Patient/caregiver was educated on how to take Aspir 81 as follows:
- Take this medication as ordered by your physician. Take the medication dose at the same time, every day, for the time prescribed, to avoid forgetting the intake of medication.
- Maintain strict compliance with regards to dosage and frequency, to derive the benefit of the medication. Do not change the dose on this medication without consulting your doctor.
- Aspir 81, depending on the need and purpose of intake, could be taken on an as needed basis for relief of pain and inflammation or on a daily basis for prevention of clot formation, stroke, chest pain, and heart attack, especially in individuals with history of the same. Discuss with your physician regarding your health history in detail, such as, history of joint pains, gastric ulcers, compromised renal function, chest pain and heart attack, if any, for an appropriate dose and schedule of Aspir 81 to be recommended.
- Aspir 81 is available in various strengths and is available OTC. When buying Aspir 81 OTC, make sure to check the medication label, if it were the same dose recommended. Also, Aspir 81 is available in combination with many other medications. If you are prescribed only Aspir 81, make sure that you are not getting it in combination with any other medications.
- Take the Aspir 81 regular tablet as a whole, using a glass of water. If you encounter difficulty swallowing the whole tablet, you may cut the tablet and swallow it in pieces with a glass of water. You can also crush the regular tablet and sprinkle the powder on a spoon of apple sauce or jello or pudding, to facilitate an easy swallow.
- Prostaglandins help increase the secretion of mucus, which forms a protective layer on the inner lining of stomach and intestines. Aspir 81, by inhibiting the prostaglandin synthesis, inhibits the protective mucus cover on the inner lining of the stomach, whereby, it can induce some burning sensation and stomach upset, when taken on empty stomach. Taking the medication with a glass of water and some food or snack can help avoid these unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.
- For individuals with increased risk for presenting with gastrointestinal upset and burning sensation in the stomach, Aspir 81 could also be administered as an enteric-coated tablet. This coating helps with preventing the symptoms of stomach upset, from Aspir 81 intake. If you are prescribed an enteric-coated tablet, do not cut or crush or chew the tablet. Cutting, chewing, or crushing the enteric-coated tablet can result in rapid absorption of the drug into the blood stream, thus resulting in toxicity and increased risk for side-effects. Swallow the enteric-coated tablet as a whole, using a glass of water.
- If you are prescribed an extended-release tablet, do not cut or crush or chew the tablet. Cutting, chewing, or crushing the extended-release tablet can result in rapid absorption of the drug into the blood stream, thus resulting in toxicity and increased risk for side-effects. Swallow the extended-release tablet as a whole, using a glass of water.
- If you are prescribed Aspir 81 extended-release capsule, try to swallow the capsule as a whole, with a glass of water. Do not open the extended-release capsule for the contents, as it can result in rapid absorption of the drug into the blood stream, thus resulting in toxicity and increased risk for side-effects. Swallow the extended-release capsule as a whole, using a glass of water.
- Coated and extended-release forms of Aspir 81 can take longer time to show the desired effect. These forms of Aspir 81 are released slow and hence take longer to be absorbed, for them to show their action.
- Aspir 81 is also available in a chewable form, which you can get OTC. Do not swallow the chewable Aspir 81 tablet, as it can compromise the therapeutic benefit of the medication. Chewable Aspir 81 must be completely chewed in the mouth, before swallowing the remnants from chewing. This form of Aspir 81 is usually better absorbed and faster acting and so, is preferred in individuals during emergencies with chest pain and for clot prevention.
- Aspir 81 can interact with a lot of medications and OTC products, leading to serious drug interactions and side-effects. Discuss with your physician regarding all your current medications and their safety with Aspir 81, if you are newly being prescribed Aspir 81. Discuss with your physician regarding your safety with regards to continuing on Aspir 81, if you are newly diagnosed with any other health conditions and being started on any new medications.
- Evenly space out the doses of Aspir 81 and take the dose at the scheduled time every day. Keeping to the schedule of Aspir 81 intake helps to avoid forgetting the medication. Also, maintaining a schedule for Aspir 81 intake will help maintain the blood uniformly thin. This prevents the risks of extra thinning with consequent bleeding and thickening of blood with consequent clot formation.
- Your physician could change the dose of Aspir 81 or discontinue the medication altogether, based on the relief obtained or side-effects developed. So, maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments, to update on the relief from symptoms. Be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
- If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose, as it can lead to toxicity and dangerous side-effects with the drug. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.
