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Rebound risk: aspirin and statin withdrawal.(heart-protective drugs)
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 blood more likely to form clots, researchers surmise. Research has suggested a similar "rebound" effect among patients who stop taking statin drugs. A 2002 study of German heart patients, for example, found that the risk of heart attack or death among those who stopped taking a statin while hospitalized tended to be higher than among patients who kept taking the drug or had never taken a statin.
The danger of abruptly stopping a heart-protective drug was highlighted when former President Bill Clinton underwent emergency bypass surgery in fall 2004. Clinton had stopped taking his prescribed simvastatin (Zocor) some months before, presumably because of improved cholesterol levels.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Consult the physician who f oversees your heart health before stopping any cardiovascular-disease-preventing medication, including aspirin.
If you have trouble remembering to take your aspirin or statin, try connecting taking the pill to an activity you do at the same time every day, such as brushing your teeth. Medication organizers and reminders from a spouse, relative, or friend can help.
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