A Kentucky woman says she suffered a stroke and GI bleeding after taking Xarelto.

Plaintiff Connie B. has filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of Xarelto in Louisiana federal court after she allegedly suffered from adverse effects and complications after taking Xarelto.

She has filed the Xarelto lawsuit against manufacturers Janssen Pharmaceuticals and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson.

According to the stroke and GI bleeding lawsuit, Connie is a citizen and resident of the state of Kentucky. She was prescribed Xarelto in October 2013 as a way to reduce the risk of stroke associated with atrial fibrillation, a type of abnormal heart rhythm. She stopped her use of the medication in November 2016.

According to the stroke and GI bleeding lawsuit, Connie had “suffered serious and dangerous side effects including but not limited to, life-threatening bleeding, as well as other severe and personal injuries which are permanent and lasting in nature, physical pain and mental anguish, diminished enjoyment of life, and financial expenses for hospitalization and medical care.”

The stroke and GI bleeding lawsuit alleges that Connie suffered from a gastrointestinal bleed on Nov. 8, 2016 and a stroke a few days later. She says she suffered from “life-threatening, irreversible bleeding from the use of Xarelto, as well as severe pain and suffering.”

The Stroke and GI Bleeding Lawsuit Join MDL

Connie’s claim is filed as part of a large multidistrict litigation, or MDL, centered on allegation that the anticoagulant medication Xarelto causes patients to suffer from gastrointestinal bleeding along with other side effects and complications.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its use of Xarelto in 2011. Xarelto is also known as rivaroxaban.

As a relatively new anticoagulant medication, it is prescribed to help treat patients who suffer the risks of developing blood clots. Patients with atrial fibrillation take Xarelto to reduce the risk of stroke, and recent hip and knee replacement patients use it to reduce the risk of blood clot injuries.

Xarelto is also prescribed to treat patients with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is the condition of developing a blood clot in the body’s lower extremity. Pulmonary embolism, or PE, is the formation of a blood clot reaching and blocking one or more arteries in the lungs.

Some side effects reported in connection with Xarelto include gastrointestinal bleeding, uncontrollable internal bleeding, hemorrahaging, and ishemic stroke.

FDA Reports on Xarelto

According to the FDA, there have been several adverse event reports filed with the federal agency. In 2012, there were almost 1,734 adverse event reports filed with the FDA pertaining to adverse side effects and conditions such as uncontrollable bleeding effects and hemorrhaging.

The Stroke and GI Bleeding Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-11980-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The Xarelto MDL is MDL No. 2592, also in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.