Aspirin Tablets BP 300mg (POM)

Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine.

• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours.

Index

1 What Aspirin tablets are and what they are used for
2 Before you take
3 How to take
4 Possible side effects
5 How to store
6 Further information

Important warning:

There is a possible association between aspirin and Reye’s Syndrome when given to children. Reye’s syndrome is a very rare disease, which can be fatal. For this reason aspirin should not be given to children aged under 16 years, unless on the advice of a doctor e.g. for Kawasaki’s Disease.

Taking a painkiller for headaches too often or for too long can make them worse.

Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking Aspirin tablets if you:

• have asthma or allergies
• have heart, liver or kidney problems or gout
• have an overactive thyroid gland
• are dehydrated (you may feel thirsty and have a headache, dry mouth and lips)
• have anaemia or suffer from a deficiency of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) this can cause episodes of anaemia after eating certain foods such as fava beans (favism)
• have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or other connective tissue disease
• are elderly
• have had any disorders affecting blood vessels in the brain
• have received a varicella (chickenpox) vaccination within the last 6 weeks
• are planning to become pregnant
• have heavy bleeding during your periods
• have a history of stomach ulcers
• have chronic respiratory disease
• have hypertension
• taking deferasirox (a medicine to remove excess iron from the body)

Taking other medicines

Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription. Especially:

• warfarin, coumarin, heparin, dipyridamole and clopidogrel (used to prevent blood clotting)
• metoclopramide or domperidone (to prevent sickness)
• diuretics (“water tablets”) such as spironolactone, furosemide, acetazolamide (to treat high blood pressure)
• medicines which make your urine more alkaline such as antacids, citrates
• probenecid (to treat gout)
• methotrexate (to treat some cancers, psoriasis and rheumatic disease)
• sulphonylureas (antidiabetics)
• phenytoin or sodium valproate (to treat epilepsy)
• corticosteroids (to suppress the immune system)
• mifepristone (to induce abortion)
• other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen or naproxen)
• vancomycin (medicines which can cause hearing problems)
• medicines to treat high blood pressure such as ACE inhibitors (e.g. enalapril, lisinopril, perindopril), Calcium channel blockers (e.g. amlodipine, diltiazem, nifedipine)
• SSRIs such as sertraline or paroxetine (medicines to treat depression)
• varicella (chickenpox) vaccine. Aspirin should be avoid for 6 weeks after vaccination
• herbal medicines containing ginkgo biloba.
• digoxin (to treat heart problems)
• lithium (to treat depression)
• acetazolamide (to treat glaucoma)
• cyclosporine, tacrolimus (used to prevent organ rejection)
• alcohol

Pregnancy and breast-feeding

Avoid taking Aspirin tablets during pregnancy especially in the last 3 months of pregnancy or whilst breast-feeding. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.

Surgery and tests

If you need to have an operation including having your teeth removed or blood and urine tests, tell your doctor or dentist you are taking this medicine.

Doses:

Adults, including the elderly: 1 or 2 tablets every 3 to 4 hours as required. No more than 12 tablets in any 24 hour period.

Children under 16 years old: Not recommended.

For prevention of blood clots: 1 tablet once a day.

If you take more than you should

If you (or someone else) swallow a lot of tablets at the same time, or you think a child may have swallowed any contact your nearest hospital casualty department or tell your doctor immediately. Symptoms of an overdose include ringing in the ears, spinning sensation, fast breathing rate, changes in some of the chemicals in the body, heart failure, changes in body temperature resulting dehydration, restlessness, fits, hallucination (seeing or hearing things that are not there), headache, hearing problems, confusion, feeling or being sick, stomach pain or coma.

If you forget to take the tablets

Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. If you forget to take a dose take it as soon as you remember it and then take the next dose at the right time. Do not take more than one dose in any 4 hour period.

Stop taking this medicine and contact a doctor immediately if you have any of the following:

• Difficulty breathing
• Severe allergic reactions (blistered skin, swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, difficulty breathing, worsening of asthma, shock)
• Severe rash involving reddening, peeling and swelling of the skin that resembles severe burns (Lyells syndrome) or severe rash, blisters, or red patches on the skin (Stevens-Johnson syndrome)
• Bleeding on the brain (sudden severe headache, fit, changes in vision, speaking, understanding or coordination, weakness in an arm or leg)
• Stomach ulcers or bleeding which can be severe (you may develop bloody or black tarry stools, severe stomach pain and vomit blood), stomach irritation (mild stomach pain, heartburn and feeling or being sick) and inflammation of the liver
• Salicylism - if you take large doses for a long time you may develop symptoms of salicylism, these include: dizziness, ringing or buzzing in the ear, deafness, sweating, feeling or being sick, headache and confusion.
• Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver causing yellowing of the skin or eyes or tiredness, pain in abdomen, joint or muscles)

Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following side effects or notice any other effects not listed:

Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people

• Increase in the number of nose bleeds, longer bleeding time or notice that you bruise more easily or have more infections talk to your doctor.
• Indigestion

Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people

• Runny nose
• Itchy skin rash caused by allergic reaction- pale or red irregular raised patches with severe itching (hives)

Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people

• Anaemia, changes in numbers and types of blood cells and enzymes seen in blood tests
• Difficulty breathing or wheezing, worsening of asthma
• Heavy periods
• irregular red patches on the skin of the hands and arms (erythema multiforme)
• Disorder characterised by blood spots, bruising and discolouring to skin (Purpura)
• Bleeding in the skin, mucous membranes
• Red tender lumps developing under the skin (Erythema nodosum)

Not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data

• Gout (high levels of uric acid in the blood)- causing crystals to deposit in joints of hands/feet causing pain (Hyperuricemia)
• Nosebleeds, bleeding of the gums, which may be prolonged. (Please advise doctor or dentist if surgery is planned)
• Reduction of red blood cells which can make the skin pale and cause weakness or breathlessness (anaemia), Reduction in red blood cells which cause pale yellow skin and weakness or breathlessness (haemolytic anaemia), blood disorder resulting in impaired blood clotting leading to an increased risk of bleeding, reduced number in red and white blood cells, blood loss, elevated blood enzymes levels (as seen in blood test)
• Headache
• Feeling of dizziness or spinning
• Hearing loss, Ringing or buzzing in the ears
• Liver problems
• Reduced kidney function

Additional side effects in children

Aspirin may be associated with the development of a condition called Reye’s Syndrome, which causes severe liver and brain damage.

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.

Also you can help to make sure that medicines remain as safe as possible by reporting any unwanted side effects via the internet at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. Alternatively you can call Freephone 0808 100 3352 (available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays to Fridays) or fill in a paper form available from your local pharmacy.

What Aspirin tablets contain

• The active substance (the ingredient that makes the tablets work) is 300mg aspirin (also known as acetylsalicylic acid).
• The other ingredients are maize starch, purified talc (E553).

What Aspirin tablets look like and contents of the pack

Aspirin are white, uncoated tablets.

Pack sizes are 28 tablets.

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