ACETYLSALICYLIC acid = ASPIRIN = ASA oral

Therapeutic action

• Analgesic, antipyretic, non steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID)
• Platelet antiaggregant (at low dose)

Indications

• Mild pain, fever
• Secondary prevention of severe pre-eclampsia

Forms and strengths

• 300 mg tablet
• 75 mg enteric coated tablet

Dosage and duration

Pain and fever
Adolescent over 16 years and adult: 300 mg to 1 g every 4 to 6 hours (max. 4 g daily), for 1 to 3 days

Prevention of pre-eclampsia:
75 to 150 mg once daily from the 12^th to the 36^th week of gestation. Stop treatment 5 to 10 days before the expected date of delivery. 

Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions

• Do not administer to patients with allergy to aspirin and NSAID, gastroduodenal ulcer, coagulation disorders, haemorrhage, severe renal, hepatic or cardiac impairment.
• Do not administer to children for pain or fever (use paracetamol).
• Administer with caution to older patients or patients with asthma.
• Do not exceed indicated doses, particularly in older patients. Intoxications are severe, possibly fatal.
• May cause:
  • allergic reactions, epigastric pain, gastroduodenal ulcer, haemorrhage;
  • dizziness, tinnitus (early signs of overdose);
  • Reye’s syndrome in children (encephalopathy and severe hepatic disorders).

For all cases above, stop aspirin.

• Do not combine with methotrexate, anticoagulants or NSAID.
• Monitor combination with insulin (increased hypoglycaemia) and corticosteroids.
• Pregnancy: 
  • pain and fever: avoid. CONTRA-INDICATED from the beginning of the 6^th month. Use paracetamol. 
  • prevention of pre-eclampsia: do not exceed 150 mg daily.
• Breast-feeding: avoid. Use paracetamol.

Remarks

• Take during meals, preferably with a lot of water.
   
• Do not crush enteric coated tablets.
• Aspirin may be administered in secondary prevention of atherothrombosis, at a dose of 75 to 300 mg daily.
• Also comes in 500 mg tablets and 300 mg dispersible tablets.

Storage