Which drug products containacetylsalicylicacid, otherwise known as aspirin or ASA?
This article includes examples of aspirin and drug combinations that contain aspirin.
It also goes over some of the reasons why you might want to avoid medications that contain aspirin.
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What Is Aspirin (Acetylsalicylic Acid or ASA)?
Other medications are also considered NSAIDs, though these work in a slightly different way from aspirin.
How Aspirin Works
Aspirin works in a few ways.
Platelets are the particles in the blood that cause a clot to form when you get a cut.
It does this by inhibitingcyclooxygenase(COX)activity, which in turn inhibits compounds known asprostaglandins.
Prostaglandins are also responsible for fevers and pain.
So by inhibiting cyclooxygenase, ASA may reduce not only clot formation but also fever and pain.
Why Aspirin Can Sometimes Be Dangerous
Aspirin can be dangerous in two primary ways.
Many of thetreatments for blood cancersreduce the number or effectiveness of platelets.
Aspirin use could make this problem worse.
In addition, treatments for leukemias and lymphomas may result in a low red blood cell count.
An increased risk of bleeding due to platelet dysfunction could further this problem.
For these reasons, talk with your healthcare provider before taking aspirin or NSAIDs while undergoing treatment.
Before Surgery
Sometimes, surgical interventions are a part of the management of cancer or other illnesses.
Other ingredients will be listed as “Inactive Ingredients.”
Any inactive ingredients should appear below the supplement facts as “Other Ingredients.”
This is important for other reasons as well.
Keep in mind that this doesn’t apply just to medications.
Summary
Aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat pain and inflammation.
It can be hard to tell which medications contain aspirin since aspirin can go by different names.
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