Is anyone taking aspirin to help stop recurrence

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  • AnnieLane
    AnnieLane Member Posts: 856
    edited June 2013

    My MO highly recommends it and I started the baby aspirin this week.

  • anamerty
    anamerty Member Posts: 195
    edited June 2013

    Im also on low dose aspirin.only problem I havr is I bruise easy and it takes forever for the bruise to heal

  • LRM216
    LRM216 Member Posts: 2,115
    edited June 2013

    Yes, I take 81 mgs. daily with my onc's blessings.  Read this small nurse study about three yearsa ago which was targeted at TNBC (which I am), and started it right after all my treatments were over about 3 years ago.  Since triple negatives have no drugs to take after treatments are over, I figured this was soemthing I could at least do in the hope that further research would show that it cuts inflammation and thus might help in keeping progression or recurrence at bay.  Who knows, but it seems more research is backing it.  No side effects, but I too bruise a bit easier than before as well, but no big deal.  Have to be careful though if you have to have dental surgery or any surgery - to make sure you stop it about a week prior, otherwise you can have more bleeding.  I'd eat sawdust if a research paper came out saying it might work too!  Wishing you all the best,

    Linda

  • LakeGirl2
    LakeGirl2 Member Posts: 68
    edited June 2013

    Glad I found this thread. Hematologist recommended baby aspirin along with tamoxifen due to genetic blood clotting disorders. Glad to hear it has other benefits as well.

  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
    edited June 2013

    I started an adult aspirin daily when I started tamoxifen.  Then the studies started coming out so I have just kept on taking it.

  • dogsandjogs
    dogsandjogs Member Posts: 1,907
    edited June 2013

    I can't take aspirin due to being on a blood thinner.

  • lmcclure4477
    lmcclure4477 Member Posts: 180
    edited June 2013

    My oncologist recommended a baby aspirin 3 days a week (mon, wed, and fri). He said this could help prevent a reoccurrence.

  • sciencegal
    sciencegal Member Posts: 1,120
    edited June 2013

    Thanks all, I did not know. I used to take it for high blood pressure. I had severe asthma and thought my heart needed the aspirin.



    But on the day of my diagnosis I started taking turmeric which totally eradicated my asthma, and since then I have become a health freak and my blood pressure is now low.



    So I stopped the aspirin, but will go back to it!



    Does anyone know why it isnt recommended to take one daily for cancer, as we would for the heart?



    Thank you all!!!

  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited June 2013

    I think maybe because some docs aren't educated on it. I asked my internist (she is a resident). All she worried about was the risk of bleeding. I already had a pulmonary embolism. Both my dad's mom& sister had colon cancer and my dad & I have had some fast-growing polyps. I've already had ovarian cancer. Since multiple studies have shown aspirin reduces colon cancer & clotting risk it seems to me I am the perfect candidate.

  • BayouBabe
    BayouBabe Member Posts: 2,221
    edited June 2013

    I read somewhere that 3-4 times a week was best for cancer patients. Had something to do with recurrence or over all survival. Outcomes were worse if taken more than 4 times a week. I have limited myself to 4 times a week ever since. Sorry I can't remember the details exactly.

  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited July 2013

    sciencegal, my MO is also a hemotologist (a blood doctor). I'm taking a baby aspirin because I have one copy of a blood clotting factor gene, but my MO said that if I took it every-other day that would be fine. I believe it had something to do with the half-life of the med; i.e. how long it takes to flush out of your system. Prior to my BC surgery, I had to stop some meds and supplements for 10 days (to give them time to flush out of my system).  Overall, my understanding is that there is a range of benefits and, for most patients, few downside risks.

  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited July 2013

    sciencegal, my MO is also a hematologist (a blood doctor). I'm taking a baby aspirin because I have one copy of the Factor V Leiden blood clotting factor, but my MO said that if I took it every-other day that would be fine. I believe it has to do with the serum half-life of the med; i.e. how long it takes to flush out of your system. Prior to my BC surgery, I had to stop some meds and supplements for 10 days (to give them time to flush out of my system).  Overall, my understanding is that there is a range of benefits and, for most patients, few downside risks. But ask your doc to be sure.

  • BayouBabe
    BayouBabe Member Posts: 2,221
    edited July 2013

    Found it. I am not efficient enough to post links, but goggle Nurses Health Study 2010 and you will find info on the best amount to take per week in regards to breast cancer.

  • AnnE16
    AnnE16 Member Posts: 241
    edited August 2013

    Bayou Babe, Do you think the 325 mg is too much?  I started taking the 81 mg but then thought the higher dosage might be better?!

  • BayouBabe
    BayouBabe Member Posts: 2,221
    edited August 2013

    Personally, I would not take a higher dose. Aspirin is a blood thinner, plus it can do a number on you stomach ( bleeding ulcers). Higher dose would be fine for pain management, but for preventative purposes, I would stay low dose.

  • AnnieLane
    AnnieLane Member Posts: 856
    edited August 2013

    Smiley, you didn't ask me, but my MO said that 325 mg would be fine for me to take, but I'm opting for 81 mg because I also take fish oil and both thin the blood.

  • NatsFan
    NatsFan Member Posts: 3,745
    edited August 2013

    I switched oncs after chemo, and at my first meeting my current onc told me she wanted me to do three things to reduce my risk of recurrance - exercise 30 minutes daily, maintain a normal weight, and take a baby aspirin daily.  I've done #1 and #3 religiously, and am doing my darnest to comply with #2!

  • BayouBabe
    BayouBabe Member Posts: 2,221
    edited August 2013

    Natsfan - it is rough, isn't it? I would be fine if I had my old energy level back. However, I am still fighting fatigue, which makes it hard to do your #1& #2 above regularly.

  • NatsFan
    NatsFan Member Posts: 3,745
    edited August 2013

    Bayou - I hear you! I'm one of those who got hit hard with fatigue both on chemo and on Femara.  The first time I got on an elliptical after chemo I managed exactly 5 minutes, and the machine kept blipping off because I was going too slowly to keep it going!  But I kept at it going for a bit longer each time.  I also started walking, registered for a gentle yoga class, and kept gradually building up my activities.  The first couple of years on Femara were bad with fatigue, but after that things got a bit better.  I'm not sure whether it was because I'd built up a bit of stamnia by then, or my body got used to the Femara more, or I got better at managing the fatigue, or probably it was a combination of all three things.  I finished up my 5 years of Femara in June, and notice that I'm starting to have more energy. I've also lost a pound already, so hopefully I can continue to lose a bit more weight in the coming months.  

    If you're looking for a bit of inspiration to get moving again, there are two great threads in the Fitness section - Let's Post our Daily Exercise, and the Getting Back to Exercise thread.  Both are welcoming and feature women at every point of fitness and treatment.  The support is tremendous and it does inspire me to get out and get moving.   

  • BayouBabe
    BayouBabe Member Posts: 2,221
    edited August 2013

    Natsfan - thanks! I will check both threads out. I have orders to keep things slow, mainly only walking for two more weeks (just had exchange surgery). After that hopefully I can find some energy to add something new! I do think much of my fatigue is from the Femara - unfortunately I am a newbie and have a long ways to go. :(

  • bluepearl
    bluepearl Member Posts: 961
    edited August 2013

    Newest research indicates apirin is useful for colon cancer but not effective in preventing or stopping recurrences of breast cancer.

  • BayouBabe
    BayouBabe Member Posts: 2,221
    edited August 2013

    Bluepearl - not effective or not yet known? Do you have a link?

  • savgigi
    savgigi Member Posts: 376
    edited August 2013

    All I can add is that I have been taking baby aspirin for 15 years and got DCIS this year.

  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited August 2013

    I'm taking a low dose every other day. My aunt died of colon cancer. I've had two anal polyps removed, got bc, and my mom died of heart disease, so I think I need the aspirin. I only started my aspirin regime about 2 months ago.

  • BayouBabe
    BayouBabe Member Posts: 2,221
    edited August 2013

    Well, I will continue mine. Being BRCA + puts me at higher risk for colon cancer anyway. If I get some benefit towards no reoccurrence, all the better.

  • sandilee
    sandilee Member Posts: 1,843
    edited August 2013

    My onc recommends the baby or regular aspirin.

  • Husband11
    Husband11 Member Posts: 2,264
    edited August 2013

    My wife, Bev, is having to go off the aspirin from time to time, as it may be the cause of nose bleeds.

  • JohnSmith
    JohnSmith Member Posts: 651
    edited April 2015

    Are there any clinical trials for Aspirin and breast cancer?

    With the known "blood thinning" side effect, what is the frequency of taking the 81mg of baby aspirin?
    Every day?
    Every other day?

  • Lojo
    Lojo Member Posts: 303
    edited April 2015


    I think there is an ongoing study looking at recurrence and aspirin, but I'd have to dig to find it.

    I take 2-3 of the 81mg aspirin a week. It's always been my preferred headache med, and the 81mg is such a low dose.Every other day or there about. I've had to stop for the time being because of an upcoming minor surgery (dermatology) and they said no aspirin for 3 weeks prior. But I'll start again after. I figure it might also help against the slightly elevated clot risk with tamoxifen.

     

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