Doctor here: very rarely does any prescribe anything more than 325mg daily. Most people get 81mg daily. 325mg is considered high dose.
You are correct that it can be written for more, but the only indication you would prescribe a higher dose is as a pain or fever reducer, and we have more effective NSAIDs for that. Or tylenol (?NSAID).
I've personally never seen it given more than 325mg daily.
In the United States, 325mg is the amount in a single standard OTC pill. People often take two pills because of the old doctor's adage, "take two aspirin and call me in the morning".
81mg is marketed as low-dose (aka "baby aspirin"--because of the size or dose, not because it's intended for babies) and often prescribed as prophylaxis. But that's not particularly relevant wrt the maximum safe short-term dosage. The worst part of a flu usually only lasts a few days.
Here are the label directions from a bottle of generic aspirin as shown on Amazon (GoodSense Aspirin Pain Reliever 325 mg Coated Tablets, 100 Count).
Drink a full glass of water with each dose. Adults and
children 12 years and over: take 1 or 2 tablets every 4
hours or 3 tablets every 6 hours, not to exceed 12 tablets
in 24 hours. Children under 12 years: consult a doctor.
The labels on over-the-counter, "adult low dose" aspirin recommend taking up to 48 81mg aspirin tablets (3.9g) per 24 hour period before checking with a doctor to see if that is okay. I was taking up to 1g per day at one point (for pain), thinking that it was a very low dose because of the labels. :/
joshgel|8 years ago
You are correct that it can be written for more, but the only indication you would prescribe a higher dose is as a pain or fever reducer, and we have more effective NSAIDs for that. Or tylenol (?NSAID).
I've personally never seen it given more than 325mg daily.
wahern|8 years ago
81mg is marketed as low-dose (aka "baby aspirin"--because of the size or dose, not because it's intended for babies) and often prescribed as prophylaxis. But that's not particularly relevant wrt the maximum safe short-term dosage. The worst part of a flu usually only lasts a few days.
Here are the label directions from a bottle of generic aspirin as shown on Amazon (GoodSense Aspirin Pain Reliever 325 mg Coated Tablets, 100 Count).
That's approx. 4 grams/day for OTC usage.JoshMnem|8 years ago
https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/image.cfm?id=93682&nam...
eterm|8 years ago
greggman|8 years ago
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/505/...
killjoywashere|8 years ago
Really? Lortab 5/500?
Muuuchem|8 years ago