Should I take aspirin before I fly?

Talk to your doctor about wearing compression stockings or taking medicine before departure if you have additional risk factors for blood clots. Taking aspirin to prevent blood clots when traveling is not recommended. If you take aspirin for other reasons, check with your doctor.



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Anything out of the ordinary within a week or two after a long flight—leg pain, achiness, heaviness in your leg, swelling—could be a blood clot.

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Aspirin? Taking 75mg (a quarter of a normal 300mg tablet) some hours before your flight may reduce your chances of a DVT slightly (but remember that Aspirin can sometimes cause indigestion in people with a tendency to it, if in doubt ask your GP);

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Blood clots can sometimes form in your legs during air travel because you are immobile for long periods of time, often sitting in cramped spaces with little leg room. The clinical term for this type of blood clot is deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The longer the flight, the more at risk you are for developing a clot.

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Even if you travel a long distance, the risk of developing a blood clot is generally very small. Your level of risk depends on the duration of travel as well as whether you have any other risks for blood clots.

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A person should avoid flying if they have a newly diagnosed DVT due to the risk of related complications during travel, such as part of it breaking free. Healthcare professionals recommend waiting up to 4 weeks from the start of treatment for DVT before traveling.

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Just as water doesn't flow easily through a kinked-up garden hose, blood can't flow as well through a vein that has a kink. On top of that, changes in air pressure inside the airplane cabin cut down the amount of oxygen you breathe in. Low oxygen in your blood can also make blood clots more likely to form.

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As keeping blood moving to all areas of the body helps prevent blood clot formation, simple movements and stretches can help reduce the risk for deep vein thrombosis, allowing for healthy habits during work from home periods.

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Anticoagulant medication Some people at particularly high risk of DVT may be advised to have a heparin injection before a long-haul flight.

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Air travel increases the risk of developing blood clots in the veins of the legs, which can then enter the bloodstream and block an artery in the lungs, a condition called pulmonary embolism. In some cases, the opening can allow the blood clot to enter the arteries of the brain, causing a stroke.

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We conclude that there is currently no definitive evidence that air travel increases the risk of DVT. However, there is some evidence to suggest that flights of eight hours or more increase the risk of DVT if additional risk factors exist.

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Talk to your doctor about wearing compression stockings or taking medicine before departure if you have additional risk factors for blood clots. Taking aspirin to prevent blood clots when traveling is not recommended.

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These drugs are usually taken shortly before a flight. They include: Anti-anxiety medication, such as diazepam (Valium) or alprazolam (Xanax). Motion sickness medication, such as dimenhydrinate (Dramamine).

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