Some aspirin substitutes are as effective as aspirin in preventing heart attacks, but others are totally ineffective, according to the author of a major study on heart disease published this week.
Advil, Motrin and other aspirin substitutes that are derivatives of ibuprofen work as well as aspirin in reducing the formation of clots that can block blood flow to the heart, said Dr. Charles H. Hennekens, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Hennikens is the main author of the study in last week`s New England Journal of Medicine.
Coated aspirins such as Ecotrin, which are used by people with ulcers and other stomach conditions, also inhibit formation of clots, Hennekens said.
But Tylenol, Datril and other derivatives of acetaminophen have ``no impact on heart attacks,`` he said.
The Harvard physician warned, however, that before deciding on what drug to take, people should consult their doctor to see how each affects their particular medical condition.
Hennekens` study involved more than 22,000 male physicians age 40 to 84 who took either aspirin or a look-alike pill every other day for five years to see if it reduced the chance of heart attacks.
He found a 47 percent drop in the risk of heart attacks in the group using aspirin.
Aspirin users suffered just 104 heart attacks, compared with 189 in the group taking the placebo, or look-alike, pill. Those taking aspirin suffered slightly more strokes, but still were better off because of the lowered risk of heart attacks.
While Bufferin was used in the study, Hennekens said in an interview that ``any commercially available aspirin preparation would have the same beneficial effects.``
Doctors believe that aspirin irreversibly inhibits an enzyme system that allows platelets in the blood to stick together. In effect, it thins the blood, reducing the formation of dangerous clots.