Host Amber Smith: Here's some expert advice from Dr. Ioana Medrea from Upstate Medical University. Is aspirin a good headache remedy?
Ioana Medrea, MD: Aspirin is a great medication for small aches, generally, and for headache as well. My only concern would be is how often is someone using aspirin? If you're using it infrequently, I think it's great. I have nothing against it. If you're using it every day, it becomes a problem. There is a risk of bleeding from the gut with aspirin, and that can be dangerous. But in addition to that, there's problems with kidneys that are possible, problems with blood pressure. So I would not want you to use it unnecessarily. Of course we use an aspirin every day for prevention of stroke or heart attack, but that is in someone who already has those risk factors, and the risk/balance trade- off is warranted. But in someone who has no medical conditions, I wouldn't say that that would be my go-to every day. If you find yourself using aspirin very frequently, perhaps you might need preventive treatments for your pain and headache, which is a medication you get every day to decrease the frequency of your headaches, and that would be an indication that you need to see either your primary care to start that or a neurologist or headache specialist.
Host Amber Smith: You've been listening to neurologist Ioana Medrea from Upstate Medical University.
