To all:
As I have written before, I originally was taking Revlimid and dexamethasone. As a precaution, to stave off blood clots, I was advised to take 81 mg of aspirin on a daily basis. Subsequently, I went off Revlimid and dexamethasone, and started Velcade and acyclovir. Since no one said anything about quitting the aspirin, I have continued taking it.
Upon reflection, however, I am wondering if there is now any point to the daily baby aspirin dose. Is anyone else taking aspirin while only on Velcade?
My local oncologist says she thinks it is not necessary, but I have read that some patients have been required to continue with aspirin if at any point they were taking Revlimid.
Any thoughts?
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Re: Taking aspirin during Velcade maintenance therapy?
I was on Revlimid and dex for about 19 months. Now on Velcade for about 18 months. Not taking baby aspirin.
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simcha
Re: Taking aspirin during Velcade maintenance therapy?
Hi Mrozdav,
I know you've had some GI issues during your treatment, so that might be influencing whether or not you want to continue with the aspirin, since it can upset the stomach.
However, if you and your doctors are certain that the aspirin isn't the cause of the GI issues you've had, and if you don't see any risk to your GI system from taking the aspirin, I'd consider taking it for another 6 months or so, just as a precaution.
The extra time on the aspirin might make certain that any small blood clots that have developed while you've been on Revlimid, but which haven't caused any problems, don't turn into larger, problematic clots in the next 3-6 months.
I'm not saying you have any clots right now. You probably don't. But it's probably hard to know for sure, so why not take the aspirin to help your system work away any small clots that might be in your body, and which might cause problems.
I should add that I don't think there is a strong argument for going in one direction or the other in this situation. I would just lean towards taking the aspirin for 3-6 more months if you don't think it will cause you any other problems.
Best wishes,
Cheryl
I know you've had some GI issues during your treatment, so that might be influencing whether or not you want to continue with the aspirin, since it can upset the stomach.
However, if you and your doctors are certain that the aspirin isn't the cause of the GI issues you've had, and if you don't see any risk to your GI system from taking the aspirin, I'd consider taking it for another 6 months or so, just as a precaution.
The extra time on the aspirin might make certain that any small blood clots that have developed while you've been on Revlimid, but which haven't caused any problems, don't turn into larger, problematic clots in the next 3-6 months.
I'm not saying you have any clots right now. You probably don't. But it's probably hard to know for sure, so why not take the aspirin to help your system work away any small clots that might be in your body, and which might cause problems.
I should add that I don't think there is a strong argument for going in one direction or the other in this situation. I would just lean towards taking the aspirin for 3-6 more months if you don't think it will cause you any other problems.
Best wishes,
Cheryl
Re: Taking aspirin during Velcade maintenance therapy?
Thank you, simcha and Cheryl G. I appreciate your responses.
Cheryl, I would love to stop taking the aspirin, but am fearful to do so for the very reasons you have indicated. Thankfully, so far I have actually not had GI issues. While my doctors thought I might (as the source of a severe cough), that turned out to be a red herring.
Cheryl, I would love to stop taking the aspirin, but am fearful to do so for the very reasons you have indicated. Thankfully, so far I have actually not had GI issues. While my doctors thought I might (as the source of a severe cough), that turned out to be a red herring.
Re: Taking aspirin during Velcade maintenance therapy?
Sorry, Mrozdav. Now that you mention it, I remember that it wasn't GI issues that you've mentioned in the past, but coughing. Sorry if my comment was confusing due to my own confusion and poor memory.
What are your concerns when it comes to continuing with the aspirin treatment? To be honest, part of the reason I gave the feedback I did is that I consider aspirin a very benign drug.
What are your concerns when it comes to continuing with the aspirin treatment? To be honest, part of the reason I gave the feedback I did is that I consider aspirin a very benign drug.
Re: Taking aspirin during Velcade maintenance therapy?
Hi
Like you, I was on maintenance Revlimid and then switched to Velcade, and a short while later (I cannot remember how many months) my oncologist said it was up to me whether I continued on the aspirin. I decided to stop because I bruise easily in general, and was bruising quite a lot when taking the aspirin.
Like you, I was on maintenance Revlimid and then switched to Velcade, and a short while later (I cannot remember how many months) my oncologist said it was up to me whether I continued on the aspirin. I decided to stop because I bruise easily in general, and was bruising quite a lot when taking the aspirin.
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Ginny - Name: Ginny
- Who do you know with myeloma?: self and four friends
- When were you/they diagnosed?: October, 2012
- Age at diagnosis: 62
Re: Taking aspirin during Velcade maintenance therapy?
I started Velcade injections in June and was advised to not take the aspirin that I was taking while on Revlimid. Have not noticed any difference by not taking the 81 mg of aspirin.
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58snooky
Re: Taking aspirin during Velcade maintenance therapy?
Cheryl G, In general, if I do not need to take a medication I prefer not to. A baby aspirin is probably no big deal. My concern is really not to create problems for myself re blood clots if I do stop. Incidentally, I went on line and googled "Velcade and aspirin" and was surprised to read that one should NOT take aspirin while taking Velcade without one's doctor's approval. I do not think this can be a serious issue because if it were, my doctors surely would have addressed it when I started on my Velcade maintenance.
Ginny, What you write is thought provoking. Although I do not seem to have any problem with platelet numbers, I do appear to bruise easily. I have wondered about this. Have you noticed any improvement in the bruising since you stopped the aspirin? I think that just to be on the safe side I will continue taking it for a few more months.
57snooky, thank you for commenting. Did your doctor emphatically advise you to stop the aspirin or was it just a casual observation? In other words, how significant an issue was this?
Ginny, What you write is thought provoking. Although I do not seem to have any problem with platelet numbers, I do appear to bruise easily. I have wondered about this. Have you noticed any improvement in the bruising since you stopped the aspirin? I think that just to be on the safe side I will continue taking it for a few more months.
57snooky, thank you for commenting. Did your doctor emphatically advise you to stop the aspirin or was it just a casual observation? In other words, how significant an issue was this?
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