Many patients have suffered from Pradaxa side effects and complications. Complications associated with the anticoagulant medication have ranged from gastrointestinal bleeding, heart attack, stroke, brain hemorrhage, death, kidney bleeding, and internal bleeding.

Pradaxa (dabigatran) became approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010. Since then, patients have reported suffering from severe injuries and complications.

Although approved to help prevent blood clots and reduce the risk of strokes, it was quickly linked to serious injuries including severe internal bleeding. If you or someone close to you have suffered Pradaxa side effects and complications, you may be eligible to file a Pradaxa side effects lawsuit.

Pradaxa Side Effects

Pradaxa has been found to cause a number of serious and possibly life-threatening injuries. Some Pradaxa side effects include:

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

Pradaxa (dabigatran) is a relatively new anticoagulant medication part of a class of medications known as Direct Thrombin Inhibitors. The drug is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.

However, although believed at the time of its FDA approval to be a superior drug to other anticoagulant medications such as Coumadin (warfarin) for its ability to require less patient monitoring and very little or no diet change, patients were quickly found to suffer severe Pradaxa side effects including internal bleeding.

Compounding the bleeding risk was that, although medication such as warfarin provided an antidote (the administration of vitamin K) to reduce internal bleeding side effects, no such counteracting medication or substance was able to help stop Pradaxa patients from suffering internal bleeding effects. It wasn’t until October 2015 that the FDA approved Pradaxa’s reversal agent, Praxbind (idarucizumab). Before then, there had been no counteracting medication for Pradaxa.

Within the first three  months of Pradaxa’s FDA approval, the agency received 307 reports of severe internal bleeding complications, gastrointestinal bleeding, and other severe Pradaxa side effects and complications. Additionally, almost 260 alleged death reports were said to be due to Pradaxa side effects and complications. Pradaxa side effects in death related cases were due to complications such as hemorrhage, stroke, and internal bleeding side effects.

Pradaxa side effects and complications may include some of the following symptoms as well: frequent nosebleeds, bleeding from the gums, discolored urine, red or black stools, coughing up blood, and possibly vomiting blood.

Lawsuits filed against Pradaxa’s manufacturer claim that the company knew of these serious adverse side effects and complications but failed to notify patients of their likelihood.

Although anticoagulant medications are known for their risk of internal bleeding side effects, lawsuits claim that Pradaxa has an increased risk of “excessive” bleeding that patients were never warned about. The FDA released a warning notification advising of Pradaxa side effects for internal bleeding in December 2011.

If you or someone you know are eligible to file a Pradaxa side effects lawsuit, a lawsuit may help with medical expenses, financial damages, time away from work, and even time away to help and care for a loved one that suffered from Pradaxa side effects.