While any blood thinner will increase a patient’s likelihood of suffering from internal bleeding problems, some anticoagulants may pose more of a risk than others. Indeed, a growing number of lawsuits allege that for a period of time, the popular blood thinning drug Pradaxa was a serious risk for patients because of the lack of Pradaxa bleeding reversal agent.

While a Pradaxa bleeding reversal agent has now been introduced, a slew of patients may have suffered from serious consequences of the anticoagulant between its FDA approval in 2010 and the introduction of its reversal agent.

If you or someone you love has suffered from major bleeding complications because of Pradaxa, you may be able to file a Pradaxa lawsuit.

Basics of Pradaxa

Blood thinners, also known as anticoagulants, are a common treatment for blood clotting, a condition that can cause serious injuries or even fatal complications.

Pradaxa is one of the most popular anticoagulant options, manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. Pradaxa was introduced to the market after approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010, less than a decade ago. Pradaxa is also sold under its generic name, dabigatran.

Unfortunately, Pradaxa use has been linked with serious complications.

Pradaxa Bleeding Complications

While any anticoagulant can cause excessive bruising and bleeding, some patients say the blood-thinner Pradaxa is more dangerous than its manufacturer lets on.

The function of an anticoagulant is to lessen blood clotting, and an unavoidable side effect of this is a tendency to bruise more easily and bleed more freely. In general, this doesn’t become too much of an issue. Patients may simply notice more bruises than usual.

In a serious internal bleeding event, however, a patient may bleed excessively to the point of severe complications like brain hemorrhaging—or, in the worst cases, even death. Some patients argue Pradaxa’s risks are more severe than patients and their doctors were led to believe.

Even with these potential bleeding problems, anticoagulants generally come with an antidote to reverse the effects. Warfarin, the leading blood-thinner option for decades, and other anticoagulants have available antidotes. There was a period of time after Pradaxa’s release onto the market when it lacked such an antidote, placing patients at serious risk. Pradaxa now has an antidote available to counteract its side effects, but it may have come too late for some patients.

The danger posed by these blood-thinner safety problems is significant: hundreds of Pradaxa bleeding problems have resulted in fatalities so far.

Pradaxa has been associated with a number of bleeding complications, including:

• Internal bleeding
• Kidney bleeding
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Brain Hemorrhage
• Death

Filing a Pradaxa Lawsuit

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed over Pradaxa bleeding complications, alleging that the manufacturer offered inadequate safety warnings.

If you or someone you love has suffered from serious complications like internal bleeding after taking Pradaxa, you may be able to file a Pradaxa lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by excessive bleeding problems, but it can help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical expenses and lost wages.