Aspirin is probably the best drug ever invented. If you are allergic to it or have certain bleeding tendencies, ulcers, and many other conditions, it is NOT FOR YOU. You can die from taking aspirin. Most people don't die or get sick from it and most people get all sorts of benefits from fever reduction (don't forget about Reye's Syndrome that has been associated with aspirin) to pain relief and reducing the tendency to get blood clots in your circulatory system. Many folks who have heart issues are advised to take low dose (baby size) aspirin daily. In a well respected orthopedic journal that I just received, there is a featured article that states that aspirin is a better drug post-surgery to prevent the side effects of deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in your veins) than the more expensive anti-clotting drugs. And it has fewer side effects. I used to prescribe aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid or ASA) following total hip or knee surgery, then the expensive drug protocols became the "party line" and if you did not use Warfarin and heparin and other drugs, you were a dinosaur. Now it seems we might be going back the other way. While I am on the subject of blood thinners and anti-clotting drugs, there are some really expensive ones out there that are used to prevent clots in Atrial Fibrilation and other conditions. They are often wonderful until they are not. If you get bleeding from some of them, it can't be easily reversed by giving an antidote like you can with some of the old fashioned and cheaper drugs. Ask your doctor. I am not giving you medical advice, I just want you to ask questions of those who are caring for you.
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