Recent studies have shown that if you have taken one of the anticoagulant , you may not need to take the second one. In fact, a Michigan Medicine study showed that when patients stop taking aspirin while using commonly used anticoagulants, the risk of bleeding complications is significantly reduced.
More than 6700 patients who received venous thrombosis and atrial fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm that can cause stroke) at the Although there is no history of heart disease, the patient took aspirin in addition to the common anticoagulant warfarin as part of the treatment.
"We know that aspirin is not as panacea as people once thought, and in fact it may cause more bleeding events in some of these patients, so we work with the clinic to reduce the use of aspirin in patients that may not be necessary," said Geoffrey Barnes, a cardiologist at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, a senior author of the study.
During the study intervention, patients' aspirin usage decreased by 46.6%. When the frequency of aspirin is reduced, the risk of bleeding complications is reduced by 32.3%, which is equivalent to avoiding a major bleeding event for every 1,000 patients who stop taking aspirin. The study was recently published in the online version of " Journal of the American Medical Association ".
"When we started this study, doctors were already working to reduce aspirin use, and our results show that accelerating the use of aspirin can prevent serious bleeding complications, which in turn can save patients' lives," said Barnes, who is also an associate professor of internal medicine at MIT . "It is really important for physicians and health systems to recognize more clearly when and should not use aspirin in patients taking anticoagulants."
Reducing aspirin usage is based on the conclusions drawn after several studies that found the relationship between simultaneous use of aspirin and different anticoagulants.
A study reported that patients taking warfarin and aspirin for atrial fibrillation and VTE experienced more major bleeding events than those taking warfarin alone, and some went to the emergency room due to bleeding. Similar results occur in patients taking aspirin and directly oral anticoagulants - they were found to be more likely to have bleeding events, but the likelihood of a blood clot is not low.
Barnes said: "While aspirin is an extremely important drug, its effects are not as extensive as a decade ago, but with each study going on, we see that patients who have taken anticoagulants see much less benefits by adding aspirin on the basis of treatment. The anticoagulants they are taking have provided some protection to prevent thrombosis."
For some people, aspirin can save lives. Many patients with ischemic strokes, heart attacks, or stents in the heart to improve blood flow - as well as those with a history of cardiovascular disease - benefit from drug treatment. The challenge came when some people took aspirin without a history of cardiovascular disease and were also prescribed anticoagulants, said first author Jordan Schaefer, M.D., a hematologist at U-M Health and associate professor of internal medicine at U-M Medical School. "Many of these people may be taking aspirin for primary prevention of heart attacks or strokes, we now know that aspirin is not as effective as once thought, and when they start taking warfarin, no one lets them stop taking it. These findings show how important it is to take aspirin only under the guidance of a doctor, and don't start taking over the counter medications like aspirin before you and your care team review whether the expected benefits outweigh the risks."
