Aspirin Drug Interactions

There are more than 1,000 drugs that can adversely interact with Aspirin, so it is imperative for patients to provide an entire list of medications and supplements to their physician or pharmacist to check for these interactions. People with certain medical conditions like asthma, clotting disorders and anemia should not use this medication.

Aspirin can potentiate the effects of a lot of drugs. It can displace certain drugs from their binding sites in the blood proteins and increase in this way their blood concentration. Aspirin enhances the effect of:

• Anticoagulant drugs (blood thinners), such as Warfarin, Sintrom, Heparin etc. The concomitant administering of this type of medicines and aspirin can lead to a higher risk of bleeding.
• Antidiabetic drugs that belong to a class of drugs called sulfonylurea derivates, such as Glimepiride (Amaryl), Gliquidone(Glurenorm). Taking aspirin and medicines of this class leads to a higher risk of dangerously low blood sugar levels.
• Methotrexate –an immunosuppressant used in the treatment of some types of cancer and some autoimmune diseases.
• Barbiturates – kind of sleep pills
• Lithium – a medicine used in the treatment of manic episodes
• Digoxin – a medicine that stimulates the heart. There is a risk of higher blood concentration of digoxin and subsequent toxicity.
• Sulphonamides – a group of antibiotics including Sulfamethoxazole (Gantanol), Biseptol etc.
• Triiodothyronine or T3 – a drug used in the treatment of certain types of thyroid dysfunction
• Valproic acid (Depacot, Depacene) – a medicine used to treat epilepsy
• Penicillin –a commonly used antibiotic
• Other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen, Celebrex, Indomethacin(Indocin), Diclofenac etc. The combination is potentially harmful to the stomach mucosa and leads to an increased risk of bleeding.

Aspirin reduces the effect of:

• Some diuretics, such as Furosemide(Lasix) and Spironolactone (Aldactone)
• Some drugs used in the treatment of high blood pressure
• Some anti-gout drugs, such as Probenecid

Antihypertensive drugs of the beta-blockers group can reduce the anti-inflammatory effect of aspirin.

The concomitant administering with corticosteroids can increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. The same applies to alcohol. Patients should avoid alcohol while they are taking aspirin because of an increased risk of gastrointestinal complications. SSRIs (antidepressants), such as Escitalopram (Lexapro), Sertraline (Zoloft) and Citalopram (Celexa) can sometimes lead to a higher risk of bleeding.

Ibuprofen can interfere with the anti-clogging effect of aspirin and increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks so this combination should be avoided. Acetazolamide and ammonium chloride can increase the toxicity of aspirin. Patients should be careful when taking other salicylates because of the risk of overdose.

You should not take any of the drugs above together with aspirin unless they are prescribed to you by a physician. Inform your doctor about any medicines that you are taking. This list is not complete so always consult your healthcare provider before mixing aspirin with any other prescription or over-the-counter drugs, herbs or dietary supplements.

Aspirin has been shown to react adversely with alcohol in the bloodstream, resulting in stomach ulcers and possible gastrointestinal bleeding. Caffeine usage should also be considered when taking Aspirin since the caffeine allows the active ingredients in the medication to concentrate in the body much more quickly than they would on their own.