Acetylsalicylic acid: instructions for use, what helps, composition, dosage for adults and children

Acetylsalicylic acid is the pharmacological name of the well-known aspirin. The drug has antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects on the body. It is widely used in various branches of medicine - cardiology, therapy, rheumatology. High doses are used to relieve pain or fever, lower doses are used to prevent heart attack and stroke. And also aspirin is used to prevent the development of colorectal oncology.

Composition, release form and packaging

The medicine is available in the form of tablets of 250 mg or 500 mg. The drug is one-component, it contains one active substance - acetylsalicylic acid.

The remaining components play a secondary role - they give the medicine physicochemical properties, they include:

• silica;
• starch;
• citric and stearic acid;
• talc.

Each tablet must be coated with an acid-resistant shell, due to which the substance does not dissolve in gastric juice and does not lose its healing properties.

Pharmacological action, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics

Acetylsalicylic acid is used to dilute blood, relieve pain, combat fever, and treat rheumatic diseases.

A wide range of applications is determined by the diverse effect of a substance on the body:

• analgesia (analgesic effect) - due to inhibition of sensitive centers that respond to pain signals;
• fight against inflammation - aspirin acts directly in the lesion, reducing the permeability of small vessels, inhibiting the synthesis of ATP and limiting the activity of hyaluronidase;
• antipyretic effect - a decrease in temperature after taking aspirin is due to the influence of salicylate on the thermoregulation center located in the hypothalamus. It is interesting that the drug does not change the normal temperature, thus, when using it, you can not be afraid of hypothermia;
• blood thinning - occurs due to a violation of the process of gluing (aggregation) of platelets. As a result, the risk of blood clots is reduced, but the bleeding time is lengthened.

Thanks to the protective shell, after ingestion, the intact tablet passes through the hydrochloric acid of the stomach and enters the duodenum, where the acidic medium changes to alkaline. There, the drug is released from the upper ball and is almost completely absorbed into the patient's blood.

The excretion of salicylate occurs with the participation of the kidneys, the duration of the process depends on the concentration of the substance in the blood. The shortest half-life is from 2 to 3 hours, when taking high doses, it increases to 15 hours.

What helps acetylsalicylic acid

In everyday life, everyone uses Aspirin for headaches and fever, but few people realize that the spectrum of its use is much broader.

The medication belongs to the group of NSAIDs, it is used in neurology, cardiology, rheumatology, therapy, gynecology with such pathologies:

• soreness of different localization - algodismenorea, arthritis, headache, toothache and migraine pain;
• joint inflammation - rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever;
• sciatica;
• pericarditis;
• coronary artery disease;
• inflammation of the nerve, neuralgia;
• muscle pain;
• violation of the blood supply to the myocardium;
• lumbago;
• rheumatic chorea;
• unstable angina pectoris;
• Dressler's syndrome.

Aspirin is prescribed in the postoperative period after the end of balloon plastic surgery of the coronary vessels, which helps prevent relapse of stenosis (narrowing of the lumen) and stratification of the heart arteries.

And also the drug is prescribed for everyday use to people at risk for the development of a heart attack, stroke, ischemic disease. In patients with a history of heart defects, atrial fibrillation, vasculitis or valve prolapse, Aspirin is prescribed to prevent excessive thrombosis and blockage of the vascular lumen.

Instructions for use and dosage for adults and children

The drug should be taken between meals, washed down with a small amount of liquid - boiled water, milk, an alkaline mineral water. Single and daily doses, frequency and time of use depend on the reason for which acetylsalicylic acid was prescribed.

Reason for appointment	Features of the reception
Blood thinning, prevention of thrombosis	Once a day, for several months Up to 300 mg
Post-infarction period for secondary prevention	Once a day in the evening 40 to 300 mg
Attacks of ischemia, cerebral complications	The initial daily dose is 300 mg, gradually increasing it to the maximum
Postoperative period to prevent shunt blockage	325 mg of aspirin 3-4 times a day at regular intervals
Body temperature over 38.5 ° C	500 to 100 mg

Patients who respond to fever with seizures are allowed to use acetylsalicylic acid with hyperthermia at 37.5 ° C.

The drug is not recommended for children under 12 years of age, since the occurrence of adverse reactions, prolonged vomiting.If other medicines do not help, then the dosage

Aspirin is calculated as follows:

Age	Single dose
From six months to a year	No more than 100 mg
Up to three years	100 mg
Up to 6 years	100 mg to 200 mg
Up to 9 years	No more than 300 mg
Over 9 years old	400 mg maximum

Children over 15 years old are allowed to give adult doses of the medication - up to 1000 mg at a time, you can repeat the use of the medicine no earlier than 4 hours later. During the day, you can not take more than 4 g of acetylsalicylic acid.

During pregnancy and lactation

Aspirin is strictly contraindicated in pregnant women in the first and third trimesters, episodic use of the drug is possible in the second trimester. At the beginning of gestation, the medicine can cause abnormalities in the development of the fetus, provoke spontaneous miscarriage.

At the end of pregnancy, salicylate leads to negative consequences:

• early closure of the arterial duct in the heart of the unborn baby;
• the development of pulmonary hypertension;
• impaired renal function in a pregnant woman, up to the occurrence of renal failure;
• water shortage;
• severe bleeding during childbirth or cesarean section.

Since acetylsalicylic acid passes into breast milk in large quantities, the infant must be weaned from natural feeding while taking the medicine.

Alcohol compatibility

Aspirin tablets are incompatible with any alcoholic beverages, their simultaneous use can lead to serious consequences:

• gastrointestinal bleeding;
• the occurrence of ulcers in the digestive tract;
• the appearance of strong allergic responses of the body;
• a significant decrease in the ability of blood to stick to platelets, a violation of coagulability;
• hepatic and renal failure.

The most dangerous consequence is gastric bleeding. It usually proceeds secretly, the patient feels only general weakness and drowsiness, dizziness is often observed, but attributes these symptoms to intoxication. Pathology begins to manifest itself even with significant blood loss - a person loses consciousness, blood pressure does not hold. Such patients need emergency care, otherwise the outcome may even be fatal.

It is not recommended to drink Aspirin 8 hours before and after drinking any alcohol. To relieve a headache during a hangover, it is better to use antispasmodics.

Drug interaction

Acetylsalicylic acid can not be consumed not only with alcohol, it is important to consider the interaction of the drug with other drugs.

Drug name	Possible interaction
Methotrexate, valproic acid, barbiturates	Enhanced toxic effects
Narcotic analgesics, hypoglycemic agents, sulfonamides	Decreased drug efficacy
Anticoagulants	Increased risk of massive bleeding due to vascular damage
ACE inhibitors, diuretics	Leveling the effects of drugs
Glucocorticosteroids	Negative effect on the gastrointestinal mucosa
Lithium salts	Increased blood lithium concentration
Uricosuric agents	Weakening of their action

Before using Aspirin, all possible options should be considered and, if there is a risk of negative consequences, it is necessary to replace acetylsalicylic acid with an analog.

Contraindications, side effects and overdose

Despite the widespread use, Aspirin has a fairly extensive list of contraindications:

• insufficient synthesis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase;
• increased individual sensitivity to the components of the drug;
• period of exacerbation of ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract;
• asthma that occurs after consuming Aspirin;
• decrease in platelet count in the blood - hemophilia, thrombocytopenic purpura, von Willebrand pathologies;
• history of gastrointestinal bleeding;
• increased pressure in the portal vein;
• risk of stratification of the aortic aneurysm;
• severe dysfunction of the liver or kidneys;
• gout.

And it is also not recommended the appointment of salicylates to pregnant women and patients under 15 years of age.

Side effects most often develop due to a violation of the rules of admission, the gastrointestinal tract first of all suffers - the appearance of nausea, soreness in the stomach, the occurrence of ulcers, the opening of bleeding. Allergic reactions include aspirin asthma, Quincke's edema, rashes on the skin, anaphylactic shock is not excluded. Patients complain of headaches, tinnitus, hearing loss. In clinical analyzes, there is a decrease in the number of platelets and leukocytes, anemia.

With prolonged use, the development of renal failure is possible. After a sharp withdrawal of the drug, bouts of periodic headache may appear, due to addiction to the effect of the drug.

In children under 15 years of age, the development of Reye syndrome was noted, which is characterized by encephalopathy, acute liver dysfunction and fatty degeneration of the organ.

Acetylsalicylic acid poisoning occurs with a single dose of large concentrations of the drug or with prolonged use of overestimated doses.

• mild - manifested by ringing in the ears, rapid breathing, a decrease in blood acidity;
• medium degree - dyspnea, fever, acidosis (excessive blood acidity) are added;
• severe poisoning - the patient loses consciousness, falls into a coma, convulsions, respiratory failure may occur.

Help consists in washing the stomach, prescribing large doses of sorbents, using saline laxatives, as well as conducting symptomatic therapy.

Analogues of the drug

Analogues of acetylsalicylic acid include drugs such as Asafen, Aspeter, Uppsarin Upsa, Cardiomagnyl. They contain the same active substance, which differs only in the brand and country of manufacture. And also, instead of Aspirin, you can use medicines with other components, for example, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Analgin and other medicines.