Essential Thrombocytosis (ET): What are options with aspirin allergy?

A quick Google search came up with some alternatives to aspirin.

Some are called "antiplatelet" drugs, some are anticoagulants.

There are various supplements touted too . . . but none have been proved to work.

Your oncologist, ideally in conjunction with your PCP, will suggest YOUR best option.

Thank you Jane. I will search them and read more!

I’m also allergic to those, so I hope I don’t have any pain associated with chemo that Tylenol won’t touch! Good luck!

@ewash55

May I ask: Are you concerned that taking HU (technically a chemo drug) will bring you pain?

While everyone is different, please know that for me at least, HU helps, not hurts.

Taking a pretty hefty dose, I've never had pain from HU.

Instead, it has greatly reduced ET's terrible headaches and fatigue.

You do want to drink lots of water, as sometimes HU can cause constipation. An apple a day is good too!

Good luck with your treatment, and if you have not had your biopsy yet keep in mind - if sedation not bad at all other than the sedation side effects. I not with sedation make sure to remind them that lidocaine is your best friend and theirs. My first did not have enough and was a bit tough. I just had my 8th 2 days ago and other than the initial lidocaine injection part only feel a bit of pressure that is not to bad. Can't speak for anybody but me but 10 ml of lidocaine works for me. Good luck and stay positive.

HU is not the recommended therapy for my cancer type. I have studied the drugs for chemo and targeted therapy and chose chemo. I’m glad HU is working so well for you!

@ewash55

Please forgive me for misunderstanding.

I admire your research and careful decision-making.

All good wishes towards better days!

@janemc

I am told that many take not only HU but also a baby aspirin as treatment. I’m not concerned about pain from HU but that aspirin is a go to medication for ET as an anti-platelet med. But you are correct there are other meds besides aspirin. My Dr told me that with ET you are at risk of both clots but also excessive bleeding. Another place I read that excessive bleeding is only a concern when your platelets exceed 1M. This is a bit confusing. One Dr told being allergic to aspirin with ET is like having diabetes but being allergic to insulin.

Meg- I have also been told that really high platelets can cause bleeding. Fortunately HU for several years it di a really good job of controlling them - I did have to escalate dose fron time to time but never had any issues (just be careful about sun exposure). I have seen in various posts some have been on HU for many years with really good results. I had an issue with it and am now on Jakafi. You may want to go Voices of MPN, they have really good webinars, literature, and a good symptom tracker app. A bit of searching can lead to lots of good info. One thing I see to keep in mind is that very few of us have the same journey with this disease, make sure you have a good doc and do not be afraid to get a second opinion - if you are close to an MPN specialist it is worth a visit with them. I'm lucky that I live near a very good one.

Thank you @drbart86

I hope Jakafi works for you.

Thanks for the referral to Voices of MPN. I will check that out and all of their resources. And I definitely want to find an MPN specialist. I am near to UC Davis in CA. I believe they might have a specialist there.

Thank you!