Does taking aspirin together with antihypertensive drugs have any effect? ​​Pharmacists tell you

An elderly friend asked Huazi that he had high blood pressure and needed to take antihypertensive drugs, and he also had coronary heart disease and needed to take aspirin. Could he take the two drugs together? Would it affect the efficacy of the drugs? Huazi said that aspirin can be taken together with commonly used antihypertensive drugs, and it will not affect the efficacy of aspirin. However, mastering the "time code" of taking aspirin can help control blood pressure and reduce the adverse reactions of aspirin.

1. Aspirin needs to be taken regularly to have a protective effect. Among cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction pose the greatest threat to humans. The main cause of myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction is atherosclerosis in the arteries. Atherosclerotic plaques are unstable. If plaques rupture, they will activate blood vessel aggregation, then form thrombi and block blood vessels.

The role of aspirin is to irreversibly inhibit the aggregation of platelets, so that when plaques rupture, it can prevent the formation of blood clots. However, the platelets in the human body are renewed by about 15% every day, so aspirin needs to be taken every day to inhibit the formation of new platelets, and it cannot be taken intermittently. If aspirin is discontinued for more than 48 hours, it will lose its effect in protecting the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system.

2. Can aspirin be taken with antihypertensive drugs in the morning? Many hypertensive patients have the habit of taking antihypertensive drugs in the morning after waking up. In order to save trouble, they also take aspirin at the same time. There is no problem with this way of taking medicine, because there is no interaction between the commonly used antihypertensive drugs and aspirin, so they can be taken together. Moreover, it is not easy to forget to take them at the same time, which is conducive to improving medication compliance.

Related studies have found that aspirin has no effect on blood pressure when taken in the early morning, but it can reduce nocturnal renin activity when taken before bedtime, which has a lowering effect on nocturnal blood pressure. Therefore, if you are a hypertensive patient with elevated blood pressure at night, taking aspirin before bedtime can help control your nocturnal blood pressure.

3. Enteric-coated aspirin tablets should be taken on an empty stomach. Aspirin has direct irritation to the gastric mucosa, so commonly used aspirin is made into enteric-coated tablets, that is, an acid-resistant layer is added to the outside of the tablet, so that it will not be destroyed by gastric acid in the stomach and will only disintegrate when it reaches the alkaline environment of the small intestine. However, if enteric-coated aspirin tablets are taken with food, the retention time in the stomach will be increased, and the alkaline substances in the food may destroy the acid-resistant layer of the tablet, causing the drug to be released prematurely, causing irritation to the gastric mucosa.

Related studies have also found that the adverse reaction rate of taking enteric-coated aspirin tablets on an empty stomach before meals is lower than that of taking enteric-coated aspirin tablets after meals. Therefore, enteric-coated aspirin tablets should be taken at least 30 minutes before meals, or on an empty stomach before going to bed.

4. Things to note when using aspirin When taking aspirin, the main adverse reaction is gastrointestinal reaction, which may cause gastric ulcer and gastric bleeding. Therefore, you should pay attention to gastrointestinal symptoms during medication. If you have abdominal pain, bloating, tarry black stools, be alert to whether there is an adverse reaction to aspirin and seek medical attention in time.

Some people may experience subcutaneous bruising and bleeding gums after taking aspirin. It is recommended to go to the hospital to check the coagulation function. If there is no abnormality, you can continue to take the medication.

Many people worry that taking aspirin may cause cerebral hemorrhage. In fact, the probability of increasing cerebral hemorrhage with a small dose of aspirin (75mg~150mg) is very small, less than 0.02%. Hypertension is the "culprit" of cerebral hemorrhage, so during the period of taking aspirin, hypertensive patients should take antihypertensive drugs to control blood pressure below 160mmHg.

In summary, aspirin and antihypertensive drugs are the core treatment drugs for patients with atherosclerosis and hypertension. Normally, the two drugs can be taken together after getting up early, which will not affect the efficacy of the drugs. If you have high blood pressure at night, it is recommended to take aspirin before going to bed, which can better control nighttime blood pressure. It should be noted that enteric-coated aspirin tablets are required to be taken on an empty stomach, and at least 30 minutes should be allowed before eating after taking the medicine. If you have any questions about medication, please consult a doctor or pharmacist. I am pharmacist Huazi. Welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.