CBD and Baby Aspirin—What You Need to Know

Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that has many different uses, including reduced fever, pain, and risk of blood clots. Baby aspirin has the same effects but comes in smaller doses, which helps reduce the potential for negative side effects of excessive NSAID use.

Cannabidiol (CBD) has been touted for its many wellness benefits, some of which are described as having similar pain relieving properties as baby aspirin. But you should know these come with side effects, too. More clinical research is needed to determine the full therapeutic potential of CBD.

Given the current knowledge on this cannabinoid, it’s also uncertain how baby aspirin and CBD may interact with one another. To help answer this question, we dug a little deeper to assess the similarities and difference between the two, and what to avoid.

Why do people take baby aspirin?

For people with diabetes, high cholesterol, and other heart disease risk factors, aspirin is one of the best ways to prevent against heart attacks. Aspirin does so by stopping the formation of blood clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks. These clots block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a section of the heart, and may cause serious damage if not treated quickly enough.

While aspirin presents some advantages when it comes to reducing a person’s risk of heart attack, it also has some negative effects. The blood thinning properties of this drug can cause severe nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain, just to name a few of the most common side effects. Because of this, baby aspirin has become a safer option for many patients since it offers the same preventative advantages, but reduces the chance of serious internal bleeding.

Can CBD lower your risk of heart attack?

CBD is perhaps best known for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, which contributes to the many soothing qualities that people often report experiencing when they use CBD oil. In terms of heart health, it can be difficult to measure the success of a wellness supplement like CBD, although some scientific evidence has helped uncover the effects CBD may have on cardiovascular health.

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In a review published by the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, the authors analyzed several studies and preclinical data to conclude that CBD might positively affect the cardiovascular system. These observations were most frequently observed in rats, where CBD exhibited the ability to reduce the cardiovascular response to stress, decrease myocardial inflammation, and provide some cardioprotective benefits. However, it’s unclear the exact mechanisms that CBD acts upon to facilitate these results, and the full extent of how this cannabis compound may affect humans.

CBD has also demonstrated anti-arrhythmic advantages, which are not directly correlated to the prevention of heart attacks, but are worth mentioning given the various causes of heart arrhythmias. These irregular heartbeats can happen as a result of high blood pressure, blocked arteries, heart scar tissue, stress, diabetes, and heart attacks when they are happening in the moment.

Some evidence supports the use of CBD for positive heart health benefits, but CBD is not a proven treatment option in the same way that baby aspirin is. The blood thinning properties of aspirin are linked directly to blood clot reduction and heart attack prevention. In addition, more research is needed to analyze and assess the therapeutic potential of CBD for heart attacks and heart related diseases.

Potential Risks of Mixing CBD with Baby Aspirin

CBD has become a popular wellness supplement for a wide range of ailments, but there is still much that we don’t know about this cannabinoid. The World Health Organization notes that cannabidiol is “generally well tolerated with a good safety profile,” but this does not account for potential drug interactions between CBD and other medications. For instance, CBD might increase the level of certain medications in your blood, which could interfere with the efficacy or side effects of the drug.

Because of the many unknowns that surround CBD, we don’t recommend mixing CBD supplements and baby aspirin together. They may interact with the heart in different ways or CBD might increase the blood thinning properties of baby aspirin, which could have potentially dangerous side effects, such as:

• Intestinal bleeding
• Drowsiness
• Heartburn
• Gastrointestinal ulcers
• Bleeding in the brain
• Stomach ache
• Gastritis
• Nose bleeds
• Headache

Before taking CBD, it’s best to check with your doctor, especially if you have a medical condition that you are currently seeking treatment for.