-For Cardiologists/Doctors please..Can i stop my daily low dose aspirin regiment? See details?

[Can I help you?]

I had one episode of parysoximal afib 2 months ago. all my tests came back negative (echo, ekg, nuclear stress test) and i have been exercising and eating great since then. I do not have high bp or ever had a MI, stroke,tia etc. I am 31 years old I am 5'10 280 pounds. my METS score for the stress test was 10.1. I am overweight and have been lsoing weight through diet and exercise.

The cardiologist that saw me in the hospital and as an outpatient said that all is well and i do not need to take anything (including beta blockers). I went to a second cardiologist for a second opinion (hoping for a confirmation) and he wanted to put me on cardiazm and daily aspirin. I concede dto the daily aspirin but after reading about lo9ng term effects and possible risks when stopping i want to stop now before i get too dependent on it.

What should i do? I have been taking a baby aspirin (81mg, coated)every day for 1 month.

Please ask me any questions you have to further help me. i appreciate it
my main concern is the long term affects it may have on a person and hemorrhagic stroke, i however, feel that i am not in that kind of a risk group that needs this therapy. I never have had any health issues of any kind. i recently had my choletserol taken and it was 180 total and 63 tryglicerides...But i trust the education and knowledge and experience of doctors...


So am i too late? Am i stuck taking the aspirin daily after 1 month? Will i have a stroke if i stop taking it? If i asked the doctor that prescribed it he will prolly tell me yes.

I also did a 10 cardio net heart monitor and the results came back thsi way: no events of afib at all. a few tachycardia events that correlated to cardio exercise. I did have a few instances of PAC's which they said were benign.
my resting heart rate is between 55 and 65 and my blood pressure varies but never above 130/90 or lower than 110/60
Thanks Nikko, i take the coated baby aspirin (st Joes) and that allegedly dissolves in the intestines and not the stomach thus eliminating the stomach agitation. i tolerate it well and have had no pain. I will have a follow up with the doc but again, i know there are some medically knowledgable people and i wanted to at least foster a discussion so i had some viewpoints when i meet with the doc. The anxiety of this whole adventure doesnt help when i read about potential increase in stroke after stopping a daily aspirine regiment. Makes me think do i want to continue before i go to far.

I read that the COX inhibition is irreversible in platelets, what does that mean? Doesn't our bodies make new platelets all the time? wouldn't these new platelets have cox inhibitors? or would they be created from the existing platelets and therefore carry one the COX inhibition?
The onset of the AFIB woke me at 5am. and it was palpable.

I had 8 ounces of red wine the night before and had few cups of coffee the day before and a caffeine energy drink-> i drink the coffee regularly but not the energy drinks. I saw this to help discuss the onset of the afib and possibilities.

My family history is negative. No history of stroke at all and heart attack in grandparents on my mothers side in 50's and 70's. although my grandmothers case was metabolic as she was extremely obese (400 pounds). My grand parents on fathers side were great health...
I should clear up, I have Lone Atrial fibrillation (LAF). I have never had it before. I am under the care of a cardiologist and i appreciate the warning about being careful what you get form people.

[nikko28_2000]

Good question and with the details necessary to give you advice. In my opinion, you should not stop the baby aspirin (one daily), it is only 81mg and does not have significant long term effects (on the contrary). The reason for this is the following: your first cardiologist evaluated yu and discovered atrial fibrillation (although paroxismal it could set up stasis of blood sufficient to form a clot in the atria) therefore I would not take a chance I would continue the aspirin (your second cardiologist was bright and cautious). My main concern with the aspirin would be stomach irritation and pain, for that I suggest (after consulting with your doctor) to protect your stomach with something like Ranitidine, or a proton hydrogen pump inhibitor. For now, I think you should focus on your weight, nutrition, exercise, ASA daily. Make sure you make another appointment with the second cardiologist and tell him what we discussed here. Remember, I do not know much of (thourough past medical, famiy history) therefore I can only advice based on the data yu provided here.

Your fear of stroke should not be "if you stop the aspirin" but the recurrence of AF which predispose to thrombus formation which can travel and produce a stroke. That is the reason for taking the aspirin. Again, keep in touch with your cardiologist.

[A W]

I wouldn't be asking something like this on the internet. Call your own doctor and ask them. Going off the aspirin could cause you to die.

[Laura]

There are some posters on this web site who claim to be doctors, but if I were you, I would visit a cardiologist's office so he can exam you and give you a more complete diagnosis and answers to your questions.

[Mischele, RN]

You shouldn't worry about a hemorrorhagic stroke at 31. The benefits of the daily aspirin outweigh the risks in your case. About 90% of all strokes are caused by clots, not bleeding and with the afib, you're at a higher risk for clots. If you develop a clot in the heart, it will travel out to the brain and you will have a stroke, so the aspirin is an absolute necessity unless you want to shorten your life. 81mg is not a lot and it's not like you're on Coumadin or Heparin and will not cause such drastic anticoagulation. Just because your tests have come back OK the last 2 months does not mean you're out of the woods in terms of risk. You could end up in afib tomorrow or next week or next month or next year. One never knows, but your body was telling you something. You only have one heart and one brain. Once either of them are damaged, the damage is virtually permanant. Working on a stroke unit, I see all too often young people who make poor choices and end up paying the rest of their lives with serious health problems and often without the use of one half of their body, living in nursing homes and in diapers.