The final part of our discussion of over-the-counter overdoses involves the time-honored medication that many of us still run to for many of life’s aches and pains: Aspirin.
Aspirin does many things inside our bodies, but the way it works is quite simple. Aspirin causes a decreasing in the production of specific lipid compounds called prostagland
in and thromboxane A2 (TXA2). I realize that doesn’t sound very simple, however, it really is easy to understand when you realize that prostaglandin and TXA2 are used by the body to trigger pain, cause inflammation, and clot the blood. Thus, if we somehow interrupt the formation of prostaglandin and TXA2, we have a medication that decreases pain, reduces inflammation, and decreases clotting. This is why aspirin works well in a headache and fever as well as taken as in a heart attack. As a matter of fact, it is still one of the first-line medications in Emergency Rooms for treating chest pain.
For as good of a drug as it is, aspirin can also have terrible effects if taken in large doses. Many of the overdoses from aspirin are unintentional because people do not realize other medications contain aspirin. Many prescription medications can be prepared with aspirin as well as other over-the-counter ones like Pepto-Bismol. Interestingly, Methyl Salicylat
e (more commonly known as Oil of Wintergreen) contains a staggering 1,400 milligrams of aspirin in just 1 milliliter. You might take a daily regimen of the medication because of past, or high-risk for, heart attack. If you do, chances are that you take 81 milligrams per day, the standard “daily aspirin” dose. For headaches and fever, the usual dose is around 300-650 milligrams.
If you are concerned about overdosing on standard aspirin, fear not. Most adults need at least 150 milligrams/kilograms of body weight to cause any symptoms. For a 150-pound person, that’s around 10,000 mg or 126 daily aspirin pills.
Aspirin is inherently an acid. As a matter of fact, it is abbreviated ASA (Acetylsalicylic Acid). When large quantities of ASA are detected inside the body, reflex mechanisms begin to work. Without getting overly technical, your body works to compensate by getting rid of more carbon dioxide which is also an acid. This causes a person with too much aspirin in their system to begin to hyperventilate. You might also experience increased thirst, ringing in the ears, and (as crazy as it sounds) a headache.
Severe overdoses can lead to neurological impairments such as agitation, restlessness, seizures, coma and even death. A good rule of thumb is to remember that the more a condition effects your brain, the worse it is becoming. Treatment of an ASA overdose is aimed at eliminating the substance and balancing the body’s pH system.
As always, please do not stop using aspirin, particularly if it is part of a physician-recommended daily plan. Use common sense and always pay attention to the maximum doses of medications that you are taking.
If you are concerned about inadvertently taking too much aspirin from other medications that you may be taking, talk to your pharmacist. Remember, the point of this series on over-the-counter medications is not to scare, but to educate to the dangers. Just because a medication is OTC doesn’t mean it can’t cause DOA if misused.
Stay safe out there.
