Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group
Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) which involves the two small, upper heart chambers (the atria). Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spread through the heart and cause contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood.
I have always heard that aspirin can be bad for you, so when the doctor at the hospital, when I stayed for my first AFib confirmation visit prescribed them I was a little worried and he told me that it would be ok and that was part of the reason I was on such a low dosage of it, of 81 mg I believe it was the equivalent of children aspirin. And he also had me on Cardizem. I went to my Cardiologist 4/16/12 and he said he would continue me on the medicine I was on , So I went and picked it up since his assistant had phone it in and got my refill of Cardizem, but two days ago the pharmacy called me and told me that I had only picked up one of two of my meds. So I go back and it's a prescription for Aspirin that is 325mg and wants me to take it twice a day, So if you thought I was worried about taking one 81mg once a day you know I'm frantic now. Does anyone else take this much aspirin? Has it caused any health problems?
I was told to take 81MG of baby aspirin from the start, and then had/was given a 'scrip for 325 MG aspirin. After a thorough discussion with the pharmacist, I found the same to be available over the counter without the 'scrip. I'm currently taking 325 MG once daily.
Any pill we take I suppose is suspect to some adverse effects/potential damage subject to dosage/usage etc.
That said, aspirin (IMO) is the very least thing one has to be concerned/worried about when taking all of these AF meds.
Since what you picked up differs from what you remember being told in your doctor's office, you might want to call your doctor and question this. A mistake could have been made somewhere. Too much aspirin can cause stomach ulcers and potential bleeding. Also, aspirin has not been shown to be very effective for stroke prevention in afib, so if that is the only reason they have you on aspirin you might want to question that. I would question if the risk of stomach ulcers and bleeding is worth the small to no benefit of stroke prevention if that is why the aspirin was prescribed. The low dose of 81 mg I wouldn't worry about, but the higher dose of 325 twice a day I would definately ask more questions.
A couple months ago I suffered a wrenching vomiting session with the flue. Later, I noticed I was suffering internal bleeding and self-diagnosed it as the result of a Mallory- Weiss tear. The tear healed in a week and the bleeding stopped. .
I am not a run to the doctor type guy, however had I been on coumadin or pradaxa I would have gone straight to the emergency room for immediate treatment.
The aspirin vs coumadin or pradaxa decision is always a tough one. My doctor recommended coumadin, I chose aspirin. Who knows except to pray.
I keep wondering how many undiagnosed asymptomatic afibbers who are lucky (the 2/3rds) make it to the end without ever knowing they had afib (and never took drugs, had an ablation, etc.). I guess after you die of something else, they can't hear the afib.
yeah, BUT, what happens after you die and you have a pacemaker? is the heart still beating?
to the original poster: do you have other conditions that may be affected by aspirin? for instance, I have one kidney and if you Google "aspirins & kidneys", the prognosis is not too good. however, as your own advocate you need to question the docs and weigh the benefits against the alternatives.
as in, why am I taking two aspirins a day long term?
coumadin and the latest blood thinner Pradaxa - or whatever - could be more of an issue than the aspirin.
be well, Rich
I also take dilatizem, one a day. And it's awful, it makes my heart beat hard, and they keep telling me that's impossible. My heartbeat is regular, but I can feel it, drives me batty. I finally talked to a pharmacist who told me the drs. will tell me it's impossible since they don't want me to quit taking my meds.
It seems that they all want to treat me for a cardiovascular disease, like plaque etc. and teach me to exercise, and how to eat, and I don't think that is what I need. Heck, I very rarely have food in my house that is not organic, I eat leafy organic greens, grass fed beef, I don't even shop in a regular grocery store much. So, I'm getting this feeling that maybe they are not treating my afib the way it should be.
I need the cardio on May 10th. Is it possible to look forward to something yet dread it like crazy? Mixed emotions for sure.