Commonly Used Brand Name and Generic Aspirins

Generic name: Acetylsalicylic acid

General category: Blood thinner, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), salicylate

Current Uses

Aspirin is used to treat and prevent a range of conditions. This medication may be taken for:

• Pain relief
• Fever reduction
• Reducing the risk of dying when having a heart attack
• Preventing a heart attack or stroke in people who are at high risk

There is promising evidence to support that taking an aspirin every day is associated with a reduced risk of dying from cancer after it has been diagnosed.

Recommendations

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has the following recommendations for a daily low dose of aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer:

• Aged 50-59 years old—Take if there is a 10% or greater risk of either disease within 10 years and daily aspirin can be taken for at least 10 years without risk of bleeding.
• Aged 60-69 years old—The recommendation is the same, but in this age range the decision to take daily low-dose aspirin is an individual one. You and your doctor will talk about the benefits and risks before you make a choice.
• Under 50 and over 70 years old—No recommendation for or against taking daily low-dose aspirin.

The American Heart Association recommends aspirin for certain people who are at high risk of heart attacks and for people who have had health problems like aheart attack, stroke, or transient ischemic attack.

Take only the amount of aspirin instructed by your doctor. If you are taking aspirin regularly and you need a medication to relieve pain, a fever, or arthritis, your doctor may not want you to take extra aspirin. It is a good idea to discuss this with your doctor, so that you will know ahead of time what medication to take.

Do not stop taking this medication for any reason without first checking with the doctor who directed you to take it.

Mechanism for How It Works

• Analgesic/NSAID —This inhibits the body’s production of a hormone-like substance called prostaglandin. This chemical causes pain by stimulating muscles contractions and blood vessel dilation. Aspirin may also fight inflammation, including in plaque caused by atherosclerosis, which causes coronary artery disease.
• Antithrombotic (blood thinning)/Platelet aggregation inhibitor —This prevents platelets from releasing the prostaglandin thromboxane, which causes platelets to clump together in a blood clot. This helps prevent potentially fatal formation of new blood clots in diseased blood vessels.

Side Effects