Cartia Duentric Coated Low Dose Aspirin 100mg

[4MyEgo]

Just noticed that the aspirin I take once daily is almost out.

 

Can anyone advise if they can get the above aspirin in Thailand, if so where & cost.

 

I have tried 3 chemists with all of them wanting to give me Cardiprin 100 mg ASPIRIN & 45 mg GLYCINE, is this one ok as a substitute ?

 

Thanks for any advice.

[Crossy]

I doubt 45mg of Glycine is going to have any effect, adverse or otherwise, look at the dosages being used by some as supplements (yes those figures are grams) http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/glycine-uses-and-risks#1

 

 

[lopburi3]

Aspirin has a very bad reputation in Thailand so there often is little if any choice.  Officially it is banned for most use for anyone under age 18 for the last decade.

Quote

In Thailand, since 2006 the Thai FDA banned all uses of ASA in children and adolescents (age 18 and lower) for fever, ache and pain. The uses of ASA in children are restricted for rheumatic fever, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and Kawasaki disease.

http://archives.who.int/eml/expcom/expcom16/COMMENTS/Report/ASA.pdf

 

Normally the below coated 81mg is used for heart (blood thinning) prophylactic issues here.

Edited January 22, 2017 by lopburi3

[Sheryl]

This specific brand is not available in Thailand, but there are several brands of enteric coated low dose aspirin. 81 mg is much more common than  100 mg, and the difference should not much matter.

 

Cardiprin is not enteric coated, in fact it is made so as to be absorbable on the tongue. The  addition of glycine is thought to somehow help reduce gastric irritation, but there have been no studies comparing aspirin + glycine to enteric coated aspirin.

 

Brands of enteric coated low does aspirin here include:

Asatab (81 mg)

Aspent (81 mg)

 

 

[muskoka]

Quote

 

Brands of enteric coated low does aspirin here include:

Asatab (81 mg)

Aspent (81 mg)

 

 

I take 1 tab of Aspent 81mg daily but concerned about side effects with longer term use. ?  I also take Apolet 75mg blood thinner which may be overdoing it? Noticed after 3 months usage I bleed more from a scratch or pimple (sometimes for 24hrs) so I just cut back on them to every other day???

 

I have also been eating quite a bit of fresh garlic daily which I understand is a natural blood thinner (& added magnesium & Potasium Iodide daily).

 

My next appointment with Dr is Feb 24, he is not going to be very happy (a bit of a pill pusher) as I also stopped taking my statin drugs (Atorvastatin 40mg) 2 weeks ago & I feel much much better.

 

 

 

 

[4MyEgo]

19 hours ago, Sheryl said:

This specific brand is not available in Thailand, but there are several brands of enteric coated low dose aspirin. 81 mg is much more common than  100 mg, and the difference should not much matter.

 

Cardiprin is not enteric coated, in fact it is made so as to be absorbable on the tongue. The  addition of glycine is thought to somehow help reduce gastric irritation, but there have been no studies comparing aspirin + glycine to enteric coated aspirin.

 

Brands of enteric coated low does aspirin here include:

Asatab (81 mg)

Aspent (81 mg)

 

 

 

Thanks for clearing up that for me, as mentioned I went to 3 chemists, all pushed for Cardiprin 100mg with GLYCINE after I told them that I wanted coated aspirin, and today stopped by a local doctors as she was leaving her office. I pulled up on the road and discussed with her briefly, and she said Cartia 100 mg and Cardiprin 100 mg apsirin same same, even when I told her I wanted coated aspirin, but it would appear not so from your reply, I also did a further bit or reading after my post on the difference on both, and found that Cardiprin 100 mg without GLYCINE is actually coated, but you cannot get it here, only with GLYCINE.

 

As I have about 3 weeks worth left, I am going to get a friend of mine to send me a packet and hope it gets here and when I go back to my birth country in May I will stock up. If it doesn't get here, then I will just have to get Asatab (81 mg) or Aspent (81 mg) until I hit the shores in May.

 

Cheers

Edited January 23, 2017 by 4MyEgo

[4MyEgo]

56 minutes ago, muskoka said:

 

I take 1 tab of Aspent 81mg daily but concerned about side effects with longer term use. ?  I also take Apolet 75mg blood thinner which may be overdoing it? Noticed after 3 months usage I bleed more from a scratch or pimple (sometimes for 24hrs) so I just cut back on them to every other day???

 

I have also been eating quite a bit of fresh garlic daily which I understand is a natural blood thinner (& added magnesium & Potasium Iodide daily).

 

My next appointment with Dr is Feb 24, he is not going to be very happy (a bit of a pill pusher) as I also stopped taking my statin drugs (Atorvastatin 40mg) 2 weeks ago & I feel much much better.

 

 

 

 

 

Stopping Atorvastatin 40 mg without talking to your doc sounds like you might actually be increasing your bad cholesterol LDL levels, certainly wouldn't be doing it, I take mine before bed every night like a good boy 555

Edited January 23, 2017 by 4MyEgo

[Sheryl]

6 hours ago, muskoka said:

 

I take 1 tab of Aspent 81mg daily but concerned about side effects with longer term use. ?  I also take Apolet 75mg blood thinner which may be overdoing it? Noticed after 3 months usage I bleed more from a scratch or pimple (sometimes for 24hrs) so I just cut back on them to every other day???

 

I have also been eating quite a bit of fresh garlic daily which I understand is a natural blood thinner (& added magnesium & Potasium Iodide daily).

 

My next appointment with Dr is Feb 24, he is not going to be very happy (a bit of a pill pusher) as I also stopped taking my statin drugs (Atorvastatin 40mg) 2 weeks ago & I feel much much better.

 

 

 

 

Did a doctor prescribe both apolets and aspirin  to you? As it is not usual to take both, except under certain specific indications such as following placement of a coronary artery stent.

 

You should not be adjusting blood thinner doses on your own, quite dangerous.

 

As for stopping statins, not knowing your lab values or history I can't say but that too is a decision which is best made in consultation with a medical professional.

 

Since you seem to lack confidence in your doctor I would suggest changing to one in whom you do feel confidence. If you indicate where you live and something about your medical history (i.e. why these meds, etc) I may be able to suggest one.

[muskoka]

20 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Did a doctor prescribe both apolets and aspirin  to you? As it is not usual to take both, except under certain specific indications such as following placement of a coronary artery stent.

 

You should not be adjusting blood thinner doses on your own, quite dangerous.

 

As for stopping statins, not knowing your lab values or history I can't say but that too is a decision which is best made in consultation with a medical professional.

 

Since you seem to lack confidence in your doctor I would suggest changing to one in whom you do feel confidence. If you indicate where you live and something about your medical history (i.e. why these meds, etc) I may be able to suggest one.

I live in Chiang Mai.

 

Yes, both apolet & aspirin were precribed from the beginning +3 months ago. I questioned if I could drop one of them on my last visit 3 weeks ago and the Dr. said no, keep taking both. Also, when I asked about reducing the dose of the statin, he stated if I stopped taking the statin he would see me in the hospital as a heart attack patient (bullcrap!) He also said my Cholestrol reading was not that bad!!!

My Cholesterol was on Dec 1st - 154 (healthy range 150-200),

Triglyceride 46 (healthy range 35-160),

LDL 53.5 which he circled.

 

Everything else was well within a healthy range.

 

This is the thread I posted about my discovery of a heart condition which you commented in...

 

I am currently taking: Aspent 81mg, Apolet 75mg, Prenolol 50mg. I want to drop one thinner but not sure which, so I now just skip taking both every 2nd or 3rd day.

 

Quote

You should not be adjusting blood thinner doses on your own, quite dangerous.

Like you mentioned, I do not feel I should be taking both apolet and aspirin together on a long term basis, esp with the bleeding (not serious but a pimple or scratch should not bleed for several hours, occasionally 24hrs) - and no I do not really trust my Dr. he over-prescribes IMO and I have to push to get cheaper brands.

 

I quit taking Atorvastatin 40mg almost 2 weeks ago and I feel much better. I do NOT trust statins at all, but I do trust my body and how it works.  I have read way too much over many years about how bad they are for you.

 

I also do not trust many "western" trained doctors when it comes to prescribing drugs, especially here in Thailand. Most way over prescribe, and many or most get huge kick-backs, esp from non-generic brands of the larger drug companies.

 

I am at the point where I will likely self prescribe after our next appointment Feb 24. I have made several lifestyle & supplement changes that are contributing to better health, including:

- exercising daily with dumbbells & adjustable bench etc, walking more

- started taking supplements my naturopathic Dr in Canada had me on 10 years back (discovered serious mineral imbalances thru hair mineral analysis done 3x by www.anamol.com

- eating better, getting more & better sleep (magnesium has helped a lot)

- taking: potassium iodide drops, magnesium spray oil & tabs, sellenium,  termeric, vitC,

 

Anyway, appreciate your past and current help Sheryl!

 

I have no problem self-prescribing in the near future but it would be nice to have access to semi-annual blood tests & consultation etc from a specialist who agrees to minimal Pharma drugs & non-invasive procedures. Not sure they exist here.

 

I am actually in excellent health overall. I just sat on my ass for over 6 years and did not do any physical exercise at all. That just "gummed up the works" as they say & at 69yo that was just asking for problems. My fault entirely.

 

My email is [email protected] if you prefer.

 

Doug

 

 

 

[4MyEgo]

Hey Doug

 

You mention you made lifestyle and health changes, but no mention of diet.

 

Avocado's, salmon, veggies, fruits, etc etc help, but I am sure your up to speed with that, less carbs, more protein, staying away from the sugars, and lots of excersize, getting that heart rate up.

 

As for bleeding that's normal on blood thinners, what I do is just apply pressure and bandage until it stops, that or drop dead 555

 

The  Atorvastatin 40mg  as you know is for lowering your bad cholesterol, I don't understand the 53.5 range as mine was 6.5 when I had my heart attack, I am assuming yours was 5.35 ?, my range now is under 2 and my Cardiologist said that's were he wants it, so I keep taking the single Atorvastatin 40mg pill before I go to bed and feel fine. 

[Sheryl]

It is a bit hard to figure out your situation from the other thread. As I read it, it sounds like your stress test was OK meaning that the cause of the chest discomfort was not identified, is that correct?

 

This point is important as whether or not you have ischemic heart disease is very, very relevant to what meds you should be on....and to whether you need to be under the care of a cardiologist at all.

 

Were other tests done (angiogram?). Does you EKG indicate a previous heart attack?

 

From the advice and treatment the doctor is giving you it appears he believes you do have coronary artery disease. If so, then that would explain the blood thinners (though not why 2 of them) and vigilence re your lipids.  However nothing in your prior thread confirms this.

 

Unless you have evidence of coronary artery disease or atrial fibrillation there is no reason for you to be on any blood thinner let alone two of them, so something is missing in this information.

 

As regards the statins,  total cholesterol is of no importance. Need to look at the LDL and HDL and ratio of total cholesterol to HDL. 

 

An LDL of 53.5 is not only normal but unusually low - so much so that I wonder if you confused LDL and HDL? Because if not your HDL is 91.3, which is extraordinarily high. It would be very unusual to have an LDL of 53.5 and HDL of 91.3...more likley it is the reverse. Can you recheck?

 

In either case, if these values are from before you started on statins then it is hard to see why statins were prescribed. If they are AFTER being in statins, that's another matter and one needs to know what the pre-statin baseline was. One does not stop statins once the lipid profile becomes normal (assuming it was previously abnormal) as they will just go back where they were.

 

I suggest you see either Prof. Thanawat Benjanuwattra at Bangkok Hospital or Dr Patarapong at RAM   for a second opinion as to whether or not you have CAD since that needs to be established before reasonable decisions can be made regarding need for blood thinners and optimal lipid profile.

 

Be sure to bring ALL records with you, both from that initial visit to Rajadev and the subsequent treatment at Sripat.

 

And of course get repeat lipid profile now that yo uhave stopped the stations - but that alone will nto be sufficient information when it is still iunclear if you have hjad a prior heart attach and/or have CAD.

 

 

 

 

[muskoka]

I was going to scan and upload the blood test scores for you to view but discovered the new "HP GT5810 "All-in-One" printer I just purchased for 3,990B does not have a scan function, but it was advertised as having such!!! So much BS out there a person has to fine detail check everything. I have to call them tomorrow. Maybe I have to click my heels 3x or something that is not explained in the manual.

 

I will go visit RAM and make an appointment with Dr Patarapong soon, and once again try and get a professional baseline assessment - THANKS again.

 

Here is my Cholesterol count from blood tests at Rajavej Hospital Oct 5, my 1st day of testing, before meds, and before moving to Sriphat. I was very careful copying everything over properly, checked many times that I copied everything correctly.

 

FBS  83  mg/dl  (70-110)

Cholesterol  162  mg/dl (<200)

HDL-c  84(High)  mg/dl  (29-67)

LDL-c  63  mg/dl  (<150)

Triglyceride  79  mg/dl  (35-160)

 

----

 

This is my Cholesterol count from the lab report done at Sriphat Hospital on December 1st after a few weeks on meds.

 

Cholesterol  154  mg/dL  (150-200)

Triglyceride  46  mg/dL   (35-160)

 LDL-c  53.5  (mg/dL)  (0-130)

 

there is no mention at all of HDL on the entire page (print-out) from the lab, I triple checked and it is only a one page report??? I am confused.

 

The only other item that is not within medium (acceptable) range on the lab report is

Globulin 2.50  g/dL  LOW (2.9-3.3), everything else is fine. Normal range.

 

Quote

 

It is a bit hard to figure out your situation from the other thread. As I read it, it sounds like your stress test was OK meaning that the cause of the chest discomfort was not identified, is that correct?

 

 

I checked out fine on the stress test. He ran me on the treadmill until I almost collapsed from exhaustion. Heart is fine, (but was pumping like mad, could not breathe properly after a while on the treadmill?) At least it is fine as long as I am on the meds, no chest pain when stressed. He/We decided not to do more invasive testing for now as the meds seem to be doing the job for me. 

 

My analysis (educated guess) is that the artery feeding the heart is a bit restricted, either not flexing properly (hardened) or built up with crud. All my life my heart would always pump really hard when exercising, running, etc. Other people would comment about my heart beating so hard it scared them (during sex this subject came up many times). This goes back decades. Both parents had heart issues but did not die from it. The heart muscle is very strong, but it seems it cannot pump enough blood to provide sufficient oxygen to the body when it is stressed a lot. Even in high school (I am 69) when running cross-country I sometimes thought my heart would jump out of my body. I think I was born with some kind of restriction in the artery to the heart that worsens with a lazy lifestyle.

 

Anyway, this is not fair to you as too much guessing is required. I will go see Dr Patarapong asap.

 

THANKS!!!

 

Doug

 

btw, I have no fear of death, but do not want to be laid up and helpless for an extended period of time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KittenKong]

6 hours ago, muskoka said:

I was going to scan and upload the blood test scores for you to view but discovered the new "HP GT5810 "All-in-One" printer I just purchased for 3,990B does not have a scan function, but it was advertised as having such!!!

 

Off-topic, but of course it has a scan function. Read the manual: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c04937855

[Sheryl]

Your lipids were perfectly fine prior to starting the statins so indeed they seem to have been unnecessary.

 

In addition, leaving the nature of your (presumed) heart problem undiagnosed is very unwise.  It is possible it is not a cardiac problem at all, or that it is an unusual one.

 

It is not possible to provide appropriate treatment when the diagnosis is unknown.

 

For sure, change doctors, and get to the bottom of this.

[muskoka]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

Your lipids were perfectly fine prior to starting the statins so indeed they seem to have been unnecessary.

 

In addition, leaving the nature of your (presumed) heart problem undiagnosed is very unwise.  It is possible it is not a cardiac problem at all, or that it is an unusual one.

 

It is not possible to provide appropriate treatment when the diagnosis is unknown.

 

For sure, change doctors, and get to the bottom of this.

Thanks Sheryl!

The only issue I seem to have is ongoing occasional (off & on) shortness of breath. Exercising with dumbells helps a bit. When I researched Magnesium and went back to my 2005 records from Canada (hair mineral analysis) it showed my magnesium levels as undetectable. 3 weeks ago I tracked down a local supplier of magnesium oil spray (we now stock it in Noi's store). I sprayed my whole body and even sprayed into my mouth and an hour later I was breathing deep and normal for the first time in weeks. I apply it daily plus take a couple tabs of magnesium citrate by Thorne. Sunday my GF gave me a 2 hour magnesium oil massage and I felt wonderful after. Wow! The effect lessened some over the next few hours but I was breathing much better & felt really good.

 

I will go to RAM this afternoon and arrange a meeting with Dr Patarapong.

 

Doug

 

[muskoka]

8 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

Off-topic, but of course it has a scan function. Read the manual: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c04937855

I am a bit short of time right now but checked the link and followed instructions. Came to a dead end when it said  "now click on the scan button". I do not have a scan button on the printer. Will look into this link further later - thanks!

[4MyEgo]

On 22/01/2017 at 10:23 PM, Sheryl said:

This specific brand is not available in Thailand, but there are several brands of enteric coated low dose aspirin. 81 mg is much more common than  100 mg, and the difference should not much matter.

 

Cardiprin is not enteric coated, in fact it is made so as to be absorbable on the tongue. The  addition of glycine is thought to somehow help reduce gastric irritation, but there have been no studies comparing aspirin + glycine to enteric coated aspirin.

 

Brands of enteric coated low does aspirin here include:

Asatab (81 mg)

Aspent (81 mg)

 

 

Tried several pharmacies here to get the above, no one has them, although they all tried to palm off Cardiprin 100 mg & 45 mg Glycine, but they are not coated, i.e. as you know they can cause stomachs to bleed or ulcers forming later in life, suffice to say I found that one pharmacist had Ascot 81 enteric-coated tablets or aspirin so I will give them ago in about 22 days when my Cartia 100 mg run out, then stock up on Cartia 100 mg when I return to my country of origin in May, unless the Cardiologist suggests to stay on the Cartia 100 mg, because @ 1baht the Ascot 81 mg are cheaper than half the price of the Cartia 100 mg....lol  

[muskoka]

On 25/1/2560 at 10:40 AM, Sheryl said:

Your lipids were perfectly fine prior to starting the statins so indeed they seem to have been unnecessary.

 

In addition, leaving the nature of your (presumed) heart problem undiagnosed is very unwise.  It is possible it is not a cardiac problem at all, or that it is an unusual one.

 

It is not possible to provide appropriate treatment when the diagnosis is unknown.

 

For sure, change doctors, and get to the bottom of this.

Just a quick update. Met with Dr Patarapong at RAM and after general discussion he asked me to get the results of my stress test so he could review. Went to Sriphat and got the print-outs,  met again with Dr Patarapong next day. He seemed to think the heart is ok, or at least nothing immediately alarming, agreed that I should drop one blood thinner - my choice which one, no problem dropping the statin. Since I was on statins for 3 months he wants to meet again in 3 months (April) to see the changes on my blood test score after being off them 3 months.

 

He mentioned that it is important that if I have chest pain in the future to immediately get an ECG or EKG (confused). If I do I will do it at RAM so everything is in-house. The real advantage for me at RAM is having my doctor on duty there 5 1/2 days a week. At Sriphat I could only see my Dr on Friday at 5PM and wait in line. Not as useful.

 

Thanks again Sheryl !

 

Doug