Aspirin

[pkveazey]

I don't know how many of you have noticed this. Aspirin is hard on your stomach and it causes upset stomach for some people.  For many years I've had my Doctors mention Tylenol (Acetaminophen) and sometimes Ibuprofen (Motrin) as if Aspirin no longer exists. Whenever the Doctor tells me to take Tylenol, I quickly tell him that I'd rather take Aspirin because it does not upset my stomach and I would prefer a non-substitute. The Doctor always looks at me as if to say, "You must have a cast iron stomach." Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen were created as an aspirin substitute. If aspirin doesn't cause you any stomach problems, I would suggest that you ask your Doctor if you can take Aspirin instead. My only reason for wanting Aspirin is because it is a more natural medicine and not a laboratory concoction. Now that I've mentioned all of that, all 3 of those medicines are hard on your Kidneys and taking any of them constantly is very very bad. Take it when you need it and then STOP. Now that I've told you all that. I had really bad muscle kinks in my back and my Doctor prescribed MELOXICAM. I took one and BAM, it worked like someone waved a magic wand. I went back to the Doctor and called those pills, "The Magic Pills". He laughed and said they were very similar to taking about 8 Ibuprofen all at one time. Then he said, "Just take them when you need them and don't make a habit of it because in the long term they are hard on your Kidneys."

[RB in GA]

2 cents worth:
Aspirin, Ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin), Celebrex, Naproxen, Toradol (Ketorolac) and Meloxicam (among several others) are all in the same family of drugs (Non steroidal anti inflammatories, aka NSAIDS) and work generally the same with similar effects. All are excreted through your kidneys and are therefore rough on them. Many, most notably aspirin, are also rough on your stomach, causing ulcers, etc...  if taken too often.
Aspirin (if your stomach can take it) however, has an additional benefit as it acts as a blood thinner and is very often prescribed to proactively and retroactively to treat heart issues. Its also on the Advanced Cardiac Life Support algorithm for treatment of cardiac arrest. Nearly every patient I see in the clinic I work in is on an 81mg (baby) aspirin per day, some a 325mg.
Personally, I can't take it anymore, but I still keep it (a lot of it) in my supplies just in case.
Tylenol (Acetominophen), as I'm sure everyone is aware, is a pain and fever reducer. It is metabolized through the liver, just like alcohol. This "Ranger candy" has severe side effects when abused- your liver basically gets FUBARED.  Remember, you can't live without a functioning liver.  3000 mg's per day is what I consider the max safe dose. Some sites and info state 4000 mgs, but I'll stick with what my practice's doc says, since he's an ICU doc.
One of the things people always forget is that many stronger pain meds contain acetominophen- percocet and lortab/lorcet for example.  When figuring your total mgs you have to include the amounts you get in those meds.  Percocet for example may be 5/325, 7.5/325, 10/325: the 325 is acetominophen. So if your doc has you on percocet 5's  4 times a day thats 1300 mgs. So if you pop additional tylenol, you can quickly get over the safe limit.
Believe it or not, these are one of the most common forms of drug abuse.  When I did hospital nursing, it was a rare weekend we didn't get a couple of liver toxicity cases from a tylenol overdose or a kidney failure exacerbated by Nsaid abuse.
Personally, I often alternate small doses of Nsaids (stomach issues) and tylenol if pain is an issue to avoid chances of that kind of damage.
Oh, since I know a lot of us older folks take them, basic BC powders are aspirin with caffiene, Excedrin and Goody powders are aspirin, acetominophen and caffiene.
Hope this helps a little and damn it was more like .25 cents worth.

[pkveazey]

I have been extremely fortunate as far as health issues. I'm 76 and have a checkup every 6 months and a blood draw once a year. They always come back good. My Dr. has me on the lowest dose of Lovastaten and a Bayer baby aspirin every day as a prophylaxis. I told him that I hate taking any kind of medicine at all but he said the low doses he prescribed should keep me healthy and aren't powerful enough for my organs to be affected. He's kept me healthy for the 25 years that I've been going to him so I yielded to superior knowledge. I still don't like taking that crap. For many years he told me to not eat a bunch of vitamins like some folks do because overdoing it can cause all sorts of blood disorders. Now that we have the COVID crap going on, he told me to take Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and Zinc to strengthen my immune system. It feels strange taking a bunch of medications and I'm not even sick.

[cooter]

Enteric coated aspirin helps alleviate the GI effects of Aspirin.  I remember in nursing school hearing that if aspirin had been developed today, it would be prescription.
Mike