Should i take aspirin for high blood pressure

In men, aspirin mostly prevents heart attacks, while in women aspirin prevents strokes. For both men and women, aspirin prevents several cancers , especially colon and rectal cancer. People at greater risk of having heart attacks or strokes will benefit the most from aspirin.

Some factors that magnify risk include older age, being male, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. When aspirin makes platelets less sticky, they cannot do their normal job of stopping abnormal bleeding. This can result in excessive bleeding in unexpected locations within the body. In the stomach, this can lead to hospitalization and the need for blood transfusions. When it happens in the brain, this causes an unusual bleeding or hemorrhagic stroke.

Some factors make people more likely to bleed on aspirin, including a history of stomach ulcers and older age. Common pain relievers like naproxen brand name, Aleve and ibuprofen brand names, Motrin and Advil can make bleeding more likely, as can blood thinners like clopidogrel Plavix or warfarin Coumadin.

The key question with aspirin is: which is greater, the possible preventive benefits or the chance of excessive bleeding. People with multiple risk factors that increase their chance of having a heart attack or stroke like diabetes usually have more benefits than harms.

They should consider taking aspirin. Those at lower risk for heart attacks and strokes are more likely to be harmed by aspirin -- they should not take aspirin. Patient preferences matter as well. If a person is willing to tolerate potential bleeding complications in exchange for a lower chance of a stroke or heart attack, then this should weigh in favor of using aspirin. Fred's doctor tells him to come in for lab tests and asks that he record his blood pressure at home. Gathering information about his risk factors will be important when they meet to compare the possible benefits of aspirin with its possible harms.

Like Fred, an important first step in taking care of yourself is to find out your risk factors. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. A Single-center Cross-sectional Study. Dtsch Arztebl Int. Whelton PK et al. Curr Hypertens Rep. Gibler WB. Crit Pathw Cardiol. Am J Hypertens. PLoS One. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth.

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We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Aspirin and Blood Pressure. Careful Use. Hypertension Strategies. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.

Tell your doctor if you're taking these medicines before you start taking aspirin :. It's safe to take paracetamol with low-dose aspirin. However, do not take ibuprofen at the same time as low-dose aspirin without talking to your doctor.

Aspirin and ibuprofen both belong to the same group of medicines called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs. If you take them together, it can increase your chances of side effects like stomach irritation. Aspirin may not mix well with quite a lot of complementary and herbal medicines. Aspirin could change the way they work and increase your chances of side effects. For safety, speak to your pharmacist or doctor before taking any herbal or alternative remedies with aspirin.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. Aspirin slows the blood's clotting action by making platelets less sticky.

Platelets are blood cells that stick together and block cuts and breaks in blood vessels, so they're important in normal health. But in people at risk of heart attacks and stroke, platelets can stick together inside already narrowed blood vessels to form a clot. The clot can stop blood flowing to the heart or brain and cause a heart attack or stroke.

If you take it every day, low-dose aspirin stops platelets clumping together to form unwanted blood clots - and prevents heart attacks and stroke.

You may not notice any difference in how you feel after you start taking low-dose aspirin. This doesn't mean that the medicine isn't working. Carry on taking daily low-dose aspirin even if you feel well, as you'll still be getting the benefits. You'll usually need to take low-dose aspirin for the rest of your life. Low-dose aspirin is generally safe to take for a long time. In fact, it works best if you take it for many months and years. Occasionally, low-dose aspirin can cause an ulcer in your stomach or gut if you take it for a long time.

If you're at risk of getting a stomach ulcer , your doctor may prescribe a medicine to help protect your stomach. But drinking too much alcohol while you're taking aspirin can irritate your stomach. Low-dose aspirin can occasionally cause ulcers in your stomach or gut, especially if you take it for many years. If you're at risk of getting a stomach ulcer, your doctor can prescribe a medicine to help protect your stomach.

But don't take ibuprofen at the same time as low-dose aspirin without talking to your doctor. There's no firm evidence to suggest that taking aspirin will reduce fertility in either men or women. But speak to a pharmacist or your doctor before taking it if you're trying to get pregnant.

Aspirin doesn't affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill and emergency contraception. If you can't take low-dose aspirin, you may be able to take another blood thinning medicine, such as clopidogrel, instead. Like aspirin, these medicines prevent blood clots from forming and reduce the chances of heart attack and stroke in people at high risk of them. If you have had a heart attack or stroke, or you're at high risk of either, studies have shown that the benefits of taking daily low-dose aspirin far outweigh the risk of side effects.

But if you don't have heart disease and aren't considered to be at high risk of developing it, the risk of side effects particularly the risk of bleeding outweighs the benefit of preventing blood clots.

If you have been advised by a doctor to take daily low-dose aspirin, you can also boost your health by making some key lifestyle changes. Page last reviewed: 15 November Next review due: 15 November Low-dose aspirin On this page About low-dose aspirin Key facts Who can and cannot take low-dose aspirin How and when to take it Side effects How to cope with side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions.

About low-dose aspirin Daily low-dose aspirin is a blood thinning medicine. Only take daily low-dose aspirin if your doctor recommends it. Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? Daily low-dose aspirin makes the blood less sticky and helps to prevent heart attacks and stroke. It's usual to take a dose of 75mg once a day. Sometimes doses may be higher.

It's best to take low-dose aspirin with food so it doesn't upset your stomach. Taking low-dose aspirin isn't safe for everyone. Only take low-dose aspirin if your doctor recommends it. Low-dose aspirin is also called by the brand names Caprin, Danamep, Micropirin and Nu-seals.

Low-dose aspirin isn't suitable for certain people. Important Never give aspirin to children younger than 16, unless their doctor prescribes it.

To make sure low-dose aspirin is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have: an allergy to aspirin or similar painkillers such as ibuprofen ever had a stomach ulcer high blood pressure indigestion heavy periods - taking daily aspirin can make them heavier recently had a stroke low-dose aspirin isn't suitable for some types of stroke asthma or lung disease ever had a blood clotting problem liver or kidney problems gout - it can get worse if you take daily aspirin Check with your doctor that it's safe for you to take low-dose aspirin if you're pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or if you want to breastfeed.

How much should I take? Different types of low-dose aspirin tablets Low-dose aspirin comes as several different types of tablet: standard tablets - that you swallow whole with water soluble tablets - that you dissolve in a glass of water enteric coated tablets - that you swallow whole with water. These tablets have a special coating that means they may be gentler on your stomach. Do not chew or crush them because it'll stop the coating working. If you also take indigestion remedies, take them at least 2 hours before or after you take your aspirin.

The antacid in the indigestion remedy affects the way the coating on these tablets works.