Everyday pill NHS says you should take if you're having a heart attack
Health experts at the NHS and the British Heart Foundation say a common everyday pill could make the difference if you think you're having a heart attack. When a heart attack takes place, blood flowing to the heart is blocked.
This is often because a blood clot breaks off from a fatty plaque in a coronary artery and lodges in the blood vessel. People who have had a heart attack are often treated by doctors by stopping these clots from growing in size and blocking the artery further. Medics might also use blood thinners to help more get past the clot and supply oxygen to the heart.
This, British Heart Foundation Senior Cardiac Nurse Ruth Goss told the charity's Heart Matters Magazine, is where aspirin comes in. She said the painkiller was an ‘antiplatelet medicine’.
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This means it acts on small blood cells called platelets, which are important when it comes to blood clotting and wound healing, as they make blood 'stickier'. Aspiring reduces this stickiness, lowering the risk of clots and making the blood thinner.
Ruth said: "This is why the NHS recommends chewing 300mg of aspirin if you think you’re having a heart attack. You can do this while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
"However, only do it if you have aspirin nearby, or if someone can get it for you. Do not go looking for it if you think you’re having a heart attack because it’s important to rest and stay calm until help arrives. And do not take aspirin if you’re allergic to it.
"If you have had a heart attack, or are at risk of having another one, your doctor may suggest you take a low dose of aspirin every day, for the long term. NHS advice says this can reduce your risk of having another heart attack."
Ruth recommended that anyone with questions about being on aspirin should speak to their GP or pharmacist.
Symptoms of a heart attack
The NHS says symptoms of a heart attack can include:
chest pain – a feeling of pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across your chest
pain in other parts of the body – it can feel as if the pain is spreading from your chest to your arms (usually the left arm, but it can affect both arms), jaw, neck, back and tummy
feeling lightheaded or dizzy
sweating
shortness of breath
feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
an overwhelming feeling of anxiety (similar to a panic attack)
coughing or wheezing
The health body said the chest pain would often be severe, but some people only experience minor pain, similar to indigestion. While the most common symptom is chest pain, symptoms can vary from person to person, it said.
It added: "Some people may have other symptoms such as shortness of breath, feeling or being sick and back or jaw pain without any chest pain. Call 999 immediately if you think someone might be having a heart attack. The faster you act, the better their chances."
Treating heart attacks
The NHS says that, while waiting for an ambulance, it may help to chew and then swallow a tablet of aspirin (ideally 300mg), as long as the person having a heart attack is not allergic to aspirin. As Ruth said, aspirin helps to thin the blood and improves blood flow to the heart.
In hospital, treatment for a heart attack depends on the type of heart attack, and how serious it is.
The two main treatments are:
using medicines to dissolve blood clots
surgery to help restore blood to the heart