Aspirin as Treatment for Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: REVISION
IMPORTANT REVISION: After receiving a couple of comments and reflecting on this blog myself, I want to add some points.
Despite my writing that "aspirin has an excellent safety profile," aspirin could be dangerous at the doses that are mentioned in this study. 1300 mg of aspirin taken for any length of time could cause gastrointestinal bleeding in some people. The "excellent safety profile" that I mentioned was for much smaller doses of aspirin (which can still cause discomfort in some people).
Please remember- the mission of every blog on this page that reports study findings is to provide information and keep people with MS updated on recent events in the world of MS research. NEVER try any of the things that the researchers are reporting on until there is more research, and concrete recommendations from your doctors. I'll keep saying this to remind us all- these are experiments, not recommendations. I have included the original blog below in its entirety.
ORIGINAL BLOG: A 2005 study done by researchers at the Mayo Clinic pointed to evidence that aspirin may help reduce fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis. Currently, there are a very limited number of medications used for MS fatigue.
In the study, a daily dose of 1300 mg of aspirin was tested against a placebo. The effects were evaluated using the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), which is a self-reported measure of fatigue using interviews with patients about fatigue levels and impact of fatigue on daily activities.
People taking the aspirin scored significantly better on the MFIS than those on placebo. The mechanism for aspirin in reducing fatigue is unknown.
According to Dr. Wingerchuk, one of the lead investigators, the results of aspirin treatment for fatigue were similar to those achieved by Symmetrel (amantadine), which is about 40% effective in relieving MS fatigue in some studies. (Results for Symmetrel’s effectiveness vary in different studies, but it is currently widely-prescribed for MS-related fatigue.)
Critics of the study complain that the data did not isolate the effects of aspirin on fatigue, as the measures used relied solely on self-reports, which combined fatigue experience with other symptoms of MS.
It would be great if another study was done that showed that aspirin could help relieve fatigue, as it has many benefits, including:
- low cost
- accessibility
- excellent safety profile.
PLEASE read this: If aspirin decreases the neurological effects of MS, then it is possible that the blood thinning properties of ASA indicates that the patient DOES NOT HAVE MS, but instead suffers from the new, and little known syndrome known as HUGHES’ SYNDROME. Please go to http://www.hughes-syndrome.org/index.htm for more information. It is possible that 5 to 20% of MS patients acutally have a completely treatable form of this disorder.
Isn’t it so simple –
- MS definitely is inflammatory condition
- aspirin, being NSAID (non steroid anti-inflammatory drug), reduces inflammation
However, aspirin does not treat MS (no drug does that), and usually creates quite dangerous side effects.
Therefore I think all similar ‘treatments’ are of no value and can be risky.
Dr. Czes Kulvis
Be very careful of Aspirin. It is used as a blood thinner for CHF patients.. etc. Dose is 75 -81 grains per day. Long term use of regular strength aspirin will cause bleeding problems and a more acid pH. That is only 325 mg per day. Study touts 1300 mg a day. Sounds like an overdose if used long term.
I thoroughly agree that 1300 mg of aspirin used in this study seems like a potentially dangerous amount. I know that even the 81 mg that my doc has me taking tears up my stomach if I am not very careful.
Thank you for pointing these things out – I should have been more vigilant in mentioning this in my blog. In fact, I am revising the last part to mention the potential dangers of aspirin, as well as to remind people not to do this on their own, as it was just one study, which was flawed.
Yikes… that is a huge dose. As a former nurse I have seen GI bleeds initiated by one 330mg aspirin tablet per day. 1300mg????
I have MS (confirmed by MRI and spinal tap in 2005 after 18 years of miscellaneous health problems that remained unconnected until this time) but am able to control most symptoms now with Methylcobolamin 1000mcg daily, Pyridoxal Phosphate 50mg daily (with a regular 50mg B Complex), Vitamin D3 1000mcg daily, and Ashgawanda (Indian cherry). I can feel my feet for the first time in 15 years, and I now have complete bladder control! However, fatigue is a bugger… mine is activated by heat and emotional stress. On the plus side, when affected by the latter (as in the recent flooding we had here in South Shropshire, UK), recovery is now days rather than weeks.
Cheers Folks
Caroline
I saw my primary care doctor a couplr of days after seeing the article. 4 asprins over a day’s time is sustainable. Higher doses than that are used for other maladies. For me it works! A year and a half ago I had the worst MS attack of my life that left me bedridden. I have recovered enough that I can drag myself to the toilet with a walker. After two weeks with asprin, yesterday my family took me to breakfast and to my favorite yarn shop. That’s 4-6 asprins over 24 hours. Always with a meal or at least a few crackers or a couple of antiacids. Is it the analgesic or anti-inflamitory or ??? But, for me, it’s helped.