Rebound risk: aspirin and statin withdrawal.(heart-protective drugs)

Publication: Consumer Reports

Bookmark this article Print this article Link to this article Email this article Digg It! Add to del.icio.us RSS

COPYRIGHT 2005 Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.

Stopping daily low-dose aspirin or other heart-protective drugs, such as cholesterol-lowering statins and possibly the beta-blockers used to lower blood pressure, can sharply increase your risk of heart attack and stroke--the very conditions those medicines help prevent.

In a not-yet-published study of more than 600 high-risk adults on aspirin therapy presented in February 2005, Swiss researchers found that those who stopped taking their aspirin because of forgetfulness, impending surgery, or minor bleeding tripled their risk of stroke within the month compared with those who stayed on aspirin. The findings add weight to earlier research linking aspirin withdrawal to a sharply increased risk of second heart attacks in previously stable patients.

Stopping aspirin not only eliminates its protective benefits, but it may elevate risk beyond original levels by making the platelets in the...

Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.