Aspirin for Your Heart

Blood clots in the coronary arteries may cause a heart attack. A clot begins to form with the clumping of blood cells (platelets). Aspirin causes the platelets to lose their adhesiveness (stickiness) and helps prevent clumping together to form a clot.

Your physician may prescribe aspirin for you because of its effect on blood clotting. It is important that you take your prescribed dosage daily. Take your dosage every day and at the same time every day to produce the desired effect on your blood.

If you are known to react badly to aspirin, if you have gastric ulcers, or are considered to be at risk for developing ulcers, you should consult your physician.

If you have stomach upset while taking aspirin, try taking it with meals or an antacid. You may also take a buffered aspirin product like Bufferin or Ascriptin.

Antilipids and Cholesterol Lowering Drugs

Cholesterol and triglycerides are fatty substances in the blood. Every one needs them in a limited amount for good health, but too much can be harmful to the blood vessels. High levels in the body may be caused by improper diet or other reasons. When one of these fats is present in large amounts, it may form a deposit in the wall of an artery, causing narrowing. Eventually, an artery may become so blocked that the blood flow is reduced or stopped. If this happens to one of the coronary arteries, damage to the heart may result.

Your physician may prescribe a special diet to reduce your blood cholesterol and/or triglyceride. Medications may be prescribed (in addition to following a low fat, low cholesterol diet). It’s important to have your cholesterol level checked periodically to monitor the effect of the medication.

Notify your doctor if you experience side effects, such as constipation, stomach upset, diarrhea or muscle pain or tenderness. Niacin can cause headache, itching or tingling and flushing. These effects are usually short-term. Slowly increasing the dosage and taking a dose of aspirin 30 minutes before taking the niacin may help. Mevacor, Zocor, Pravachol, and Lescol can increase sensitivity to sunlight. Wear a sunscreen when exposed to sunlight.