Maarten Vasbinder lives in Isaan. His profession is general practitioner, a profession that he mainly practiced in Spain. On Thailandblog he answers questions from readers who live in Thailand and writes about medical facts.
Do you have a question for Maarten and do you live in Thailand? Send this to the editor: www.thailandblog.nl/contact/ It is important that you provide the correct information such as: Age, place of residence, medication, any photos, and a simple medical history. You can send photos to [email protected] everything can be done anonymously, your privacy is guaranteed.
Dear Martin,
I am a man 70 years old, living in Cha Am since 2012. Last year in November 1 stent placed with success (LAD) and since under Brilinta 90mg and 1 baby aspirin 81mg.
My question is, can I find the new Aspirin (Aspertec) PL2200 PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE in Thailand either at the pharmacy or the hospital? This new aspirin is gastric juice resistant and therefore does not cause any damage (ulcer, bleeding, etc.).
Thank you for your answer.
Best regards,
J.
******
Dear J,
According to the latest guidelines, you only need to take one anticoagulant from six months to 1 year after stent placement.
I don't think Aspertec 325 mg is for sale in Thailand yet. The drug was only recently approved by the FDA and has only been tested on a small group of patients. It's an aspirin packed in fat. We will only know in a few years whether it is better than regular aspirin. We already know that it is much more expensive. EC aspirin is gastro resistant, but does not work very well.
You can also take clopidogrel (Plavix) instead of Brilinta. That is much cheaper and no worse.
If you are afraid of a stomach problem, you can always take omeprazole 20 mg. That protects the stomach. Have vitamin B3 measured in the blood after 12 years
Sincerely,
Martin Vasbinder