Taking Baby Aspirin. Advised To Stop For Fibrogastroscopia Test. Side Effects Of Suddenly Stopping Aspirin?

Posted on Mon, 27 May 2013

Question: Hello,

I just have a quick question: I've been taking 'baby aspirin' (100mg) a day for the last 3 weeks, as my cardiologist just wanted me to begin taking it as a preventative measure (arteries are all clear, though); and he's now told me to stop taking it for a few weeks, as they'll be doing another test ("Fibrogastroscopia" - I live in Spain - don't know the word in English, I'm afraid, but presume it's close to the Latin!) which requires me to be off the aspirin.

The cardiologist said it was perfectly safe to stop taking it from one day to another, but I'd read online that it was safer to reduce the dose gradually, as suddenly stopping could sometimes provoke cardiac problems??

Could you, please, therefore, let me know if, in your opinion, it really is OK to stop taking it from one day to another?
Thank you!

Answered by Dr. Dr.Raju.A.T (46 minutes later)

Hi,

Thanks for your query.

Yes, it is safe to stop Aspirin suddenly.

Aspirin is used to prevent clot formation in the blood which cause blockade in the small blood vessels supplying the heart muscle. The same effect may cause unopposed bleeding if there is injury to any blood vessel due to absence of clot formation. Hence, it is recommended to stop the medication before any invasive procedure.

Stopping Aspirin suddenly does not pose any cardiac risk as some of its effect lasts for few days after stopping it. The effect left over after stopping medication is not strong enough to cause bleeding from minor injuries. Hence, it is safe to undergo invasive procedures like Fibrogastroscopy after stopping aspirin.

Hope I answered your query.

Please let me know if there are any other concerns.

Regards,

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar