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Aspirin & Gastritis

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Posted 2/13/2012 8:39 PM (GMT 0)
I have conflicting answers from doctors and a pharmacist regarding aspirin (81 mg) therapy. I'd love to know if any of you are on this regiment and also have gastritis.

I asked the pharmacist and he says if the gastritis flares up, ie; bloating, nausea, etc., to stop the aspirin. And if you're on a PPI, it "should" be okay.

One physician said to use the chewable aspirin, another one said to use the esoteric kind.

After all this, I'm still in a quandary.

Your opinion?

Thanks!

Blessings,
Cme
Posted 2/13/2012 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Cme,

I have a very reactive stomach and get gastritis easily.  Because of that my doctors have recommended that I don't take the 81mg asprin.  Whenever I mention it, the idea is dismissed.

Good luck with your quest!

Denise

Posted 2/13/2012 10:59 PM (GMT 0)
I also have gastritis and have to grin and bear it when i get a headache or any ache for that matter. My stomach can't tolerate aspirin, tylenol, advil, aleve, anything at all! I do remember someone on here mentioned to me that there are aspirin suppositories that you can get at the pharmacy. I never tried it so i can't really say much about it other than that.
Posted 2/14/2012 12:24 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Tinlou and Denise.

I have hypertension and am 69 years old. My pressure is well controlled with meds but my PCP still wants me on the aspirin regiment.

My GI doesn't understand why I have to be on aspirin as he says only someone who's had a heart attack should be on it.

This darn stomach inflammation that just won't go away. I eat a healthy diet and stay away from the usual contributing factors.

I had a gastroscope last month and am on pantoprazole until April per GI.

It's six one way and half dozen the other! confused

Thanks again for replying.

Blessings,
Cme
Posted 2/14/2012 3:49 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Cme,

There was a time when my PCP put me on 81mg asprin every other day...he said it would provide protection, yet not challenge my stomach as much as a daily dose.

I was also wondering if you could take your asprin therapy in suppository form...so you could bypass the stomach entirely.

Here's a link with some information:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/555392_9

It says that the lowest suppository dose is 120mg, but that it can be compounded by the pharmacist into lower doses (intended for children, but it would work therapeutically for you).

I don't know if it's a viable option, but I would think it would be worth talking to your PCP about.  You could share your GI doc's concern and reluctance to let you take the asprin. 

Let us know what you end up doing!

Best wishes,

Denise

Posted 2/14/2012 12:54 PM (GMT 0)
http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/00365521.2011.568522
This recent study would suggest enteric coated aspirin is not protective against GI bleeding.

I also came across a study that says pantoprazole enhances the effect of the aspirin (in reducing the likelihood of platelets sticking together).

If if were me I would ask to see a cardiovascular consultant to find out how important it is that you take aspirin, as there may be viable alternatives if they feel it's essential. My personal alternative move would be to try taking it and ask to have your haemoglobin monitored - if it goes down then you can say "ok I tried your aspirin and it is causing GI blood loss, so now I'm stopping it". End of experiment. After which if they feel you are high risk for blood clot or stroke, you ask to see a specialist who can recommend alternative strategies.

I think the bleeding that can occur on aspirin is not just confined to the stomach, so being on a ppi may not protect the gut further down.

Hope that helps and that you get some satisfactory answers soon!

MMM
Posted 2/14/2012 3:14 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you so much for your info. Your posts are really very helpful.

I will take it every other day for the time being. I'll ask my PCP about seeing a cardiologist when I see him again. Meanwhile I'll take the aspirin every Mon, Wed, Friday and days in-between I'll take 400 iu of E.

Don't know if this will help but having had most of my women-relatives die from strokes, I'm a bit uneasy about not taking something to thin my blood.

Thanks also for the links. I'll be perusing them thoroughly.

Blessings,
Cme
Posted 2/14/2012 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
Cme, you may want to look at fish oil also, if your tummy can tolerate that. I take linseed oil for my skin and general health; it's about the only thing my stomach will tolerate these days!

MMM
Posted 2/14/2012 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
MMM, I've been taking fish oil for years and today it upset my stomach.

Some days are great and others are the pits. Maybe today was just going to be bad anyway so I guess I'll take it again tomorrow and see what happens.

Thanks!

Blessings,
Cme
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