Should i take aspirin for chest pain

An aspirin overdose is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical treatment. Many medications can help treat and prevent heart attacks. Find out more about the different types of heart attack medications, from beta-blockers to…. Did you know you could have a heart attack without feeling any chest pain?

Heart attacks can produce a number of different signs and sensations…. Acting quickly when you suspect a heart attack is coming on can greatly improve your chances for survival. Learn what to do. Both heart attacks and heartburn cause chest pain. However, there are distinctions between the two conditions. Learn how to tell the difference.

An acute myocardial infarction is a heart attack. Learn about the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of this life threatening condition. Based on new evidence, a U. During a heart attack, blood supply that normally nourishes the heart with oxygen is cut off and the heart muscle begins to die. A heart attack can slow or accelerate your heart rate. Learn what happens to your heart, heart rate, and blood pressure during a heart attack.

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Can Aspirin Prevent a Heart Attack? Takeaway Aspirin is an over-the-counter drug used to treat pain, headaches, and fever. Can taking an aspirin help during a heart attack? Can taking an aspirin every day help lower your risk for a heart attack?

Are there other benefits to taking daily aspirin? What are the risks of taking aspirin every day? Is daily aspirin right for you? The bottom line. A clot, or thrombus, builds up on the ruptured plaque. As the clot grows, it blocks the artery.

If the blockage is complete, it deprives a portion of the heart muscle of oxygen. As a result, muscle cells die — and it's a heart attack. Aspirin helps by inhibiting platelets. Only a tiny amount is needed to inhibit all the platelets in the bloodstream; in fact, small amounts are better than high doses.

But since the clot grows minute by minute, time is of the essence. To find out how aspirin works fastest, researchers in Texas asked 12 volunteers to take a standard mg dose of aspirin in three different ways: by swallowing a tablet with 4 ounces of water, by chewing the tablet for 30 seconds before swallowing it, or by drinking 4 ounces of water with Alka-Seltzer.

Each subject tried all three methods on an empty stomach on different days. The scientists monitored blood levels of aspirin and its active ingredient, salicylate, at frequent intervals, and they also measured thromboxane B2 TxB2 , an indicator of platelet activation that drops as platelets are inhibited. By all three measurements, chewed aspirin worked fastest. Similarly, it took 14 minutes for the chewed tablet to produce maximal platelet inhibition; it took Alka-Seltzer 16 minutes and the swallowed tablet 26 minutes.

Aspirin can help prevent heart attacks in people with coronary artery disease and in those who have a higher than average risk. Only low dose, usually just 1 a day, is needed. But people who think they may be having an attack need an extra mg of aspirin, and they need it as quickly as possible. For the best results, chew a single full-sized mg tablet, but don't use an enteric-coated tablet, which will act slowly even if chewed. And don't forget to call , then your doctor.

It's a contemporary update on the old reminder to take two aspirin and call in the morning — and it's good advice to chew over. Heart failure is manageable. To learn the mechanics of the heart, the symptoms and warning signs of heart failure, and, most of all, the keys to an effective treatment plan, buy the Harvard Special Health Report Heart Failure: Understanding the condition and optimizing treatment. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.

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Heart Attack. About Heart Attacks. Warning Signs of a Heart Attack. Angina Chest Pain. Diagnosing a Heart Attack. Treatment of a Heart Attack. Life After a Heart Attack. Heart Attack Tools and Resources. Should you take aspirin to prevent heart attack? AHA Recommendation You should not take daily low-dose aspirin on your own without talking to your doctor. Know the risks. You should not take daily low-dose aspirin without talking to a doctor if you: Have an aspirin allergy or intolerance Are at risk for gastrointestinal bleeding or hemorrhagic stroke Drink alcohol regularly Are undergoing any simple medical or dental procedures Are over the age of 70 There is a risk of stomach problems, including stomach bleeding, for people who take aspirin regularly.

How does aspirin help prevent heart attack and stroke? If a blood clot blocks a blood vessel that feeds the heart, it causes a heart attack. If a blood clot blocks a blood vessel that feeds the brain, it causes a stroke. Aspirin thins the blood, which helps prevent blood clots from forming.

Should I take aspirin during a heart attack or stroke? Last Reviewed: Mar 20,