Aspirin Allergy Precautions and Side Effects

Aspirin's main ingredient, salicylic acid is derived from willow bark. Therefore, you would think that a more natural substance would not cause harm to a person. But, salicylate acid, can cause allergy symptoms in people that range from mild to deadly. Aspirin was patented in 1900 by Bayer, making history as the first mass manufactured, relatively safe, (when compared to cocaine), pain reliever.

Salicylates are naturally occurring chemicals found in many natural plants and even the foods we eat. Some examples of these are: mint, menthol, peppermint, spearmint, and even sodium. Salicylates are found in artificial food colorings, many fruits, vegetables, cheeses, beverages, herbs and spices, and even delicious ice cream.

The symptoms of having an aspirin allergy usually consist of being allergic to the all natural ingredient, the salicylate acid. The symptoms range from mild to severe, such as acquiring a headache, asthma symptoms, nasal congestion, or itching. More severe symptoms are having difficulty breathing, passing out, and swelling of the face, mouth and tongue making it difficult to breathe and to swallow. This can also lead to very severe cases where people have a drastic drop in blood pressure, lose consciousness, leading to coma, organ failure. Even death can happen when a person is severely allergic to aspirin.

Mild symptoms of an aspirin allergy:

Itching
Runny nose
Stomach pain
Headaches

Severe symptoms of an aspirin allergy

Chest pain
Difficulty breathing
Low blood pressure
Fainting
Facial swelling
Tongue swelling
Rapid pulse
Severe hives
Severe wheezing
Vomiting

Protection

How can you protect yourself from developing an allergy to the active ingredient in aspirin? The first thing to do, is not utilize aspirin. Choose an alternate choice to alleviate pain such as taking ibuprofen, or acetaminophen, which do not contain salicylate acids.

You can also prevent an aspirin allergy by scouring the labels for the ingredients listed to avoid any contact with salicylate acid. Consulting with your healthcare professional is also a wise choice. She may be able to advise you on what you can and can't eat. It is very similar to a person who is allergic to shellfish, and must avoid eating shrimp, or lobster, or eating any foods containing these fish. A wise choice is to also to do the necessary research on the Internet to discover what foods, beverages and products need to be avoided. Willow bark and it's natural ingredient salicylate acid may be present in other products you never thought of such as your moisturizer, shampoo, or facial soap.