Does low dose aspirin still relieve pain, or is it just for heart health?
The low dose aspirin (81mg) has minimal (if any) anti-inflammatory effects when compared to a full dose (325mg) and is never intended to be used to treat pain and inflammation. The reason is this: Aspirin works by irreversibly acetylating an enzyme called cyclooxygenase. Cyclooxygenase is responsible for cleaving arachidonic acid into prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes. In lower doses, the effect is primarily on thromboxanes, which are chemicals that play a significant role in the platelet adhesion cascade reaction. Whereas in higher doses, the effect also includes prostaglandins, which are well-known mediators of pain and the inflammatory response.
