health information
How early or at what age is it ok to start taking aspirin in small doses to prevent heart disease?
Hi,
My father has had two quadruple bypasses and two heart attacks so I know a little bit about heart conditions. I am 24 right now and I want to reduce the chances of ever getting coronary heart disease. I know that low doses of aspirin around 75-81mg are prescribed to people with heart conditions to “thin” the blood and today I read an article about how not enough people take aspirin as a precaution against heart attacks. I also know that aspirin even in mild doses can cause ulcers, especially if you drink, which I do quite frequently. I wanted to know if now is a good time to start taking aspirin because even though i exercise and eat healthy and do some cardio, I also smoke, and I probably am genetically more likely to develop heart disease. . . . Does anyone know the answer to this? Also would aspirin make me more prone to getting dizzy and unable to perform more strenuous activity because it ‘thins’ my blood? Thanks a lot for reading this.
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#2 written by Clamshell 19 2 years ago
Doctors start you at 35
You should really talk to your doctor . He knows your history and can give you the best advice. Heredity plays a bigger role in some things than others. Heart problems being number one.
If you are smoking and drinking, with a history of heart disease, you have a bigger problem than any of us can fix.
Taking aspirin isn’t going to help you until you clean up. - Comment Feed for this Post
abby,
Low-dose aspirin can be started anytime, since 81mg aspirin tablets have only one side effect. We’ll get to that in a moment.
You’d be much better off changing your diet and lifestyle now.
1. Stop smoking now. Never, ever restart. It killed my dad, and he’s not alone in that.
2. Stop drinking now. You can drink a little now and then, but don’t drink “frequently” any more.
3.Now, about your diet: the three diets (these are not diets to lose weight but diets to live on for your whole life) that have shown the most promise are the Ornish Diet (very low fat), the Mediterranean Diet (controlled fat, most of which is plant monounsaturated and fish), and the Portfolio Diet from the University of Toronto (includes “plant sterols” or oils from canola, olive, and almond), which are very good at preventing heart disease.
Go on a diet like this, do it now, and do not cheat.
Now, while you probably don’t need to go on aspirin for another six to eleven years (your choice), you could go on it anytime.
You will not be dizzy from aspirin. In fact, you will not be able to tell that you take it. I run 20-30 miles a week and I take it. Have done for years.
If you do, however, there is one event you will need to watch out for–cataracts. You most likely will not get them if you wear good UV-blocking sunglasses, but you must wear them. There is an elevation in the rate of cataract formation in people taking aspirin therapy than in those who do not.
Cataracts are enclouding formations in the lens of the eye, making your vision in that eye cloudy. It forms very slowly, over years, but you can watch your vision cloud a little more each year when you get them. The treatment for this is easy, quick, and simple, but it is surgery, and you will need glasses afterward.
So, go ahead and take aspirin whenever you wish, but when you do, wear good sunglasses every time you go outside on even a halfway sunny day.