If you have been affected by side effects of the popular blood thinner Pradaxa, you may want to consult a Pradaxa injury attorney about your legal options.

Pradaxa Background

Pradaxa (also known as dabigatran, its generic name) is a relatively recent blood thinner belonging to a new generation of anticoagulants designed to compete with the old staple blood thinner, warfarin.

Pradaxa and other anticoagulants are prescribed to prevent dangerous blood clotting. Blood clots can lead to serious problems, including pulmonary embolism and stroke.

Patients who are at an increased risk of stroke or similar conditions are often prescribed Pradaxa to reduce the risk of clotting, and therefore reduce the risk of developing one of these more dangerous conditions.

Pradaxa has long been marketed as the newer, simpler blood thinner, especially in comparison to the previous go-to anticoagulant, warfarin. Warfarin continues to require frequent blood testing to go along with the drug. A major selling point of Pradaxa, for many users, is that it does not require this sort of constant monitoring.

While many patients have chosen to switch over to Pradaxa, believing it to be a better alternative to warfarin, it also comes with some additional problems. Pradaxa has been linked with a number of serious side effects, including major bleeding problems.

Pradaxa side effects can be very mild and go away on their own, but they can also be very severe or even life-threatening. Mild side effects include abdominal pain, diarrhea, indigestion, itching, and skin rashes.

Serious Pradaxa injuries, however, may include the following:

• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Liver failure
• Major bleeding
• Death

Warfarin is also linked with major bleeding problems, just like Pradaxa and other anticoagulants. However, patients who suffer from major bleeding problems from warfarin are more likely to recover, since warfarin has an antidote available to stop excess bleeding and prevent a patient from losing too much blood.

But for the first several years Pradaxa was on the market, there was no available reversal agent that could help get Pradaxa bleeding under control.

Getting Help from a Pradaxa Injury Attorney

These serious Pradaxa bleeding side effects have driven many Pradaxa users to file products liability lawsuits against Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, the drug’s manufacturer.

Thousands of Pradaxa lawsuits allege that the manufacturer failed to adequately warn both the public and the medical community about their drug’s life-threatening bleeding side effects.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals has reached settlements for previous Pradaxa lawsuits, but the company has still denied wrongdoing in these cases.

Hiring a Pradaxa injury attorney cannot take away the pain and suffering of these side effects, but it can help provide compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

A knowledgeable Pradaxa injury attorney can help you understand your own situation – what your legal rights and remedies are, and how to navigate the procedures for filing a Pradaxa lawsuit.

If you or someone you know has taken Pradaxa and has subsequently experienced any adverse side effects of Pradaxa, such as excessive bleeding or brain hemorrhaging, you may have cause for filing a Pradaxa bleeding lawsuit.