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What is aspirin-dipyridamole?

Aspirin is in a group of drugs called salicylates (sa-LIS-il-ates). It works by reducing substances in the body that cause pain, fever, and inflammation.

Dipyridamole keeps platelets in your blood from sticking together to form clots.

The combination of aspirin and dipyridamole is used to reduce the risk of stroke in people who have had blood clots or a "mini-stroke” (also called a transient ischemic attack or TIA).

Aspirin and dipyridamole may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Precautions

Instructions

Side Effects

Interactions

Precautions

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.

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to aspirin or dipyridamole (Persantine), or if you have:

• asthma;
• nasal polyps; or
• a history of allergy to an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Orudis, Indocin, Lodine, Voltaren, Toradol, Mobic, Relafen, Feldene, and others.

Before taking aspirin and dipyridamole, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

• a history of stomach ulcers or bleeding;
• a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia;
• heart disease, congestive heart failure, or recent heart attack;
• liver disease;
• kidney disease; or
• low blood pressure.

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take this medication.

FDA pregnancy category D. This medication can cause harm to an unborn baby. Do not use aspirin and dipyridamole without telling your doctor if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn baby. Use effective birth control, and tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.

Aspirin and dipyridamole can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Avoid drinking alcohol while you are taking aspirin. Alcohol may increase your risk of stomach bleeding.

Do not use any other over-the-counter pain medication without first asking your doctor or pharmacist. Aspirin, salicylates, and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are contained in many medicines available over the counter. If you take certain products together you may accidentally take too much of a certain type of drug. Read the label of any other medicine you are using to see if it contains aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, ketoprofen, magnesium and/or choline salicylate.

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Instructions

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. Overdose symptoms may include warmth or tingly feeling, sweating, restlessness, dizziness, weakness, feeling light-headed, or fainting.

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and wait until your next regularly scheduled dose. Do not use extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

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Side Effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• weakness or fainting;
• black, bloody, or tarry stools;
• coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds;
• severe nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain;
• fever lasting longer than 3 days;
• swelling, or pain lasting longer than 10 days; or
• hearing problems, ringing in your ears.

Less serious side effects may include:

• upset stomach, mild heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
• joint pain;
• drowsiness; or
• headache.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

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Interactions

Before taking aspirin and dipyridamole, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

• acetazolamide (Diamox);
• methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall);
• diabetes medications that you take by mouth;
• gout medications such as probenecid (Benemid) or sulfinpyrazone (Anturane);
• an ACE inhibitor such as benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), and others;
• Alzheimer medications such as donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Reminyl), or rivastigmine (Exelon);
• a beta-blocker such as atenolol (Tenormin), carvedilol (Coreg), esmolol (Brevibloc), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran), sotalol (Betapace), timolol (Blocadren), and others;
• a diuretic (water pill) such as amiloride (Midamor, Moduretic), furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ, HydroDiuril, Hyzaar, Lopressor, Vasoretic, Zestoretic), spironolactone (Aldactazide, Aldactone), triamterene (Dyrenium, Maxzide, Dyazide), and others;
• seizure medication such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin), or phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton); or
• aspirin or other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis), meloxicam (Mobic), nabumetone (Relafen), piroxicam (Feldene), and others.

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with aspirin and dipyridamole. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

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