Those who need to take blood thinning medication often turn to Pradaxa, a newer anticoagulant that is taken by many people. However, most patients do not know that the risks of Pradaxa include uncontrollable bleeding and other serious side effects.

Pradaxa, generically known as dabigatran, is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. It was approved in 2010 to be an alternative to the industry standard blood thinner, warfarin.

When it entered the market, patients were encouraged to take Pradaxa because it required less lifestyle changes than warfarin. Patients were reportedly told that they did not need to change their diet when they took Pradaxa, and its dosing was only once per day.

However, when a patient takes any kind of blood thinning medication, there are always risks of uncontrollable bleeding situations. Some blood thinners should have antidotes to reverse excessive bleeding in the case of an injury or other emergency situation. Warfarin patients, if experiencing an excessive bleeding situations, need only to be administered Vitamin K by hospital staff to stop uncontrollable bleeding.

However, when Pradaxa was released to the public in 2010, there were no approved antidotes for excessive bleeding in Pradaxa patients. Patients who took Pradaxa at that time were not aware that the risks of Pradaxa included excessive bleeding without a proper reversal agent.

In those initial years, many Pradaxa patients suffered from internal bleeding events that were unable to be controlled by their doctors. Different types of uncontrollable bleeding events are among the risks of Pradaxa. These include gastrointestinal bleeding, brain bleeding and rectal bleeding.

Gastrointestinal bleeding is a reported side effect among the risks of Pradaxa. In 2014, the FDA warned patients and the medical community that the risks of Pradaxa include gastrointestinal bleeding. In fact, in a large scale clinical trial, Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding rates were 1.59 percent each year.

Brain bleeding is also among the risks of Pradaxa. This, if it happens, can be as deadly and dangerous as a stroke. Patients also reported incidents of rectal bleeding and the use of Pradaxa.

There are certain symptoms of Pradaxa bleeding that patients can be on the lookout for. These include dizziness or weakness, nose bleeds, pink or brown urine, headaches, red or black stool, bleeding from the gums, joint swelling or discomfort and unexplained bruises.

Other Risks of Pradaxa

Besides uncontrollable internal bleeding events, there are other dangerous risks of Pradaxa. These risks of Pradaxa include gastrointestinal events, allergic reactions and heart attack.