Aspirin

[MrCake1971]

Hi team, I take 75mg of aspirin every day and the medical world brush it off as a minor thing, nothing to worry about, but in the 3 years since I started I have had endless joint pain, blocked up stuffy nose every day and breathing weirdness, like short of breath, I wondered if I had some sort of allergy but every doctor just tells me not to worry about it.... But I do 😁

[AlfredV]

The main ingredient in aspirin is salicylic acid. This also occurs naturally in some foods but not in the sort of quantities found in a tablet. There are people who have an allergy to this.

I didn't do particularly well on aspirin and my health improved after I came off it. I wouldn't recommend doing this without discussing it with your doctor first though. I know how you feel though, it sometimes feels like they don't believe you or are not interested.

[Judithdalston]

You could try a cure for mild allergies ie the hayfever tablets easily and cheaply obtained from supermarkets..see if it cures or improves symptoms in 2 weeks, rather than removing the aspirin.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Judithdalston]

Antihistamine tablets give me palpitations so ask your GP first!

[Jedi14]

I no longer take aspirin, it has been replaced with other meds. However I do miss the analgesic effects which came automatically whilst taking aspirin!

[valeriep in reply to Jedi14]

Funny you should say that - I used to get a lot of headaches when I was stressed, but I very rarely get them now that I take a daily aspirin.

[Qualipop]

You're not also on ticagrelor are you? The breathing feeling is exactly what I felt when taking it.

[Blackknight57]

asprin is given as a mild blood thinner. Its pain relief qualities should stop pain. Like others i suspect its other meds giving you side effects.

[Farmer63]

Clopidogrel can be an alternative to aspirin, I was put on both for year after HA . I could not cope with the side effects of the aspirin, mostly acid reflux. So after a fight with medical professionals to come off the aspirin,they give in and told me go off the aspirin and stay on the Clopidogrel for life, it has worked out fine for me.

[Jedi14 in reply to Farmer63]

Funny doctors! My Aspirin was automatically stopped when I was put onto Clopidogrel.

[Fministry]

hi Mr Cake1971. Speak to your Gp again about your symptoms and ask if it could be as a result of aspirin. It could be due to a number of different things. They know your medical history and that will give them an idea of the cause, plus your environmental factors. Be clear though. Don’t waffle. Write down a list of your questions to take to the consultation. That will be of help.

[MrCake1971 in reply to Fministry]

I went back today and took screenshots from the NHS website which said aspirin can cause joint pain and breathing issues and they still said it's all in your head... They eventually said well just stop taking aspirin and see if that helps, but I am kinda nervous about just stopping... All I know is for 49 years I felt awesome and then when I started on aspirin I felt totally wrong in every way

[Bikafella]

Ask your pharmacy to give you enteric coated Aspirin it will dissolve lower down in your gut and may not cause you any problems. For very many years Aspirin and Dispirin (soluble Aspirin) were the main pain relief medication (analgesic) worldwide

[Fministry]

Hi, I’m sorry that your consultation was disappointing. Do you have asthma? Or could you have? Aspirin can cause breathing difficulties with patients who have pre existing lung problems. Only you know how you feel. If aspirin affects your breathing then persist with the doctors.

[33questions]

I have the same with Aspirin runny/stuffy nose. Unfortunately I could not take Clopidogrel as it gave me a rash and made me itch.

[bridgeit]

Based on my experience (not a trace of medical training), you could ask your prescribing doctor to switch you temporarily (at least) to eliquis (apixaban) at an appropriate equivalent dose to low-dose aspirin. For example, it could be 2.5mg to 5mg daily, again based on my experience.

I reacted badly to aspirin after just a few days, equally so to clopidogrel. I've been on low-dose apixaban instead for years now with no nasty side effects to date.

The thing to bear in mind is that we're all different and assorted medications can affect each of us very differently.

IMO, no medic should tell any patient that reported symptoms are all in their head/imagined, especially when it comes to aspirin tolerance. That particular drug is reported to have a wide range of unpleasant side-effects for those sensitive to it. Aspirin is a cheap, effective and easy go-to for medics, so alternatives are rarely considered, let alone offered, until adverse symptoms lead to serious problems or the prescribing doctor is on the receiving end of constant badgering from the patient about nasty side-effects.

I suggest you keep a journal of symptoms and practise hard at polite and persistent pestering to be at least temporarily switched.

I hope you are at last heard and that a drug that you're more comfortable with is identified for you.