Earlier, a British study found that patients who took aspirin and a commonly available clot-busting drug enjoyed reduced mortality rates of more than 50 percent. The patients took one half an aspirin no more than 24 hours after the onset of a heart attack and then for one month after. Often the researchers are initially surprised by the results they are seeing, and it's not until subsequent testing that we really figure out just how effective the drug actually is at whatever new use we've found for it. Good medicine These days, thanks to further research and understanding, the American Heart Association recommends taking an aspirin as soon as the warning signs of a heart attack occur, unless you have an allergy to aspirin or a condition that makes using it too risky. Taking aspirin is not advised during a stroke, because not all strokes are caused by blood clots.
Clots cause most strokes, but some are caused by ruptures.
Taking aspirin could actually make the latter strokes more severe. Such uses would no doubt be considered amazing to aspirin's original developers, most of whom never thought it would be anything but a pain reliever. Such advances in understanding are tempered by an advanced understanding of how aspirin affects some individuals, particularly those who are allergic to it and young children, who can be at risk of contracting serious viral infections if given aspirin in some cases. Some of the side effects are the result of the same chemical processes that make the drug so effective for most people. Those who have bleeding problems, for example, know not to take aspirin because it can make their problems worse.