Product liability attorneys are currently looking for potential plaintiffs who suffered from Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding to bring lawsuits against Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.

Paradox lawsuits against the company may allege that the pharmaceutical manufacturer failed to warn the medical community and the general public about dangerous bleeding side effects.

Pradaxa is a popular anticoagulant prescribed by medical professionals in the United States. Pradaxa is generically known as dabigatran. The blood thinner works to prevent blood platelets from sticking together and forming a blood clot.

The medication is often prescribed to patients with atrial fibrillation who are at risk for stroke and blood clots. Medical professionals also prescribe the medication to treat deep vein thrombosis, meaning blood clots in the legs, and pulmonary embolisms, meaning blood clots in the lungs.

Pradaxa Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Pradaxa became available on the market back in 2010 and belongs to a new generation of blood thinners that claim to be superior to the more traditional anticoagulant medication Coumadin, also known as warfarin.

While it is common knowledge that blood thinners are associated with high risks of bleeding, in 2011 the FDA released a warning to users of Pradaxa about serious risks of uncontrolled bleeding.

Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding, or bleeding of stomach and other gastrointestinal organs, is one of the common bleeding side effects associated with taking Pradaxa. Bleeding of the stomach caused by Pradaxa can be life threatening if the body is unable to form a clot.

Gastrointestinal bleeding is bleeding that spontaneously occurs along the gastrointestinal tract. Gastrointestinal bleeding does not only include bleeding of the stomach.   It can include the esophagus, the small intestine, the large intestine, the rectum, and the anus.

Symptoms of Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding include dark stool, bloody stool, vomiting blood, anemia, large amounts of blood passing through the rectum, and low blood count.

Intestinal Bleeding Treatment

When patients taking Coumadin experience uncontrolled internal bleeding, they can be given a dose of vitamin K mixed with fresh or frozen plasma. Pradaxa had no FDA approved reversal agent until very recently. Intestinal bleeding treatment can be very difficult.

For many medical professionals the difficulty involved in finding a successful intestinal bleeding treatment is locating the source of the bleed. Patients who have been taking blood thinners for an extended period of time can be even more difficult to treat because the medications prevent the blood from clotting.

Intestinal bleeding treatment for patients on blood thinners is easier when the blood thinning medication has an antidote.

Pradaxa Lawsuits

Patients who have taken Pradaxa and suffered from negative side effects may be able to bring a Pradaxa lawsuit. Deciding to bring a lawsuit is a big life decision that should be made after weighing the facts and circumstances surrounding the a persons potential case.

Successful plaintiffs may receive compensation for the pain and suffering they experienced as well as payment for their past and future medical bills. Lawsuits like these also help hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for their actions and remind these companies that they owe their consumers a specific duty of care.