Pradaxa is one of the most popular anticoagulants, or blood thinners, available on the market today. However, more and more patients are coming forward, alleging they suffered from major complications after using the medication, including Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding. Some are beginning to file lawsuits over this dangerous side effect, claiming that they should have been better warned of the risk.

Background of Pradaxa

For decades, the staple anticoagulant medication was warfarin—which you may better recognize under its brand name, Coumadin. In recent years, however, newer anticoagulants have begun to take warfarin’s place. In 2010, Pradaxa (also known as dabigatran) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as an anticoagulant, and has rapidly grown in popularity since then to become a new standard treatment.

Pradaxa and other blood thinners are primarily used to treat or prevent blood clots and conditions related to clotting. Blood clotting problems can be serious or even life-threatening, like a stroke. Patients who suffer from conditions that place them at risk of developing blood clots often take anticoagulants to limit this risk. For many of these patients, preventing blood clots is an important preventative measure to avoid dangerous health risks. Unfortunately, Pradaxa also carries with it the risk of serious complications.

Pradaxa Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Of course, any medication will come with certain mild or rare side effects. For anticoagulants, it is normal for side effects to include excessive bruising or bleeding—by the very nature of the drug. In most cases, this isn’t an issue. In some instances, however, excessive bleeding problems can be severe, such as in the case of an emergency surgery, accident, or gastrointestinal bleeding.

When a person suffers from Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding, their body counteracts the problem by forming blood clots. However, since the purpose of an anticoagulant is to prevent blood clotting, a person taking these medications may be unable to form these blood clots in the event of a bleeding emergency, placing them at risk of serious injury or even death. Blood clots, usually dangerous, are in these cases life-saving.

In order to prevent these excessive bleeding problems, most anticoagulants come with antidotes that will reverse the drug’s effects, allowing the blood to clot and help slow or stop the bleeding.

However, this risk of Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding is further heightened by the fact that there was a time when there was no available antidote to reverse the anticoagulant’s effects. Indeed, Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding is the drug’s most significant side effect, and can lead to serious injuries like brain hemorrhaging or even death. Over 500 of the 3,781 reported Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding complications in 2011 resulted in fatalities.

Filing Pradaxa Gastrointestinal Bleeding Lawsuit

Thousands of lawsuits have so far been filed against Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Pradaxa’s manufacturer, claiming that patients suffered serious side effects including Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding.

Lawsuits allege that the manufacturer failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community about the Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding complications linked with their drug.

If you or someone you love has taken Pradaxa and has subsequently experienced Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding or related injuries, you may be able to file a lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit cannot reverse injuries or bring a loved one back to life, but it can help to alleviate the financial expenses from medical care or lost wages.