Aspirin

Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It was first isolated by Arthur Eichengrün, a chemist with the German company Bayer.

Aspirin should not be given to a child or teenager who has a fever, especially if the child also has flu symptoms or chicken pox. Aspirin can cause a serious and sometimes fatal condition called Reye's syndrome in children. __** Resistance **__ For some people, aspirin does not have as strong an effect on platelets as for others, an effect known as aspirin resistance or insensitivity. One study has suggested women are more likely to be resistant than men, and a different, aggregate study of 2,930 patients found 28% to be resistant. A study in 100 Italian patients found that, of the apparent 31% aspirin-resistant subjects, only 5% were truly resistant, and the others were noncompliant.

- This is the molecular structure of acetylsalicylic acid, which is the active ingredient in aspirin.

As with most pain killers, some people should take precautions when administering and consuming the drug. For instance, children or teenagers should not be given aspirin to treat a common cold because it has been linked to Reye's syndrome. People with kidney disease, hyperuricema or gout shouldn't take aspirin because it inhibits the kidney's ability to excrete uric acid and may worsen these conditions.

Synthesis The synthesis of aspirin is classified as an esterification reaction. Salicylic acid is treated with acetic anhydride, an acid derivative, causing a chemical reaction that turns salicylic acid's hydroxyl group into an ester group (R-OH → R-OCOCH 3 ). This process yields aspirin and acetic acid, which is considered a byproduct of this reaction. Small amounts of sulfuric acid (and occasionally phosphoric acid) are almost always used as a catalyst. This method is commonly employed in undergraduate teaching labs. Reaction Mechanism

Formulations containing high concentrations of aspirin often smell like vinegar because aspirin can decompose through hydrolysis in moist conditions, yielding salicylic acid and acetic acid. The acid dissociation constant (pKa) for acetylsalicylic acid is 3.5 at 25 °C (77 °F).

__**Aspirin is Used to Medicate**__
Prescription aspirin is used to relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is the swelling of the lining of the joints. Other reasons are osteoarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and certain other rheumatologic conditions, which the immune system attacks parts of the body. Nonprescription aspirin is used to reduce fever and to relieve mild to moderate pain from headaches, menstrual periods, arthritis, colds, toothaches, and muscle aches. Nonprescription aspirin is also used to prevent heart attacks in people who have had a heart attack in the past or who have angina. Nonprescription aspirin is also used to prevent ischemic strokes and mild strokes. Aspirin will not prevent hemorrhagic strokes. Aspirin is in a group of medications called salicylates. It works by stopping the production of certain natural substances that cause fever, pain, swelling, and blood clots. Aspirin is also available in combination with other medications such as antacids, pain relievers, and cough and cold medications.

How should this medicine be used?

Prescription aspirin comes as an extended-release tablet (tablet that releases medication slowly over a period of time). Nonprescription aspirin comes as a regular tablet, an enteric-coated, delayed-release tablet (tablet that first begins to release medication some time after it is taken), a chewable tablet, powder, and a gum to take by mouth and a suppository to use rectally. Prescription aspirin is usually taken two or more times a day. Nonprescription aspirin is usually taken once a day to lower the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Nonprescription aspirin is usually taken every 4 to 6 hours as needed to treat fever or pain. Follow the directions on the package or prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take aspirin exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than directed by the package label or prescribed by your doctor.

Swallow the extended-release tablets whole with a full glass of water. Do not break, crush, or chew them.

Swallow the tablets with a full glass of water.

Chewable aspirin tablets may be chewed, crushed, or swallowed whole. Drink a full glass of water, immediately after taking these tablets.

Ask a doctor before you give aspirin to your child or teenager. Aspirin may cause Reye's syndrome (a serious condition in which fat builds up on the brain, liver, and other body organs) in children and teenagers, especially if they have a virus such as chicken pox or the flu.

If you have had oral surgery or surgery to remove your tonsils in the last 7 days, talk to your doctor about which types of aspirin are safe for you.

Delayed-release tablets begin to work some time after they are taken. Do not take delayed-release tablets for fever or pain that must be relieved quickly.

Stop taking aspirin and call your doctor if your fever lasts longer than 3 days, if your pain lasts longer than 10 days, or if the part of your body that was painful becomes red or swollen. You may have a condition that must be treated by a doctor.

-Aspirin is used as a dull, throbbing, pain reliever. Such examples include headaches, cramps, and bloating.  -Other functions of Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, include treatment as an anti-inflammatory medicine, and a fever reducer.  -Side effects of this common chemical are gastrointestinal ulcers, stomach bleeding, and tinnitus, especially in higher doses.  -Low doses of aspirin are recommended for the secondary prevention of strokes and heart attacks. For both males and females diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, aspirin reduces the chance of a heart attack and ischemic stroke by about a fifth!   __ NOTE: Taking too much Aspirin can result in overdose! __   -Aspirin overdose can be acute or chronic. In acute poisoning, a single large dose is taken; in chronic poisoning, higher than normal doses are taken over a period of time. Acute overdose has a mortality rate of 2%. Chronic overdose is more commonly lethal, with a mortality rate of 25%. Chronic overdose may be especially severe in children  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">