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P h & pKa Blog - Aspirin: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)...

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Aspirin is known as a salicylate and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It is commonly used to treat pain, reduce inflammation and fever. Due to it being easily available over the counter, salicylate overdose both accidental and intentional is a common problem.4

Aspirin is classed as a weak acid with a pKa of 3.5. An overdose of Aspirin can be reversed by making the urine more alkaline, increasing urine pH by giving sodium carbonate can help speed up the excretion of a weak acid such as Aspirin.5 The pKa of a drug cannot be changed, but we can change the pH of different bodily fluids and compartments, to increase absorption or excretion of a drug. So, understanding pH and pKa is very useful in treating overdose!...