Xarelto is an anticoagulant, more commonly called a blood thinner. However, serious Xarelto side effects may outweigh the benefits of the drug.

Xarelto may also be used by patients with atrial fibrillation (a heart rhythm disorder) to decrease the risk of stroke from a blood clot. Xarelto is also used to treat deep vein thrombosis, which can lead to blood clots in the lungs, known as pulmonary embolisms.

Xarelto is manufactured by Bayer and is known generically as rivaroxaban.

Xarelto Side Effects

The most common Xarelto side effects are muscle pain, itching or pain in the arms or legs.

Some patients could be allergic to Xarelto. Signs of an allergic reaction include hives, difficulty breathing and swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat.

Among other Xarelto problems is that a very serious blood clot can form around the spinal cord if a patient undergoes a spinal tap or receives spinal anesthesia (epidural). This type of blood clot could cause long-term paralysis, and may be more likely to occur if the patient has:

• a genetic spinal defect;
• a spinal catheter in place;
• a history of spinal surgery or repeated spinal taps;
• recently had a spinal tap or epidural anesthesia;
• taken an NSAID – Advil, Aleve, Motrin, and others; or
• taken other medicines to treat or prevent blood clots.

Internal Bleeding Issues

Xarelto belongs to a new breed of anticoagulants that provide uniform doses for everyone, however some patients tolerate it better than others. Internal bleeding is a possible Xarelto side effect, and can range from minor bleeding to fatality.

The FDA has issued two black box warnings because of Xarelto side effects. A black box warning is a step taken before a drug is pulled off the market.

Most alarming of all Xarelto side effects is, if someone is bleeding out, there is no antidote for Xarelto. As of now, there are no instructions for ER physicians to control bleeding induced by the drug’s blood thinning properties, which has led to thousands of Xarelto lawsuits.

The FDA warns that medical help should be sought immediately at any of these signs of bleeding:

• unexpected bleeding or bleeding that lasts a long time, such as nose bleeds that happen often, unusual bleeding from the gums or menstrual bleeding that is heavier than normal or vaginal bleeding
• bleeding that is severe or you cannot control
• red, pink or brown urine
• bright red or black stools (looks like tar)
• cough up blood
• vomit blood or your vomit looks like “coffee grounds”
• headaches, feeling dizzy or weak

Uncontrolled high blood or an ulcer can also make a person more susceptible to internal bleeding.

Xarelto Side Effect: Poor Wound Healing

In addition to bleeding complications, Xarelto lawsuits also allege the drug interferes with wound healing.

The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery came out with a study in 2012 that said researchers looked at more than 13,000 patients who had knee or hip surgery who took either Xarelto or Heparin. The patients who had taken Xarelto had almost four times the risk of wound complications, including infections and leakage.

Surgeons reported that those with complications who had taken Xarelto sometimes ended up needing implants removed because of poor wound healing. Others had to stay on antibiotics for weeks or even months to get rid of terrible infections.

Xarelto Problems

If you or someone you love has taken Xarelto and experienced poor wound healing, internal bleeding, spinal blood clots or other Xarelto side effects, you could benefit from a class action lawsuit.