# Low Dose/Baby Aspirin ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 9, 2020, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158 "2020-01-09T02:37:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/21 "2020-01-09T20:33:34Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Also: As everyone knows (right?), aspirin has a tendency to cause gastrointestinal bleeding. I have heard it said that this is true even when the aspirin is given intravenously. My doctor tells me that this tendency increases as one gets older, and therefore when a patient reaches a certain age it is not recommended. (He didn’t specify what that age is, but as I am 68, it must be older than that.) I think that’s true of all NSAIDs, not sure if aspirin is worse about it or not. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/22 "2020-01-09T20:44:29Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > You raise an interesting question - I was repeating what I had always understood to be the case (long term industry veteran, but not in the US) – that the “Baby” refers to the size of the tablet/dose, not the intended patient (hence my use of the term “cutesy”). [Here’s](https://gomerblog.com/2017/09/baby-aspirin/) the same thing from a FDA Commissioner: > > But to be honest, I would have thought I should be able to do better, evidence wise, than a blog. Evidence on the origin of the term seems very hard to google. Wiki gives [a quite different explanation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin#Dosages): > > - but the cite it gives does not support this assertion. > > So now I’m intrigued. It could be descriptive of size/dose, it could be a trade name (seems unlikely), or a common figure of speech referring to children’s aspirin. Do you have anything more concrete than I could find? > > j So you realize your first cite is a joke website right - sort of an Onion for medical stories? It says things like [FDA stands for the Fentanyl & Dilaudid Administration](http://gomerpedia.org/wiki/FDA), [Sharps containers replaced with magic sword boxes](https://gomerblog.com/2020/01/red-sharps-containers/), and [Perverted urologist keeps looking at patient’s genitals](https://gomerblog.com/2020/01/perverted-urologist-patients-genitals/). ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/23 "2020-01-09T20:55:52Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I think that’s true of all NSAIDs, not sure if aspirin is worse about it or not. COX-2 inhibitors (a class of NSAIDs) were supposed to be less likely to cause gastric erosion. I don’t know if that’s actually the case – I lost contact at about the time they discovered that a drug company had been lying about the benefit of COX-2 inhibitors. ---
**Author:** ![EdelweissPirate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@EdelweissPirate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdelweissPirate)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/24 "2020-01-09T20:57:00Z")
Yeah; that article claiming it’s not named for babies is a not-very-clever joke. The same article quotes the FDA commissioner as saying, “I know it’s tempting to give aspirin to babies, especially when they have chest pain.” I’m not sure whether it was marketed as “baby aspirin,” but as others have mentioned, aspirin was definitely sold “for children” before the dangers of Reye’s Syndrome were fully appreciated. I took St. Joseph’s chewable children’s aspirin when I was a kid. IIRC, I was about ten years old when they stopped selling children’s aspirin. That would have been the early eighties. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/25 "2020-01-09T21:52:24Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > So you realize your first cite is a joke website right - sort of an Onion for medical stories? It says things like [FDA stands for the Fentanyl & Dilaudid Administration](http://gomerpedia.org/wiki/FDA), [Sharps containers replaced with magic sword boxes](https://gomerblog.com/2020/01/red-sharps-containers/), and [Perverted urologist keeps looking at patient’s genitals](https://gomerblog.com/2020/01/perverted-urologist-patients-genitals/). Nope, didn’t - wasn’t impressed with what I saw and couldn’t corroborate the statement elsewhere. Amusing titles, mind. Thanks. But: no further forwards. j ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/26 "2020-01-09T22:23:21Z")
Here’s a [link](http://thumb4.zeppy.io/d/l400/pict/174124187472/vintage-bayer-baby-asprin-glass-medicine-bottle-36-count-size-1988)to an old bottle, it was marketed as BAYER Children’s Chewable Aspirin. I was born in 1970 and remember it very clearly. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/27 "2020-01-09T22:33:48Z")
Aspirin is worse than most other NSAIDs because in addition to inhibiting prostaglandins and thus promoting bleeding (like other NSAIDs) it also makes platelets less adherent. Double trouble. Low dose (baby) aspirin was once touted as a cure for waaaaay too many things. Now it’s mainly recommended only for people with coagulopathies, known coronary vascular or cerebrovascular disease, folks with diabetes (to reduce risk of MI and stroke) and a few other diagnoses. Why is it called baby aspirin? Well, during the early days of medicine (waaay back in the 1970’s when I started training), when the possible benefits of low dose aspirin were first postulated, people were told to take a standard tablet and break it in half, or quarters, and take that. Or just go buy some ‘baby aspirin’ and take one tab of those. That product went away in 1986, but demand dropped after 1980, when the association between Aspirin and Reyes Syndrome was noted and publicized. These days, don’t take aspirin unless recommended by your practitioner. Too many people pop 'em regularly without realizing they’re more risk than benefit for most people. Having high blood pressure is NOT a reason for taking aspirin chronically. ---
**Author:** ![EdelweissPirate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@EdelweissPirate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdelweissPirate)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/28 "2020-01-09T22:48:05Z")
Aspirin is my go-to for headaches as I perceive it to be more effective for those than other NSAIDs. Would you say that aspirin’s risks outweigh the benefits for 12-15 doses a year? (Not asking for medical advice here…I’m asking about the scope of an earlier statement). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/29 "2020-01-09T23:22:08Z")
> [@EdelweissPirate](#): > > Aspirin is my go-to for headaches as I perceive it to be more effective for those than other NSAIDs. Would you say that aspirin’s risks outweigh the benefits for 12-15 doses a year? > > (Not asking for medical advice here…I’m asking about the scope of an earlier statement). For episodic use like that? Probably fine. My caveat was meant for chronic/daily use, and I should have noted that. Though if aspirin came on the market now, the FDA wouldn’t be likely to approve it. Too high a rate of side effects. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/30 "2020-01-10T00:06:58Z")
I used to take the baby aspirin till early last year when I stopped because of my Doctor’s recommendation. Looks like doctors have reversed this recommendation : \*\* Don’t take an aspirin a day to prevent heart attacks and strokes: Doctors reverse recommendation \*\* > **[Don't take an aspirin a day to prevent heart attacks and strokes: Doctors...](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2019/03/18/aspirin-prevent-heart-attacks-strokes-doctors/3199831002/)** > > The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association say most older adults shouldn't take 75 to 100 milligrams of aspirin a day. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/31 "2020-01-10T00:28:16Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > For episodic use like that? Probably fine. My caveat was meant for chronic/daily use, and I should have noted that. > > Though if aspirin came on the market now, the FDA wouldn’t be likely to approve it. Too high a rate of side effects. what would they think of acetaminophen? ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/32 "2020-01-10T00:36:50Z")
[“Mothers are like that, yeah they are.” Children’s Bayer Aspirin Commercial (1963)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yZJLWkzYyE) ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/33 "2020-01-10T01:19:29Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > I used to take the baby aspirin till early last year when I stopped because of my Doctor’s recommendation. > > Looks like doctors have reversed this recommendation : > > \*\* Don’t take an aspirin a day to prevent heart attacks and strokes: Doctors reverse recommendation \*\* > > [Aspirin to prevent heart attacks, strokes no longer recommended: AHA](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2019/03/18/aspirin-prevent-heart-attacks-strokes-doctors/3199831002/) Well, like the article states, it’s talking about healthy older folks (70+). ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/34 "2020-01-10T01:33:02Z")
> [@TheCuse](#): > > Well, like the article states, it’s talking about healthy older folks (70+). I think the recommendation is pretty universal (unless you have had a stroke) : Here is another cite : **” “If you’ve had a heart attack or stroke, there’s no doubt that taking low-dose aspirin is beneficial,” says Erin Michos, M.D., M.H.S., associate director of preventive cardiology for the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease. “But if you don’t have heart disease, should you take it just in case? The answer for most individuals is probably not.”** > **[Is Taking Aspirin Good for Your Heart?](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/is-taking-aspirin-good-for-your-heart)** > > Just because you can buy aspirin without a prescription doesn’t mean it’s without risks. Taking it to prevent a heart attack could be harmful. Find out why. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/35 "2020-01-10T02:56:22Z")
> [@TheCuse](#): > > They had told me to do the chewables, but I use the pills. I wonder if there’s a difference (besides one is chewed). For maintenance? Probably not. Chewables are bioavailable faster than enteric coated pills, so that’s what we use in the ER for possible heart attacks. ---
**Author:** ![EdelweissPirate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@EdelweissPirate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdelweissPirate)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/36 "2020-01-10T03:57:01Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > For episodic use like that? Probably fine. My caveat was meant for chronic/daily use, and I should have noted that. > > Though if aspirin came on the market now, the FDA wouldn’t be likely to approve it. Too high a rate of side effects. That makes sense. Thanks for the clarification! ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_G](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_g/32/5080_2.png) [@Steven\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_G)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/37 "2020-01-10T08:21:32Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I don’t think anyone has answered your question (which I’ll take at face value) directly. Low dose aspirin is indicated for > > (from [this](https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/4172/smpc) example). > > It will be available in Europe for this indication or something very similar. It’s not intended to treat pain (etc) in children. “Baby aspirin” is a cutesy US name for it. The aspirin _is_ a baby, not _for_ a baby. > > j I know what aspirin can be used for (not just hangovers) and I had worked out from jz78817’reply that the current use of “baby” refers to the dose/pill size. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/38 "2020-01-11T14:27:06Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > I buy it at CostCo in the Kansas City area. They carry Bayer and their own (Kirkland) brand of 81 mg Aspirin. CostCo stores are not uniform in the items they carry, even withing the same area. For example, the store nearest to me dropped Mexican Coca Cola for a while but the the one ten miles down the road still had it. Thing was, after driving to the four closest locations I figured would have it and coming up dry, I’m not going to widen the search for a place that _might_ have couple bottles of aspirin when I can order them online and get it the next day anyway. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/39 "2020-01-11T14:51:33Z")
Costco is the Netflix of stores. Anything you like and buy frequently gets discontinued. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158/40 "2020-01-11T19:17:09Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Here’s a [link](http://thumb4.zeppy.io/d/l400/pict/174124187472/vintage-bayer-baby-asprin-glass-medicine-bottle-36-count-size-1988)to an old bottle, it was marketed as BAYER Children’s Chewable Aspirin. I was born in 1970 and remember it very clearly. Same. Born in 1959. I distinctly remember the orange-flavored aspirin. Now we know better. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-dose-baby-aspirin/846158.md?page=3)