# Is 81 mg coated aspirin okay with reflux?



## madge

My doctor says I should take 81 mg. coated enteric aspirin three times a week. I have had acid reflux for four years, and am on 20 mg. Nexium each morning. Yet the bottle of coated aspirin says those with "stomach conditions or heartburn" should avoid taking it. My doctor thinks it will be fine. I've worked hard (with dietary changes) to get my dosage of Nexium down to 20 mg., because there is a lot of osteoporosis and B12 deficiency in my family. Because of this, my doctor was concerned about my using 40 mg of Nexium longterm since it could deplete calcium and B vitamins. So, I don't know what to do.I hate to start the coated aspirin and undo the healing in my esophagus, and I really can't go back to a higher dose of Nexium. Do any of you with acid reflux take the 81 mg of coated enteric aspirin? If so, is it best to take it in the morning an hour or so after taking nexium? Better to take it with food? Should I use something like Mylanta later in the day and take it with that? When I get reflux symptoms, they're pretty intense, so I really could use some advice here. Thanks.


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## Kathleen M.

If you swallow it whole the coating should hold up until it is in the small intestine and then dissolve.I think the warning is more a lawyer thing than it is just as hard on the stomach as regular higher dose asprin.I've never noticed a problem but my reflux is pretty mild.


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## overitnow

You can sidestep the whole issue with Provex CV and you might get reduced stomach acid at the same time. It was developed in conjunction with Dr John Folts, one of the discoverers of aspirin therapy, because aspirin does not effectively control platelet speed, a key to cholesterol deposits, in the presence of adrenalin, which is released during stress. (The original studies showed only that 30% of those studied did not have a second heart attack; hence, it is advertised that you reduce your chances of a heart attack by 30%, which sounds a lot more hopeful than 30% will reduce their chance of a heart attack...) My reflux was not as great as yours; but, then, I started taking this shortly after the refluxing began. The burning in the stomach was all day, every day at that point. That has been gone for almost 11 years, my stress test showed no blockages in my heart--and I have the family history, age, and bad behaviour to predict blockages--and the D is gone for almost 10 years.Markhttp://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/132/12/3592http://www.cardiovascularpharm.com/pt/re/j...#33;8091!-1


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## madge

Mark, are you saying that Dr. Folts feels that aspirin therapy doesn't really thjnk aspirin therapy is the answer? I just had a stress test last week. No heart problems, blood pressure and cholesterol are okay. But of course, stress tests can miss minor problems that are just developing. My doctor just thinks aspirin can help reduce inflammation if a person takes the enteric coated aspirin a few times a week. As for the Provex, I'm still hesitant to try it, or any others like that are like Resveratrol [not sure of spelling], partly because grapes simply do not agree with me. I always get indigestion, belching, and IBS symptoms from them. And as I've mentioned in the past, wine or wine residue contains sulfides, which tend to give me rather nasty migraines. I can't have even a small glass of wine...although I wish I could. Otherwise I'd have tried Provex by now.


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## madge

Sorry for the typos, Mark. Too many phone interruptions here. I meant to ask whether Dr. Folts feels that aspirin therapy is a good idea, or whether it doesn't really solve the problem.


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## madge

Thanks, Kathleen...You're probably correct. I'm hoping someone who takes the coated aspirin, and who has reflux, will chime in here too.







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## overitnow

Madge, Dr Folts is/was the leading expert on platelet movement which is what aspirin controls to stop the buildups from happening. It's 30% effectiveness in that regard was what he was looking to better. Back when this was being developed, all sorts of scientists were looking for the secret behind grape products. Provex CV was the first (and maybe the only) one of these to actually prove effective in humans. I know it also has anti-inflammatory effects, especially because of it's antioxidative properties. Whether it would be enough to compare with aspirin, I don't know. It is fresh red grape seed and skin, but nothing from the juice, so it might not be a problem and it might well help with your digestive system, as well; and you could always return it if it upset your system.Cheers,Mark


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## madge

HI, Mark... Are you sure I could return Provex if it caused discomfort for me? (Hopefully the grape skins aren't ones used for wine-making; otherwise they'd probably be full of sulfites.) You must be annoyed by my being so hesitant, but the migraines I get are really awful, so I tend to be very careful what I put in my mouth.


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## overitnow

I am sure about the winemaking and the return policy. As part of the research into this, they tracked down the grape with the highest level of proanthocyanidins, which is the principle active ingredient. It is a fairly obscure grape and they bought up virtually the entire commercial production of it. There are natural sulfites in grapes and, apparently, the skins also contain tannins, which may be the source of your problem. In trying to answer this question, this turned up and may be the key to why this helps so much with a range of brain/serotonin-based problems:Other experts think tannins are at the root of the headaches. Tannins are the flavonoids in wine that set one's mouth to puckering. The Harvard Health Letter notes several well-controlled experiments showing that tannins cause the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter. High levels of serotonin can cause headaches and that may happen in people who also suffer from migraine headaches. But that does not explain why people who do not get migraines get RWH. Dr. Marion Nestle, chairwoman of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at NYU, added that no one complains about tea, soy, or chocolate headaches - though all contain tannins. (RWH is short for red wine headache.)(the above is from: http://www.beekmanwine.com/prevtopbd.htm It makes for interesting reading.)I do understand your concern and it may well not work for you at all; but this may provide an answer to a question I have been asking here for years about the flavonoid serotonin connection. (I have known people who get migraines and use this without problems; but, of course, that is no guarantee of anything.) H-m-m-m-m.Mark


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## madge

Mark, thanks very much for this very interesting post. A lot to think about here. Other than the wine thing, I've found that soy and MSG are my worst headache triggers. I don't ever eat at Chinese restaurants anymore, and check labels a lot. I can tolerate some MSG, but not a lot. It's in so many things.Because of reflux, I don't have much chocolate, or tea either.


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## madge

Kathleen, you mentioned that you'd never noticed a problem when taking the aspirin. Is it best to take it shortly after you take your reflux med? I take Nexium in the morning...maybe that's when I should try the 81 mg. coated aspirin?


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## Kathleen M.

I usually take both at bedtime, just because that is an easy time to take my pills.It couldn't hurt to take them around the same time.


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## madge

Thanks for the replies. I've been taking the coated "baby" aspirin every other day (in the morning, about with breakfast and after taking the 20 mg. Nexium) for about a month now, and it's working fine.


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