Many people taking Pradaxa may not be aware of the serious complications that can result from its use.

In fact, many users of Pradaxa are elderly patients who may completely trust in the expertise of their doctors and not question their medical advice.

However, without adequate warnings from the drug’s manufacturer, many doctors may not be aware of all of the possible complications that can result from the use of a drug.

Of course, doctors generally prescribe a medication when they feel that the benefits outweigh the risks for the patient.

But for patients who experienced a Pradaxa intracranial hemorrhage, they may not be convinced that taking the medication was worth the risk.

What is Pradaxa?

Pradaxa is a blood thinner medication known as a new generation oral anticoagulants.

For the previous 60 years before Pradaxa was introduced to the market, the blood thinner of choice was warfarin. Pradaxa was seen as an improvement over warfarin in that it required less medical monitoring of patients and did not restrict the diets of patients.

Pradaxa is prescribed to patients with atrial fibrillation to prevent heart attack and stroke that can result from blood clots forming in the heart from atrial fibrillation’s abnormal heart rhythm.

Prevention of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and PE (pulmonary embolism) are also FDA-approved indications for Pradaxa.

These conditions arise from blood clots forming in the veins of the lower body lower body and traveling to the upper body (DVT), possibly reaching the lungs (PE) where they can cause a potentially fatal embolism.

Complications of Pradaxa

The way Pradaxa works is by blocking the body’s natural mechanism to form clots. Those who are prone to clotting then have their blood “thinned” so clots are less likely to occur.

The way Pradaxa prevents clots is the same way Pradaxa can lead to complications. By blocking the body’s clotting mechanism, when there is a need for the body to form a clot, it is less able to do so.

When there is an internal bleed and the body needs to be able to form a clot in order to stop the bleeding, it forms clots much less readily in patients who are taking Pradaxa.

This can lead to uncontrolled internal bleeding such as Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding or intracranial hemorrhage.

Pradaxa’s Risk of Internal Bleeding

Pradaxa intracranial hemorrhage occurs when there is a bleed on the brain that may not be controllable.

When there is a warfarin-introduced intracranial hemorrhage, doctors were able to administer fresh frozen plasma and intravenous vitamin K to reverse the clotting effects of the drug and restore the body’s natural clotting mechanism.

For the first five years on the market, Pradaxa had no antidote to reverse internal bleeding, and some patients experienced bleeding that in some cases was fatal. There is a new Pradaxa antidote called Praxbind that can currently be used.

However, many patients did not have this luxury when there was no pharmaceutical way to reverse Pradaxa internal bleeding.

Filing a Pradaxa Intracranial Hemorrhage Lawsuit

Some patients who have experienced Pradaxa intracranial hemorrhage feel that the manufacturer did not do enough to adequately warn patients and physicians of the severe complications that could arise from the use of the anticoagulant drug.

Many patients and their families have gone on to file Pradaxa intracranial hemorrhage lawsuits against the manufacturer, and so many have been filed, in fact, that they have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation.

Some of these claims have been resolved. However, many others still remain as the families await justice over their allegations of wrongdoing.

A Pradaxa attorney is the best possible resource to assist you in exploring your legal options.