Stopping Aspirin can cause stroke

Hi, I am 69 and 3 years ago I had an ischemic cerebellum stroke. Vertigo was the dominant presenting symptom and the GP prescribed vertigo exercises. At this consultation the GP had a CAT scan of my head done but the bones at the back of my head prevented imaging of this area. But two days later I presented with continuing vertigo and an intense headache. The GP said I was having a stroke and for my wife to drive me to hospital.

I had been self medicating with aspirin and also used aspirin as an anti inflammatory for an arm injury which the GP knew about but it appeared later to me that he did not know the stroke risks of stopping aspirin. I had worked in pharmacology in a large Pathology laboratory and aspirin is toxic in high doses and I had tested hundreds of overdoses in blood collected from the hospital Accident and Emergency Department. I did not know the stroke risk either.

Low dose aspirin makes the cells that are involved in blood clotting less sticky. But if you STOP aspirin the next lot of cells are more sticky and tend to cause blood clotting and build up of plaque. These cells tend to be recycled about every 20 days.

I had to fly urgently from Perth to Melbourne because my elder brother had a heart attack that left a clot in his heart. This clot travelled to his brain and he unfortunately had a major stroke and died.

I returned to Perth, having been away for 3 weeks. On day 22 after stopping aspirin I had a TIA, and stroke on about day 23.

So I think aspirin medication should have a warning on the packet about stroke risk.