg, given every 4-6 hours. The maximum dose is 4 grams a day, because if more than that, aspirin will show side effects. Whereas to get an anti-inflammatory effect, the dose used is 4-6 grams per day.
To get an anti-platelet effect, the dose used is 60-80 mg orally per day. In the process of blood clotting, aspirin inhibits the cyclooxygenase pathway that produces thromboxane A2 and prostaglandin which causes blood clots that may clog arteries.
Consumption of aspirin is recommended to follow the dosage according to your needs. In people who have impaired kidney and liver function, dosage adjustments are absolutely necessary. So even for long-term use. If you regularly take aspirin and will do surgery for either major surgery or minor surgery (such as removing teeth), aspirin consumption must be stopped to prevent bleeding during the operation.
Although aspirin is generally safe, but aspirin still has side effects, it can even be dangerous for some people. Therefore, safe consumption of aspirin must be under the supervision of a doctor.
Benefits of aspirin for health
1. Overcoming fever
When you have a fever and accompanying symptoms such as aching body, a single dose of aspirin can make you feel much better. Anti-pyretic compounds in aspirin can send signals to the brain to regulate body temperature, so the fever can be overcome.
2. Effective headache medicine
Prostaglandin is a compound that is responsible for sending pain signals to the brain, while aspirin works to block these compounds, so it is useful for the treatment of headaches. Side headaches or migraines can be overcome by aspirin in a relatively fast time.
3. Good for skin health
Not only for the health of internal organs, aspirin is also useful as an external medicine due to its anti-inflammatory effects. Aspirin can remove pimples and insect bites on the skin. For this need, the use of aspirin is not taken, but is made in the form of dough / pasta.
An aspirin paste can be made from two crushed aspirin, plus a few drops of water. Simply apply to pimples or insect bites and let it dry. After that, rinse with water. Watch out for people who are sensitive to aspirin, because aspirin paste does not remove stains on the skin, but instead causes irritation.
4. Reducing mortality from cancer and fatty liver
The liver can experience fat in people who consume alcohol in the long run. Aspirin can inhibit this fatty liver process, so it does not fall into further complications, namely liver cancer. Several studies have also been developed to look for other benefits of aspirin. The result, a study from John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, showed that aspirin drugs can reduce deaths from several types of cancer.
The death rate fell 34% for all cancers and 54% for digestive cancer. After 20 years, the risk of cancer death was 20% lower in the group given aspirin than in the non-aspirin group. However, other studies are still ongoing and are expected to improve these results.
5. As a blood thinner
The anti-clotting effect that aspirin has makes this drug thin the blood. There are several preventable diseases, including coronary heart disease and blockage of the vein due to sitting too long. Even though aspirin can help prevent a heart attack, patients may not take aspirin every day without the doctor's advice. Usually the doctor will give aspirin as a blood thinner at:
- Patients who have had a heart attack or stroke
- Patients with heart rings / stents, or have had bypass surgery
- Patients at risk of having a heart attack and experiencing diabetes
Aspirin side effects that may occur
1. Bleeding internal organs
Its thinning blood can cause bleeding in various places in the body if consumed in unlimited quantities and over dosages. The place that most often experiences bleeding is the stomach. Symptoms arising from bleeding due to aspirin include severe abdominal pain, blackened stools, and reddish urine.
2. Aspirin is dangerous for children
Aspirin can cause a serious disorder called Reye's Syndrome. In this syndrome, fat accumulates in the brain, liver, and other organs of the child, especially if an aspirin is given when the child has chickenpox or flu.
3. Aspirin is dangerous for pregnant women
Aspirin is not recommended to be taken by pregnant women. This drug is harmful to the fetus because it causes many congenital abnormalities, such as congenital heart disease and reduces birth weight. This is because aspirin can penetrate the placental layer and affect fetal growth.
Well, even though aspirin has many benefits like a god medicine, its use must be careful. Keep communicating with your doctor before starting therapy with this drug.
