- Researchers say people who use blood thinners probably shouldn’t also take a daily aspirin.
- They say the double dose of medication can increase the risk of bleeding and hospitalization.
- Experts say a daily, low-dose aspirin can be beneficial to some people, although three times a week might be better than once a day.
More isn’t always better, especially in medicine.
If you take blood thinners, adding aspirin to your daily regimen can be risky.
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The research involved adults taking direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), including apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, and rivaroxaban. Some participants were transitioning to a DOAC from warfarin, another type of anticoagulant.
All participants were undergoing treatment for atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolic disease.
Of the 3,280 study participants, 1,107 took daily low-dose aspirin with their DOAC even though there was no clear indication for doing so. Another 2,173 participants took their DOAC alone.
After a minimum of 3 months follow-up, the researchers found an association between DOACs plus low-dose aspirin and increased bleeding events as well as hospital admissions related to bleeding.
Blood thinners are typically prescribed to help prevent blood clots. But researchers observed no clear benefit to taking daily aspirin with a DOAC. Clotting events between the two groups were similar.
This was an observational study limited to people in Michigan. Study authors caution there are different subgroups and clinical scenarios where this has not been sufficiently studied.
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Dr. Michael Chan is an interventional cardiologist with Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange County, California.
He noted that one-third of participants in the study were taking aspirin “without a well-defined therapeutic indication.”
“In those patients, they are likely increasing risk of bleeding without associated benefit,” Chan told Healthline.
Source: healthline