ask the pharmacist
Richard Wenzel , Pharm . D . Diamond Inpatient Headache Unit , Presence-Saint Joseph Hospital Chicago , IL
“ Aspirin ” has been marketed as a commercial product for more than a century . In actuality , acetylsalicylic acid is the active ingredient in aspirin and was discovered in the bark of a willow tree over 200 years ago . Today , aspirin remains a commonly utilized drug which is available without a prescription in most countries around the world , including the United States . This medication is inexpensive and , when taken at recommended doses , can be safely used by most individuals . As a result of these features , approximately 16,000 tons of aspirin ( or roughly 80 million pills ) are sold annually in this country .
Aspirin ’ s uses include numerous non-pain conditions such as heart disease , fever , and blood clots occurring throughout the body . Still , pain typically ranks as the leading reason people use aspirin and , unsurprisingly , pain induced by a headache is often at the top of this list ; virtually every person on the planet will experience a headache sometime during their life . Indeed , “ take an aspirin ” is undoubtedly the most common response to anyone saying “ I have a headache ”. The World Health Organization lists aspirin as an essential medication for the treatment of migraine in adults , further promoting the global consumption of this medication .
Although aspirin is available in various dosage forms including tablets , capsules , suppositories , liquids , and injections , in the United States , products taken by mouth are clearly the most common manner in which this drug is utilized . The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) has approved aspirin for multiple medical purposes , including :
1 ) the treatment of adults with headache
2 ) the treatment of adults with migraine . The FDA-approved doses for headache are 500 milligrams ( mg .) to 1000 mg . every 4 to 6 hours as needed , with a maximum dose of 4000mg . per 24 hours . The FDA-approved doses for migraine are 1000mg for one-time administration every 24 hours as needed .
Migraine affects about 30 million individuals in this country , only half of whom have been diagnosed by a physician . Furthermore , physicians misdiagnose approximately onefourth of patients with migraine . Thus a large number of migraine sufferers are unaware of the true nature of their condition and they may simply call their illness a “ headache .” Differentiating between a headache and a migraine can be a difficult , but a necessary task to perform in the real world . Yet , a 3000mg daily dosing difference
28 HEAD WISE | Volume 3 , Issue 1 • 2013