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Is It Safe To Take Aspirin 325mg For Pulmonary Embolism Treatment?

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Posted on Tue, 21 Jan 2014
Twitter Tue, 21 Jan 2014 Answered on
Twitter Mon, 10 Feb 2014 Last reviewed on
Question : I had a PE last Feburary and took Xarelto for 12 months. Now the Doctor wants me to stop the Xarelto and have me take a 325 MG aspirin per day. I am concerned aboout the daily325 high dose. I understand that 81 or 160 mg provides just as much "protection" as a 325 mg. with less of the possibilities of stomach bleediing. Is this true for after treatment of a PE?
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Answered by Dr. Chobufo Ditah (2 hours later)
Brief Answer: Ask your doctor why the prescription and 325mg! Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for this query. I a so sorry to hear about the PE you had. I am however happy that you were able to fight your way out of it. I am as concerned as you are about this aspirin and the dosage. The reasons of prescription are not clear to me as well as the dosage. 1. Aspirin 325mg is not the right dose to prevent blood clots. The high dose can actually lead to bleeding problems as you rightly mentioned. The general consensus is 81mg. I will like that you ask your doctor directly the reasons for this prescription and the justification of the high dose. I am tempted to think he may be considering something else not exactly known to us. So confront him directly on this. 2. Unless there is a continued feared risk for having a pulmonary embolism again, you do not need to continue taking a specific drug for prevention. And even in this case, aspirin is not the indicated drug unless it is a novel recommendation that a good number of physicians are not aware of including myself. Ask hi what the recurring risk of having another PE is that justifies continued prophylaxis if this information has not been communicated to you already. 3. Aspirin is almost a routine drug in the elderly because of the benefits to the heat in preventing heart attacks. However, the dose and probably the conflicting information here is making the task a lot difficult. Ask direct questions about this to get the exact clarifications. 4. In all, i strongly discourage this high dose if it is solely to reduce the risk of blood clots be it in the heart lungs, etc. 81mg would do the exact same job, if not better. I hope the above information addresses your query fully. Feel free to ask for clarifications if need be. I wish you well. Dr. Ditah, MD.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Chobufo Ditah

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Is It Safe To Take Aspirin 325mg For Pulmonary Embolism Treatment?

Brief Answer: Ask your doctor why the prescription and 325mg! Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for this query. I a so sorry to hear about the PE you had. I am however happy that you were able to fight your way out of it. I am as concerned as you are about this aspirin and the dosage. The reasons of prescription are not clear to me as well as the dosage. 1. Aspirin 325mg is not the right dose to prevent blood clots. The high dose can actually lead to bleeding problems as you rightly mentioned. The general consensus is 81mg. I will like that you ask your doctor directly the reasons for this prescription and the justification of the high dose. I am tempted to think he may be considering something else not exactly known to us. So confront him directly on this. 2. Unless there is a continued feared risk for having a pulmonary embolism again, you do not need to continue taking a specific drug for prevention. And even in this case, aspirin is not the indicated drug unless it is a novel recommendation that a good number of physicians are not aware of including myself. Ask hi what the recurring risk of having another PE is that justifies continued prophylaxis if this information has not been communicated to you already. 3. Aspirin is almost a routine drug in the elderly because of the benefits to the heat in preventing heart attacks. However, the dose and probably the conflicting information here is making the task a lot difficult. Ask direct questions about this to get the exact clarifications. 4. In all, i strongly discourage this high dose if it is solely to reduce the risk of blood clots be it in the heart lungs, etc. 81mg would do the exact same job, if not better. I hope the above information addresses your query fully. Feel free to ask for clarifications if need be. I wish you well. Dr. Ditah, MD.