Carrying Aspirin

I had assumed that my med kit on my TI was properly stocked for a weekly sojourn. Apparently not so.

I was playing golf recently when one of our party seemed to be having a heart attack. I realized that I did not have any aspirin in my bag, nor did anyone else that I asked. Back to the pro shop. None. Club house. none. I tore into my med kit in the car. None. Back home to my garage and into the kayak kit. NONE!! A handful of low dose bits were finally called into play for a possible a false alert.

I headed out to the local CVS and bought a handful of aspirin containers today. Chew one 325 mg aspiring in case of a heart attack. It will NOT taste good.

Good advice, Bob.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

My first aid kit even also contains enough morphine to cover a 24 hour period. I would rather be "'overstocked" than face the scenario Bob mentions.

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Thanks for a timely reminder. Mini aspirin are in my car, bathroom and wallet but you have reminded me, they are not in my TI emergency kit.

Thanks,
John

Chewable aspirin is available for such use. In the event of a suspected heart attack always give or take at least four 81mg chewable aspirin tablets as quickly as possible. They should be in every first aid kit.

This is an interesting point, Pro10is.

I specifically asked the pharmacist about the 4 smaller chewable vs 1 regular since the chewable would be easier to swallow. She thought the buffering/taste additives for the multiple smaller aspirin would be detrimental.

I find that there is research to support your point, however. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chewable-as ... the-heart/

That study is the only one that I can find and it is a pretty small sample size but I find nothing that contradicts it.

Thanks!

Yes, small cuts that don't quickly stop bleeding are an indication that the aspirin is working as intended as an effective anticoagulant and is protecting your heart. It's a minor inconvenience and far, far better than having a heart attack.

Many studies indicate that taking an 81mg aspirin daily along with two 1200mg fish oil tablets can prevent many heart attacks and save many lives. Of course, always check with your doctor first.

Your pharmacist had a good point, you don't want any buffering additives that may hinder quick absorption of the aspirin in the case of a heart attack. Buffering additives reduce stomach irritation which is the least of your problems if you're having a heart attack. Before you buy look at both the active and inactive ingredients for magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate and/or magnesium oxide. These are typical buffering agents. You also don't want any enteric coated aspirin which will significantly delay the absorption of aspirin if swallowed whole.

Fortunately most chewable aspirin does not contain these ingredients. I don't believe flavoring will cause any significant absorption issues.

I had to chew regular aspirin several years ago when I had a stroke. Trust me, when you are having a life threatening event the bitterness of aspirin is insignificant. In all of my detailed memories of that event, I cannot remember the taste of the aspirin, just the texture of pill breaking apart in my teeth and tounge and then swallowing. I bought a package of zip lock pill bags from Wal-Mart, label each bag and place them in my first aid kits.

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