# Low dose aspirin. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442 "2009-06-02T01:48:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/1 "2009-06-02T01:48:23Z")
Please ignore the reply with the same title (Lombard Street: The Crookedest?) in another thread. Now then; Does anybody know where I can get low dose aspirin that isn’t tiny? All the brands I’ve bought are about 1/3 the size of a regular round aspirin. I’m getting tired of chasing them accross the floor. Thanks, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/2 "2009-06-02T04:44:14Z")
I occasionally drop mine too. But I don’t chase them. They’re so ridiculously cheap that if it is too hard to get, I just let it stay there with the other trash; some day I’ll sweep the floor and it will go in the garbage. If the price is signifcant to you, or the clutter bothers you so much, then let me please ask how you drop them so much? Maybe you should only pour from the bottle when you’re over a tray of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/3 "2009-06-02T05:34:43Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > I occasionally drop mine too. But I don’t chase them. They’re so ridiculously cheap that if it is too hard to get, I just let it stay there with the other trash; some day I’ll sweep the floor and it will go in the garbage. Unless you have a pet. I have to take several meds, and a couple of them are less than 3mm diameter. Not worth chasing down, but if one of the cats ate it, it could be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/4 "2009-06-02T11:40:56Z")
Bayer with heart advantage. They also contain some natural ingredient that is supposet to help lower colesterol. They are huge compared to the regular 81 mg aspirin tablets. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/5 "2009-06-02T12:46:51Z")
Oh yeah, those are kinda new. I’ll get some. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/6 "2009-06-02T12:58:49Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > I occasionally drop mine too. But I don’t chase them. They’re so ridiculously cheap that if it is too hard to get, I just let it stay there with the other trash; some day I’ll sweep the floor and it will go in the garbage. > > If the price is signifcant to you, or the clutter bothers you so much, then let me please ask how you drop them so much? Maybe you should only pour from the bottle when you’re over a tray of some kind. I’m old, they’re slippery. And I don’t _want_ to leave them amongst the crunchy stuff. Wah! Cost is not a problem. Waste is. I used to re-use sandwich bags until one day I noticed some mold. I quit doing that because I was afraid that if I got sick Dr. House would send his minions to investigate. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/7 "2009-06-02T13:21:06Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Bayer with heart advantage. They also contain some natural ingredient that is supposet to help lower colesterol. They are huge compared to the regular 81 mg aspirin tablets. Bayer has begun shipping the Heart Advantage product _without_ aspirin, and it is cross-referenced in our ordering system with the previously released Heart Advantage with Aspirin; once the with-aspirin version sells through, we’ll only have the non-aspirin version on the shelf. Judging from their website, Bayer is totally replacing the product with the non-aspirin version; you may want to doublecheck the package before buying it. There continues to be produced a Bayer Women’s Aspirin (81 mg aspirin and 777 mg calcium carbonate) with a relatively large pill. The calcium carbonate serves as a buffer, similar to the Maalox coating on Ascriptin aspirin. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/8 "2009-06-02T14:16:53Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > Bayer has begun shipping the Heart Advantage product _without_ aspirin, and it is cross-referenced in our ordering system with the previously released Heart Advantage with Aspirin; once the with-aspirin version sells through, we’ll only have the non-aspirin version on the shelf. > > Judging from their website, Bayer is totally replacing the product with the non-aspirin version; you may want to doublecheck the package before buying it. > > There continues to be produced a Bayer Women’s Aspirin (81 mg aspirin and 777 mg calcium carbonate) with a relatively large pill. The calcium carbonate serves as a buffer, similar to the Maalox coating on Ascriptin aspirin. That’s odd. Their commercials claimed the heart stuff as a bonus to taking the low dose aspirin as a maintennance routine. Anyway, thanks for the info. BTW; the women’s aspirin isn’t going to make me grow boobs, is it? Back in the day there was a semi-secret among men that Midol was a pretty good ache medication. No boobs there, either. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/9 "2009-06-02T14:34:56Z")
I thought it was kind of a bad business decision on Bayer’s part. The Heart Health Advantage with Aspirin sold pretty well (probably the best of the specialty aspirins in the Bayer line), and advertising reinforced the idea that it was an aspirin-based product. I suppose they’re trying to expand the market to those who don’t need to take aspirin, or willing to take a hit in sales if they can get those who continue to use it to also begin buying Bayer Aspirin. Whoops! Looking online, I find [this article](http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20081028/fda-2-bayer-aspirin-products-unlawful) reporting that the FDA didn’t take too kindly to Bayer’s Women’s Health or Heart Advantage products, or the combining of aspirin with health supplements. This would explain the recent repositioning of Bayer Women’s (from “calcium for osteoporosis!” to “calcium for buffering!”) and the reformulation of Heart Advantage aspirin to Heart Health Advantage aspirin-free dietary supplement. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/10 "2009-06-02T15:50:31Z")
What is in Heart Advantage without Aspirin. I thought the idea was to TAKE aspirin. I bought a pill crusher from the dollar store for 99¢ and that works great. In the morning I take my 1/4 aspirin and my HUGE vitamin pill, crush them up and swallow them ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/11 "2009-06-02T16:01:58Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > What is in Heart Advantage without Aspirin. I thought the idea was to TAKE aspirin. 400 mg of phytosterols. Here’s the not-approved-by-the-FDA statement on the box: “Heart Health Advantage contains plant-based phytosterols, proven to lower bad (LDL) cholesterol levels by working with your body to block the absorption of bad cholesterol. This may reduce the risk of heart disease.” ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/12 "2009-06-02T18:01:07Z")
OH…OK thanks so Bayer is replacing Aspirin which is PROVEN to help break up blood clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes with a product which MAY reduce the risk. \ ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/13 "2009-06-02T21:13:37Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > Back in the day there was a semi-secret among men that Midol was a pretty good ache medication. No boobs there, either. 😉 Although marketed to women for PMS symptoms, Midol is just another pain reliever. The regular formula contains acetaminophen (the stuff in Tylenol), caffeine and an antihistamine (pyrilamine maleate), while the Cramps and Bloating formula is actually just ibuprofen (same as Advil/Motrin) and the Extra Strength one has Naproxen Sodium as it’s pain reliever (like Aleve). Nothing to grow boobs with in there! Do avoid birth control pills, although since they tend to be tiny, I’m not too concerned! ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/14 "2009-06-02T21:45:36Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > OH..OK thanks so Bayer is replacing Aspirin which is PROVEN to help break up blood clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes with a product which MAY reduce the risk. > > \ However, see [Aspirin’s risks outweigh benefits for healthy people](http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/05/28/aspirin-heart.html). That may relate to Bayer’s decision (then again, it may not). ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/15 "2009-06-02T21:49:28Z")
I have another question about low dose aspirin. Why is it always 81 mg of aspirin? The oddness of the number makes me crazy. Why can’t it just be a nice round number like 80? Or, if they must, 85? ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/16 "2009-06-02T21:53:36Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > I have another question about low dose aspirin. Why is it always 81 mg of aspirin? The oddness of the number makes me crazy. Why can’t it just be a nice round number like 80? Or, if they must, 85? Because low dose Aspirin is one quarter the dose of one regular aspirin, which is 325 mg. 325/4=81 and change. They drop the “change” and\* voila!\* “baby aspirin” is 81 mg. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/17 "2009-06-19T02:14:55Z")
Thanks to suggestions here, I got some Bayer Heart Advantage. It’s perfect in that it solves my minor but annoying tiny pill handling problem. A few more boxes and I’ll set for the rest of the year. It does seem to be disappearing off the shelves, though. Bub eye ---
**Author:** ![Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirka_T_Bawa)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-aspirin/498442/18 "2009-06-19T04:36:17Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > I have another question about low dose aspirin. Why is it always 81 mg of aspirin? The oddness of the number makes me crazy. Why can’t it just be a nice round number like 80? Or, if they must, 85? Asprin is dosed in an apothecary unit called Grain (gr), one grain is approx 65mg. A normal adult dose of Asprin is 5 grains, or 325mg. Low dose asprin is just another name for baby asprin, or the dose given to children (At least back before Reye’s syndrome was a worry). It is 1/4 the dose of a normal adult dose, or 81mg. Or basically, as **eleanorigby** said, but in many more words 🙂