Aspirin has been most people’s first choice pain reliever for centuries now. Aspirin therapy is considered as an effective medication that can help prevent heart disease and stroke. Studies carried out on the effectiveness of aspirin, showed that people who take aspirin reduced their chances of getting cardiovascular diseases by 10 percent. But not everyone is entitled to use aspirin for their heart condition. There are some necessary facts that you should be aware of before even thinking of it; that is why experts recommend that you get a thorough assessment of your health conditions before starting to use aspirin therapy for your heart.

Things to know about aspirin therapy for your heart

Aspirin therapy not suitable for everyone

This therapy is not recommended to be taken on a regular basis unless there is a thorough assessment by a well-informed doctor to justify its use. It is therefore recommended that if you have a heart condition, you ask your doctor to perform a CT scan for your heart beforehand to assess your level of risk in suffering a heart attack in future before prescribing you to aspirin therapy.

It has side effects

Aspirin therapy though beneficial in the long-run, it has its side effects. Experts claim that continuous use of aspirin can lead to increase in bleeding, specifically in the stomach and gastrointestinal areas. Although the bleeding may be minimal and may go away, it can be critical, and no prognosis can be carried out to determine when it will happen or whether or not it will happen.

Aspirin therapy can be a life-saving

If you have previously experienced heart conditions such as heart attack, stroke, bypass surgery, angina or any other coronary artery conditions, then using aspirin is a sure way to keep these heart conditions at bay. Aspirin acts as a secondary prevention with its benefits being more significant than the bleeding risk that could arise from using it.

Consult your doctor before using aspirin therapy for your heart conditions

Aspirin work by inhibiting clotting of the blood platelets, which if not inhibited may lead to blockage of blood supply to the vessels and turn result in heart attack. Due to aspirin capacity to prevent clotting of blood, it is highly advisable first to engage your doctor before proceeding to use this therapy in any emergency treatment, surgery, dental treatment or any test that could cause bleeding. It is also advisable that you don’t stop using aspirin therapy at once as it may lead to a rebound effect.

From the facts above about the use of aspirin therapy for heart conditions, it is clear that all the positive benefits of this therapy outweigh the risk of bleeding which is the only side effect of this therapy. But even though that is true, consulting your doctor before using aspirin therapy is something that you must do before proceeding to use it.