Medications Review

Migraine sufferers can take a jab (injection) made from liquid aspirin to relieve their severe headache. The news comes from the research conducted by the researchers from The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London and the University of California. It was published in the medical journal Neurology.

The previous studies have reported intravenous or IV aspirin to be effective for treating acute migraine. The present study wanted to examine if IV aspirin could also be effective against chronic daily headache, particularly in people who had severe headaches because of the overuse of headache relief medicines.

The patients of migraine often withdraw from medications such as paracetamol, opioids or triptans used to treat migraine. The same medicines cannot be used to treat the withdrawal headache in people with migraine.

The research involved identification of all people who had received IV aspirin for severe headache between the September 2001 and May 2006. They used patient diaries and other medical records to assess the characteristics of these people and the effect of IV aspirin on their pain.

The final sample consisted of 168 people who had received IV aspirin. The level of pain was assessed on scale of 0 to 10 with 0 representing no pain and 10 higher level of pain. It was measured three hours before giving a dose of aspirin or chlorpromazine or aspirin. The participants were given 1g doses of aspirin intravenously for five times in a day.

Around 25 percent of the people reported a decline in pain to a drop of three and about 40 percent of the people had modest fall in pain to about two points. The final conclusion from the research was that IV is a safe and effective treatment for managing severe headaches in people admitted to hospital.

The study gives an indication that the treatment can be safe in people with severe daily headache but there are a number of points to be considered about this study. The study used patient diaries that were not designed to assess the effects of IV aspirin. And about half the patients did not maintain a diary so again there might have some differences in the experiences of such people.

The most important point is this study concentrated mainly on the headache caused due to overuse of pain medication and therefore cannot be generalized to a general population who experience headache and migraine. The study needs to be conducted on a larger population to test the effectiveness of IV aspirin before it can actually be used in treatments.

Migraine affects a large number of people and the pain is really severe. The intravenous aspirin can be very effective in treating severe headache as a result of overuse of medication. It will also be of fewer burdens on a patients pocket in terms of price.

World Health Organization recommends the use of acetylsalicylic acid as first line therapy in terms of efficiency and cost, fever and prevention of heart attacks.

We can take the aspirin in this case:

* Rheumatic pains;

* Sore throat;

* Dental pain;

* Menstrual pain;

* Muscle pain;

* Joint pain;

* Headaches and migraines;

* Back pain;

* Joint pain and flu.

Expert cautions us that not every pain is treated with aspirin. If we have the pain of an ulcer should not take aspirin. In such cases, avoid aspirin and caution in people who have a history of ulcers. Do not take more than 4 g / day of aspirin (equivalent to 8 500 mg tablets) to avoid possible adverse effects: stomach pain and heartburn, nausea and gastrointestinal bleeding. Note! Do not give aspirin to children under 12 years.

Aspirin and colds – In combination with vitamin C, aspirin can significantly reduce symptoms of colds and flu and to speed recovery of the body due to its antioxidant property. Studies have shown that acetylsalicylic acid may reduce oxidative stress and prevent the destruction of blood vessels in the body. Vitamin C has the same effect.

It is possible that aspirin and vitamin C interact synergistically, each increasing the effect of other active ingredient. This interaction enables macrophages – cells that destroy foreign bodies such as bacteria – to be better during a cold treatment. Thus, the severity of cold symptoms are reduced.

It’s important to understand that ordinary people besides drug therapy, the heart must be protected by adopting an orderly lifestyle, proper diet, avoid sedentary lifestyle and stress control.

Treatment with aspirin remains a crucial element of care to prevent myocardial infarction especially in patients at high risk – data indicate that low-dose aspirin reduces vascular events in patients. However, we must consider the benefits of low dose aspirin compared with the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. The benefit: risk is based on several international guidelines that support the use of low dose aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular events.

Did you know…

* In 1899, aspirin was distributed in pharmacies in encapsulated powder form in bottles of 250 grams.

* In 1982 John Vane received the Nobel Prize in medicine for discovering the action of acetylsalicylic acid as an inhibitor of prostaglandin biosynthesis and has been awarded by Queen Elizabeth II

* That same year, aspirin is considered by the National Academy of Science of England as the best painkiller in the world because of its proven effectiveness against headaches.

Did you know aspirin can kill you?

Despite frequent reminders, many patients are still of the opinion that Tylenol, aspirin, and ibuprofen are all about the same. It makes me cringe every time I hear it. Were you aware that if aspirin were presented to the FDA today it would not be approved for over-the-counter sale? It’s much too dangerous! It might not even be condoned as an anti-inflammatory medication, although its properties as a blood thinner would probably warrant approval as such (i.e., to prevent heart attacks.)

So how can aspirin kill you? Here are the top 3 ways, which are seen regularly in every emergency room.

Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid. Even though the stomach makes hydrochloric acid on its own, it is not necessarily able to tolerate the introduction of additional acid. Imagine pouring acid on your hand all day. Sooner or later you’d burn a hole through your skin. The same can happen in the stomach, creating an ulcer. Sometimes rather than create an ulcer, the entire lining of the stomach becomes irritated (gastritis). The tiny blood vessels just beneath the surface can be eroded and then bleed. The use of aspirin is one of the most common causes of stomach and other gastrointestinal bleeding. You may not think you could bleed to death from this, but it happens every day. Fortunately, emergency care and blood transfusions have prevented most deaths due to stomach erosion by aspirin.

Although nearly everyone understands that a person can be allergic to penicillin, because aspirin is available without prescription, it is perceived as safe. However, many people are allergic to aspirin. A mild case may cause itching and perhaps hives. A moderate case may also cause angioedema, or swelling of the face, hands, and other areas of the body. A severe case can cause swelling in the bronchial tubes and subsequent airway obstruction. This can be a medical emergency that, untreated, leads to suffocation and death.

When an overdose of acetylsalicylic acid is ingested, it may poison cellular metabolism, leading to high blood acid levels (metabolic acidosis). Eventually this may result in multiple organ failure and collapse. If the drug is not removed via dialysis, a person can easily die of an accidental or intentional aspirin overdose.

Clearly, taking excess aspirin is like playing with fire. Because a little may not hurt you does not mean taking more is safe. Consult your doctor if you require aspirin on a regular basis. There are many safer alternatives.