A blood thinner is an important medication for a patient who faces the possibility of more serious medical conditions. When a doctor recommends a blood thinner, he or she relies on the drug company’s marketing materials when making a decision along with the patient.

There are many different blood thinner medications on the market, one of them being Pradaxa. Complaints from users of Pradaxa point out the problems with internal bleeding. Some of the internal bleeds linked to taking Pradaxa as recommended by the manufacturer have even been mentioned in lawsuits filed by a harmed patient.

Patients who are taking a medication as prescribed by their physicians might not be aware of blood thinner Pradaxa risks which have become more well understood in light of recent academic studies and adverse event reports. Several studies have indicated that the blood thinner may come with a higher risk of gastrointestinal bleeding for certain patients.

According to WebMD, gastrointestinal bleeding, when not reported quickly by the patient and addressed by the physician, could become life threatening.

Pradaxa was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2010 to prevent stroke for people who were at high risk. One of the major selling points of the medication when it came on the market was that it did not require the frequent blood tests that the previous medication, warfarin, did.

As with all medications, the blood thinner Pradaxa comes with risks. However, some of these side effects are severe and, according to patients, were not presented to them at the time that they received the prescription for the drug.

Pradaxa works by lowering the patient’s chance of having a stroke because it prevents blood clots from forming. According to the drug website, those patients who suddenly discontinue their use of Pradaxa might have an increased risk of forming a clot in their blood.

A study published in the journal Circulation involved an analysis of more than 134,000 patients, all of them receiving Medicare benefits who took either warfarin or Pradaxa for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

The study identified that Pradaxa was linked with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke and hemorrhage in the brain and death when compared with warfarin. However, there was reportedly a much higher risk of brain hemorrhage or major stomach bleeding. Those patients who were taking 150 mg doses of Pradaxa twice a day had a more pronounced risk for these severe side effects. The possibility of internal bleeding presents immediate and serious risks for a patient.

A number of patients have already alleged in lawsuits against the drug maker that they were exposed to unnecessary dangers and had to deal with life threatening internal bleeds and the associated complications because of the manufacturer’s alleged failure to warn. They claim that the makers of the drug should have done more to explain the risks.