The FDA has approved aspirin for a wide variety of uses under a doctor's care, including:
Heart Attack
Aspirin can reduce the risk of death if taken as directed by a doctor as soon as a heart attack is suspected. The FDA says that as little as one-half (160 - 162.5 mg) of a regular-strength aspirin tablet reduces the risk of death by up to 23 percent if administered when a heart attack is suspected and continued for 30 days thereafter. Aspirin taken during a suspected heart attack can lessen the damaging effects of the heart attack.Recurrent Heart Attack or Angina
Another use of aspirin is for the prevention of heart attacks in people who have suffered either a previous heart attack or who suffer from unstable angina. A regimen of aspirin for people who already have had a previous heart attack can reduce the risk of a second heart attack by about one-third. In patients suffering from unstable angina, in one study, the risk was reduced by 51 percent. Aspirin can prevent first heart attack or ischemic stroke (as a result of an obstruction of a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain) in individuals with unstable and stable angina. This includes patients with clinical evidence of blockage to heart blood vessels such as those with a type of chest pain known as stable angina. Millions of Americans are in this high-risk category.Stroke Prevention
The FDA has approved regular aspirin use under a doctor's care to prevent a stroke in people who have suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA or mini-stroke). Aspirin also helps prevent a second or recurrent ischemic stroke and, as with heart attacks, lessens the damaging effects of a stroke that does occur.Lower Dosage Aspirin Use
For recurrent heart attack and stroke prevention, the FDA has approved the use of aspirin in lower dosages under a doctor's care, responding to research suggesting that lower doses can reduce potential side effects but still maintain efficacy. Approved dosage for recurrent heart attack prevention is 75 to 325 mg while the dosage for recurrent ischemic stroke prevention is 50 to 325 mg.Aspirin is not appropriate for everyone, so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.
