Q: My 43 years old mother has border line diabetes and high blood pressure at times. The doctor has prescribed Ecosprin-75 daily along with Neurobion Forte. Is it safe to take these medicines and why has the doctor prescribed these to her?

A:Patients who have diabetes as well as high blood pressure are at increased risk of heart attacks and strokes due to clotting of blood. Therefore, in the past it was assumed that if blood of such patients was made thinner, then it will not clot and hence heart attacks and strokes can be prevented. Ecosprin-75 contains low dose aspirin and it makes blood thinner. Many doctors routinely prescribe aspirin under the impression that it will be beneficial. However, British doctors at the University of Dundee medical college hospital have just finished a study on 1,276 patients (over 40 years old) suffering from diabetes and found that aspirin did not help at all. Hence as per current evidence it is not useful to prescribe Ecosprin-75. Neurobion (a combination of vitamins B-1, B-6 and B-12) has been banned in all western countries because it has no benefit. In India also it was banned but to escape the prohibition, the company just added a very minute quantity of calcium, which has no clinical advantage and renamed the brand as Neurobion Forte. Thus it is continuing to be sold!