The ambulance call is for unresponsiveness.  When the crew arrive, family state the father was found unconscious on the floor for a brief period of time.  Now he is awake but confused, has no pain,  has fainted several times.  You notice on the way out the door that the man has poor color, he is pale.  As history questions are ask of him, he relates he is on an aspirin a day, has had dark tarry stool in large quantities.  When he sit up he becomes lightheaded, blood pressure drops, and heart rate increases.  This man is bleeding out on the inside, due to an ulcer that is related to the aspirin therapy. 

The most common side effects associated with aspirin use is GI bleeding, within the stomach.  Most people  can take aspirin without undue concern for serious stomach problems.  Doctors recommend an aspirin regime to millions of patients to prevent heart attacks and recurrent strokes every year.  The majority of these are minor and do not require medical intervention.  In rear cases, more serious effects, such as bleeding, has resulted if aspirin is taken for extended periods. However, the benefits of long-term treatment out weight the side effects for cardiovascular events in persons at risk for strokes.  If you are thinking of taking aspirin for any extended period of time as a preventive medication, DO NOT do so unless you  consult your doctor.  They can prescribe the correct dosage for you.

Aspirin belongs to a group of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.  They have the ability to reduce the effects of inflammation present in most types of arthritis.  They appear to work by blocking the action of various body chemicals, which cause some of the pain and inflammation of arthritis.  Again, your doctor needs to determine the amount you need to effectively treat the symptoms of your disease and how much you can tolerate.  You could make a serious mistake if you tried to figure out your own dosage.  It can be taken safely with MOST, but not all other medications.  It is very important to tell your doctor all the drugs you are taking for any condition, this includes over the counter, prescriptions, and herbal medications.

Other side effects of aspirin include heartburn, indigestion, stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting.  The stomach irritation may lead to bleeding from the stomach, which may cause black tarry stools, as noted above.  Symptoms may be reduced by taking aspirin with meals, an antacid, glass of milk, or by taking the coated or time released aspirin.  Alcohol and caffeine make the stomach more sensitive to irritation.  Aspirin may interfere with the action of the platelets (blood clotting cells), this results, at times, for ulcers to hemorrhage, causing severe blood loss.  The patient above would have died without medical intervention. 

If you take aspirin on a routine basis, and experience any of the signs or symptoms of blood loss, contact the nearest ambulance.  If you are lightheaded or fainting when sitting or standing, notice black tarry stool, you may be in danger.  Other symptoms are a rapid weak pulse, drop in blood pressure, cool clammy or pale skin.  If any of these occur, call 911 and request an ambulance at once, you need emergency medical care.  Be sure to contact your doctor if you are considering taking aspirin as a routine medication for any problem.