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Adults With ITP
Newly Diagnosed & Frequently Asked Questions
Over the counter pain med
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Over the counter pain med 2 years 8 months ago #69501

  • lovethatgrey
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Hi all

Other than Tylenol, which does not work for me, is there something else that's ok to take that will not thin the blood or diminish platelets? I was told to stay away from Advil and aspirin. Thank you.

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Over the counter pain med 2 years 7 months ago #69557

  • Hal9000
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  • Give me all your platelets and nobody gets hurt
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lovethatgrey, I think most doctors would say: it depends on counts. Above 50 or so, no restrictions.

While at the same time seems like many doctors would say no aspirin, period. Blah. In my mostly humble opinion, that would be ok advice except those with ITP are at risk for developing blood clots. If one has a clot, treating with a baby aspirin could be the difference between having a life altering stroke and not having a stroke. To me, chasing a blood clot with Tylenol could turn out to be the worst course of action possible.

Having said that, what I do is take a baby aspirin at the first sign of a headache. The earlier the better. Then wait an hour and see if that takes care of it. If it doesn't, then another baby aspirin (or half excedrin tablet). Wait another hour. Only once have I needed a third aspirin. This happened when I woke up with a headache.

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Over the counter pain med 2 years 7 months ago #69561

  • MelA
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lovethatgrey why don't you ask your hematologist that question?

I was never told if my count was above 50 no restrictions - I was told back in 1989 no aspirin, ibuprofen, etc just tylenol. And that is all I have used until last year when I had both knees totally replaced 9 months apart - I had to take baby aspirin daily to prevent a blood clot - my surgeon & hematologist got together and my hematologist said it was ok. You know what blew my mind?, my count actually went up for the month I had to take aspirin after each replacement.

PS - not just those with ITP are at risk for developing blood clots, anyone is.
"Instead of wasting your time worrying about symptoms, just get it checked out" -Nieca Goldberg, MD

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Over the counter pain med 1 year 4 months ago #71877

  • lovethatgrey
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I went to a new hematologist and specifically asked what I could take for a headache or body ache.  He said Tylenol now and then is fine but he also followed that by saying that Tylenol can damage the liver if you take too much.  

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Over the counter pain med 1 year 4 months ago #71879

  • mrsb04
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  • ITP since 2014. Retired nurse. My belief is empower patients to be involved as much as possible in their care. Read, read, read & ALWAYS question medics about the evidence base they use.
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That is why the maximum daily dose is 4g in 24 hours for adults  over 50kg and 3g for adults under 50kg. 

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Over the counter pain med 1 year 4 months ago #71891

  • Rob16
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N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a strong over-the-counter antioxidant supplement. It is also used in the ER to help prevent liver damage from Tylenol overdose. I am taking the maximum daily dose of Tylenol on a daily basis, which I figure can't be good for my liver, so I take NAC whenever I take acetominophen. It makes sense, intuitively, and I figure it can't hurt (except that many brands have a horrible sulfur odor, so purchase carefully!)

Celebrex is not OTC, but it is a generic NSAID. To my knowledge it is far safer than any other NSAIDS -- including ibuprofen and naproxen -- in terms of not interfering with platelet function. I posted a study to that effect here: 
pdsa.org/discussion-group/7-treatment-general/29179-platelet-function-tests.html#59678
The following user(s) said Thank You: miluz2017

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Over the counter pain med

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