Aspirin doseage: I have taken aspirin... - British Heart Fou...

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Aspirin doseage

Sewing19 profile image
21 Replies

I have taken aspirin and Clopidogrel since my HA and CABG last May. I buy aspirin, save the NHS a few pennies, and I inadvertently bought 300mg instead of 75mg. 🤷‍♀️

So this morning I broke one in half and took 150mg (I tried quarters but ended up with crumbs 😂)

I can’t get to the shops until Monday so, this is probably a daft question and in my head I think I know the answer, will it matter if I take 150mg for a few days ?

💊🤷‍♀️

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Sewing19
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21 Replies

Dear Sewing19

Same as Outoftheblues answer , who can really know? Except someone medically trained.

A call to 111 or your pharmacist will have the answer you need.

My thoughts are that you take more if your in pain {providing that you get on with aspirin} and years ago it was the main pain killer. Then they discovered some would get ulcers on them.

As for saving the NHS some pennies I am all for it, but when I asked my doctor about this {and GTN spray} he said that prescription aspirin have to meet a tolerance of what it contained and that over the counter ones were not so strict.

I found this hard to believe, just passing on his words!

Sunnie2day profile image
Sunnie2day in reply to

I've been on aspirin therapy for decades, my prescribed dosage is 300mg in the morning (with my 1.25mg beta blocker) and have approval to take as much as another 600mg during the day for pain relief as needed (residual recurrent pericarditis pain and Rheumatoid Arthritis my rheumatologist deems the mildest case he's ever seen).

Over the years I've noticed a surprisingly large quality difference in over-the-counter (OTC) aspirin with the boxes available in supermarkets being the worst quality-wise with strong vinegar odour (indicative of old/unstable) or simple lack of efficacy, and the ones from Boots and Lloyds being the most reliable - but not always, I have purchased boxes from both outlets only to discover odour or lack of efficacy. Being a stickler for aspirin quality, when I find a Boots or Lloyds aspirin with the vinegar odour, I return the box - and the chemist is always apologetic about the expired unstable aspirin. I don't bother returning supermarket aspirin any longer - managers generally simply shrugged when I tried.

The prescription aspirin has been consistently stable and effective - I have never opened a packet of the prescription aspirin, here in the UK but also in the US and Latin America, to discover issues in odour or efficacy. I have to say here I do not think the chemist is wrong saying quality control with prescription aspirin is higher and more reliable as I've seen it for myself.

I live in Scotland and purchase OTC aspirin (from Boots or Lloyds only owing to quality issues) because I feel our free prescriptions up here, whilst very helpful financially (I'm retired), unfair as long as our English cousins are having to pay for their prescription medications.

Milkfairy profile image
MilkfairyHeart Star in reply toSunnie2day

Sunnie2day,

So good to see your return to the forum and as ever such reliable advice.

Sunnie2day profile image
Sunnie2day in reply toMilkfairy

High praise from the most reliable advisor on the site, thank-you!😊

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply toSunnie2day

Welcome back Sunnie, I hope you're feeling better and that your condition is better controlled now

Sunnie2day profile image
Sunnie2day in reply toLezzers

:) Thank-you. I'm still fighting off the latest acute flare (and a few other 'swell' flares of other conditions) but couldn't let the aspirin discussion go without my 'valuable' 😜input, lol!

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply toSunnie2day

And very valuable, knowledgeable advice as usual. Your good sense has missed. I'm sorry to hear you're still not better though

Milkfairy profile image
MilkfairyHeart Star in reply toSunnie2day

I hope you get better soon.As Lezzers says we miss your good sense.

in reply toSunnie2day

Thank you for your fantastic reply, so it seems in this case that the Dr was right and we should keep to prescribed Aspirin. Every days a learning day if we listen to others, thanks again

Alison_L profile image
Alison_L in reply toSunnie2day

Hello Sunnie :)

Yup I totally agree, the pharmacist said the same. [ about it being wrong ] So I do buy them and the spray, I know its only pence, but maybe it helps

Tricia7048 profile image
Tricia7048

I dont know either but I was told that the higher dose does nothing for the heart but it just becomes a painkiller. Fine for a few days I would hope. All the best.

Bishop1 profile image
Bishop1

Good morning. I'm on Aspirin and Clo pidgrol for 5 years . Had to see a Stroke specialist in January and he advised me to see my G P about getting off 1 of them as badly bruised arms. I have been on them 5 years as I had 7 Tia,s and a double bypass in December 2020. Dr still investigating for me. Awaiting reply. Blood tests on Tuesday so then I will get an answer. Keep well x

DaveSpice profile image
DaveSpice

You need to be careful with aspirin, it is basically a poison in heavier doses and will really mess up your stomach. The 75mg aspirin prescribed to thin your blood should be of the coated type to protect you stomach lining. I never heard of anyone saving the NHS a few pennies and risking their health. Very foolish.

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply toDaveSpice

My husband was on 150mg for nearly 20 yrs he's never been poisoned & he's never had any problems with his stomach! People tolerate meds differently!!

DaveSpice profile image
DaveSpice in reply toLezzers

Very high dose aspirin is fatal. This guy was talking about going against his doctors advice. Please stop twisting my words.

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply toDaveSpice

I'm not twisting anyone's words! I was replying to your comment! I haven't said he's ok to take a higher dose than prescribed, I would never encourage anyone to do that!!

Qualipop profile image
Qualipop

I would grind it to a powder and take roughly 1/4.

Alison_L profile image
Alison_L in reply toQualipop

As long as you don't get raided by the police and they think it's cocaine :)

Jack2019 profile image
Jack2019

dissolve it in warm water, then drink half and throw out the rest. I take mine dissolved in water, I somehow think it absorbs faster therefore less chance of the tablet sitting concentrated on stomach lining while it dissolves. .I also think the higher dose for a few days will not harm you.

Hi Sewing19 , just a reminder that content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and your doctor. Please avoid making any changes to your medication or advising others to do the same, without speaking to a health professional first. Many thanks.

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