About 6 million people in the United States are being treated with blood thinners. Last year, about one in 30 of those patients were admitted to the hospital for bleeding complications associated with blood thinners like Eliquis, Xarelto, and Pradaxa.

A recent study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery warned that there is an extreme lack of experimental and clinical data available for doctors who need to stop Eliquis bleeding or other blood thinner bleeds to save patients’ lives.

Researchers from Pennsylvania universities and medical centers compared data from new blood thinners like Eliquis and old anticoagulants, like Warfarin, and found blood thinner users are at a significant risk if they stop using these drugs and may be at greater danger of developing brain bleeds and thrombotic events.

“To date, there are no human studies of reversal agents in patients who require rapid (Eliquis) reversal,” the researchers warned. They found that in clinical studies using rabbits, Eliquis “resulted in increased blood loss, lengthened bleeding time, and clotting time. Some treatments reduced bleeding time, clotting time and prothrombin time, but only vitamin-k based treatments had any success in reducing actual blood loss.”

The Problem With Blood Thinners

Blood thinners, like Eliquis, are often prescribed to people who have a high risk of developing blood clots that could prevent the free flow of blood through arteries, potentially causing a stroke. Blood clots can also lead to other serious health conditions, including deep vein thrombosis (clotting that causes swelling in the legs and thighs), pulmonary bleeding, and gastrointestinal bleeding.

While anticoagulants like Eliquis are vital to the health of many patients, there are risks associated with their use. The possibility that the drug will cause internal bleeding is one of the most serious concerns.

For years, Warfarin has been the most frequently prescribed blood thinner. However, the correct dosage of Warfarin is difficult to control and an incorrect dosage can cause internal bleeding and other health problems. Fortunately, an antidote to Warfarin is available that can be administered to patients who experience internal bleeding as a result of using the drug.

Eliquis is the most recent anticoagulant to enter the market and was developed jointly by Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was expected to approve Eliquis in 2012 but it delayed its approval until this year for the treatment of pulmonary embolisms and deep vein thrombosis.

Like all blood thinners, there is a risk that Eliquis will produce internal bleeding. Since Eliquis is just entering the market, there is no way to know whether Eliquis side effects will be as severe as Pradaxa and Xarelto side effects.

Patients should bear in mind, however, that Eliquis shares the most serious problem associated with the other two drugs: the lack of an antidote that will reverse its anticoagulant effects.