Is it ok for me to take a daily aspirin to prevent strokes?

[scrummyyummy]

My mum died of a stroke (cerebral haemorrhage) when she was 64 and my auntie (her sister) died last year, also of a stroke. My auntie was about 70 but neither of them were overweight. In fact, my mum was very slim but had high blood pressure without knowing she had it. Now I am in my mid 40s, I am always worrying about dying from the same thing. Is it ok for me to take a low dose of daily aspirin to try and prevent a stroke? I don't really want to go to my doctors just to ask them that as it's always very hard to get an appointment and also, they aren't a friendly bunch and make you feel you're wasting their time. If there is no harm for me to self-medicate a LOW dose of aspirin, then I would go ahead and take it along with my daily vitamins.

[ladyalex]

I asked my GP about this not because of heart attack/stroke prevention but because it appears to be helpful in prevention of bowel cancer. ( I have a seriously bad family history of bowel cancer.)
The response I got was 'we have had no direction on this' and that was it. No further discussion.
Didn't exactly fill me with confidence.
Must say I feel that Drs do tend to 'have it both ways'...they encourage you to take control of your own health issues, but when you do, they fall back on the 'we know best' position. Or in this case 'we know nothing, so stop bothering us'.

[ubasses]

You need a cholestrol test as well. The NHS are doing free health checks at the moment, see if you can find out if there is one near you. I had height/weight, blood pressure, cholestrol and sugar levels taken along with family history. Like you I had a bad family history, Mum had stroke at 49, brother at 45 and dad died from one at 64. I was advised that I had a 5% chance of a stroke in the next 10 years. Being positive that means I have 95% chance of bing ok. GP took Mum off the Aspirin saying the risks were greater than the good they were doing.

[Sqad]

boxy...good morning my love....I feel in a cheeky mood this morning;-)

<<<<<< If you are taking unrecorded aspirin then for instance ambulance staff would not know that, if you were in an accident.<<<<

How would that above change the management of the accident victim by the ambulance staff?

[Bbbananas]

Weirdly enough, my cardiac consultant at Papworth, doesn't actually wholeheartedly agree with the low dose Aspirin daily theory. This really surprised me as I was taking 75mgs a day (my own decision) thinking this would be a good thing.

As a consequence of listening to him, I now cut each 75mg in half and take that daily. I don't want to stop altogether, but want to take into account my consultant's opinion, who, let's face it, has far more knowledge & experience than I.

[boxtops]

morning sqad - no difference to the paramedics, but subsequent treatment? Just a thought.

[Sqad]

salla/boxy.....;-)

[Bbbananas]

sqad ;-)

I am still in intelligent Librarian pose. You like?

[scrummyyummy]

Thank you all for your comments. I think after hearing what everyone has said, I am now convinced about booking an appointment at my surgery to get myself sorted. I know worrying about it wouldn't help with blood pressure! Thanks again!

[Sqad]

salla....yes I do .....very much.....it is sort of secretary pose. Hair down and specs off as fore play. Yes, that will do fine.;-)