2006-07-23 04:36:32 · 6 answers · asked by peen1229 1 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Other - General Health Care
No. They are quite different and can not be interchanged. Aspirin exerts effects on the platelets which are the first specialized cells on the scene of an injury to help form a "mesh" over an injury. Platelets are activated by the chemicals that are released in process of an injury.
Coumadin acts on the cascade of activity of the actual act of blood going from a liquid state to a solid state (clotting) It fills in the mesh created by the platelets, forming the scab. It too can be activated by those same chemicals when an injury to happens but it also occurs when the blood stays in one place for any time and under a variety of other circumstances.
So you see, aspirin only is effective if an injury type problem occurs. Coumadin acts on the blood and prevents it from coagulating under all circumstances, including just standing still.
So, you are probably being given Coumadin to prevent dangerous coagulation from happening (probably an irregular heart rhythm - afib) These clots can move from the place of formation to another place and cause strokes and other similiar type problems in other parts of your body. These clots can kill you and/or cause paralysis, loss of speech, loss of the ability to swallow and a bunch of other miserable outcomes.
I know it is a pain to take Coumadin and get your blood checked all of the time. It is important though. Your doctor would not be spending so much time paying attention to this if it weren't (imagine the effort it takes to track many patients on Coumadin at once). Studies show over and over that using Coumadin and keeping it in a therapuetic range will have beneficial outcomes to nearly all patient groups over 65, and some in patient groups younger than that.
In sum do not think that aspirin will adequately replace Coumadin. It will not.
2006-07-23 04:55:34 · answer #1 · answered by c_schumacker 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO! Your doctor might want you to take both - but never substitute one for the other. Aspirin affects the ability of platelets to aggregate and Coumadin affects the coagulation factors II, VII, IX, and X.
2006-07-23 05:03:28 · answer #2 · answered by petlover 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your doctor prescribed coumidin, that means he thought you needed it. Otherwise, he would have just told you to take aspirin. I would discuss the reasons with your doctor.
2006-07-23 04:40:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Nope. Both thin the blood but in different ways and to a different extent. Check with your doctor.
2006-07-23 04:39:49 · answer #4 · answered by therego2 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No you really can not. They are not the same strength.. And they do not act on the same receptors. That would be really a dangerous option for you.
2006-07-23 04:39:23 · answer #5 · answered by PreviouslyChap 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
CHECK with more than one dr. and your pharmacist. I would ,being very educated in pharmaceuticals, would say NO, if they were the same thing then why on earth would they have made coumadin?
2006-07-23 04:41:26 · answer #6 · answered by porchpup552003 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋