ET with MPL mutation. Aspirin causing erosions in stomach lining .

[LittleMsTired]

Hi! I have ET with an MPL gene mutation. So far my treatment has been 75mg of aspirin. Since June, I have been hospitalised with oesophageal spasms- very painful and similar to cardiac pain. I had a gastroscopy in October and they found erosions in my stomach lining. I've since been given Lansoprazole to help heal my stomach. I just wondered if this has happened to anyone else? My GP believes the aspirin caused the erosion. Did your haematology Dr prescribe you an alternative to aspirin? My platelet count remains around 500 so not very high in comparison to others.

[hunter5582]

Unfortunately, some cannot tolerate aspirin due to its GI adverse effects. Fortunately, there are alternatives such as clopidogrel (antiplatelet) , apixaban (anticoagulant), and others. Clopidogrel is one of the more common alternatives as it is also an antiplatelet med that is cost-effective.

[LittleMsTired in reply to hunter5582]

Thank you! I am seeing my Haematology team next month so I'll discuss this with them 😊

[TTA_]

I hope they also checked you for helicobacter pylori when you had your gastroscopy, as ET patients have a higher risk for acquiring such infection.

[LittleMsTired in reply to TTA_]

Yes they did and it was negative 😊

[william-Indo]

Clopidogrel is the othe choice for blood thinner med

[AndyT]

I take enteric coated aspirin to try and protect my stomach and have had no problems after 21 years on it.

As others have said, alternatives such as clopidogrel may be safer for you.

[Amethist]

it would be pertinent to get a blood test to check your current vitamin levels, now you are on lansoprazole. As it reduces your stomach acid it can also affect your ability to absorb essential vitamins/ minerals from your diet, so having a clear, recorded starting point would be useful. Your GP should be able to do this for you. Vit B12, folate & vit D would be a good starting point. Then get these checked on a regular basis to make sure you aren’t becoming deficient. Deficiencies in these can also cause unpleasant symptoms.

[LittleMsTired in reply to Amethist]

When I email them my list of questions, I'll add this on there for my preappointment bloods. Thank you 😊

[Scaredy_cat]

I was on aspirin for many years but I wasalso prescribed lansoprazole and this worked well

[Threelions]

Hi

Funnily enough I posted very similar a few days ago.

I’ve picked up my lansoprazole today. I’m going to speak to my team next appointment regarding possibly switching from asprin to something else or , as someone here suggested, only using coated asprin.

All the best, Mark

[SeaweedSalad]

hello LittleMsTired, I have PV Jak2+ve diagnosed 2.5yrs ago, I’ve been taking 75mg enteric coated aspirin in that time (only that + venesections), ive been experiencing acid reflux symptoms for the last yr, getting worse over the summer and more recently a weird momentary throat constriction thing when I swallow sometimes (4 times since August), finally went to the GP 2wks ago, and I don’t know anymore at present (got a non-urgent endoscopy referral) but am on day 3 of 1month of Lansoprazole, hoping it’ll do the trick. I suppose im a ‘gastricly sensitive to aspirin’ person. Though Ive noticed my diet also plays a part with the reflux. I’m not keen on Lansoprazole long term so will ask about Clopidogrel instead of aspirin if there’s no improvement. I can’t comment on how quickly aspirin could create GI issues in your case, but there does appear to be correlation.

Best wishes to you going forward!