Myth Buster: Does swallowing aspirin during a heart attack minimize damage?

Myth: If you’re having chest pains or a heart attack, swallow aspirin.

Facts: Don’t swallow the aspirin whole; chew it so that it can be absorbed quickly. And plain, uncoated aspirin offers faster relief.

“Current guidelines say to chew four baby aspirin or one adult aspirin,” says Sharonne Hayes, M.D., director of the Women’s Heart Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “We know from huge, multinational studies that that simple action reduces your risk of dying from a heart attack.”

Aspirin acts as a blood thinner and helps unplug the blockage in the coronary artery associated with the heart attack. But, Hayes explains, “you have to chew the aspirin, especially if you only have enteric-coated aspirin, because if you just pop one of those, you won’t see any action for hours.” Always call 911 first. Then, after chewing the aspirin, you can wash it down with water and get immediate medical attention.