On a blood thinner?
If so, you can’t afford to miss this warning. It could literally save your life.
It turns out up to a third of folks taking anticoagulant drugs are at risk for MAJOR bleeding. And a common “doctor prescribed” combo is to blame, according to a new University of Michigan study.
I’m talking about prescription blood thinners and aspirin.
“Aspirin therapy” could be a deadly mistake
Now, if you’re still gobbling down a daily aspirin, I’m not surprised. And it’s definitely NOT your fault.
Because if there’s one thing mainstream medicine is good at, it’s convincing folks of a certain age to begin “aspirin therapy.”
They first start nagging you to take a daily aspirin when you’re in your 40s to “protect your heart.”
By the time you’re in your 50s, they turn up the pressure. Suddenly they’re strong-arming you with scary statistics and threats of deadly blood clots.
Finally, they move on to magical promises of protection from heart attacks and strokes. And that usually seals the deal.
But now a new University of Michigan study has revealed if you are on a blood thinner popping that pill could be a deadly mistake.
Because the combination of both a blood thinner AND a daily aspirin could send your risk for MAJOR bleeding right through the roof.
Major bleeding episodes nearly DOUBLED
University of Michigan researchers compiled data from over 6,500 volunteers taking a blood thinner such as warfarin.
And they found there was a significant increase in dangerous… and even deadly… bleeding in folks who were ALSO taking a daily aspirin.
Nearly six percent of the people taking the combo had a major episode of bleeding within the first year. And that’s almost DOUBLE the 3.3 percent of folks who were taking warfarin alone.
Plus, folks taking both drugs ended up in the ER or hospitalized for bleeding more often. And at the same time aspirin didn’t appear to do a thing to further reduce a patient’s risk for heart attack, stroke, or death.
Daily aspirin dangers overshadow benefits
Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen trouble with aspirin therapy.
For example, a recent study found in folks with heart failure without a-fib, aspirin didn’t reduce the risk of stroke or death. But even worse, it was linked to an INCREASED risk for a heart attack.
And just last month I warned you about bleeding risks SOARING, but few benefits from taking a daily aspirin.
Aspiring therapy caused major bleeding events to shoot up 43 percent. But according to experts, 250 folks would need to take an aspirin a day for FIVE years to prevent one SINGLE heart attack or stroke.
Not exactly what you’d call good odds.
Aspirin & blood thinner combo often overlooked
There are a small number of people who may benefit from taking both a blood thinner and aspirin. But over 37 percent of the folks in the new study were on the combo, but DIDN’T need to be. And every single one of them was in danger.
Most were likely taking aspirin because a doctor insisted they should be at some point. But since aspirin isn’t a prescription drug, it’s likely to get lost in the shuffle.
And with none of your docs taking responsibility for keeping track of it, it’s easy to see how it gets overlooked.
If you’re on a blood thinner and also taking daily aspirin, don’t stop either one on your own. Quitting without supervision could lead to dangerous side effects too.
Instead, make an appointment to talk with your doctor about the dangers of the combo. And work with him to wean yourself off of one of the drugs as soon as possible.
She is an advocate of self-education and is passionate about the power of group knowledge sharing, like the kind found right here on HealthierTalk.com. Alice loves to share her views on holistic and natural healing as well as her, sometimes contentious, thoughts on the profit-driven inner workings of traditional medicine.
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