One of the most popular blood thinner medications, Pradaxa, has been linked, despite its popularity, with severe and even fatal Pradaxa bleeding injuries.

While it’s true that any medication can be expected to carry with it some side effects, Pradaxa bleeding injuries may offer more risk than reward, complaints say.

Background of Pradaxa

Pradaxa (also known by its generic name, dabigatran) was approved as a blood thinner by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010.

It is one of several blood thinners that have moved into the drug market as replacements for warfarin, which has acted as the staple blood thinner for years.

One of the improvements Pradaxa and other drugs like it sought to make on warfarin is getting rid of the need for constant blood monitoring checkups.

Pradaxa does not require this kind of constant checkup, and though it is significantly more expensive than warfarin, many patients are willing to pay the difference if it means no blood monitoring.

Indeed, millions of blood thinner users have switched to Pradaxa, though the drug has only been available for a few years total. Because of this drastic change, if Pradaxa is linked with serious Pradaxa bleeding injuries, then an alarming number of Americans may be affected by these risks. 

Pradaxa Bleeding Injuries

One of the most dangerous side effects associated with Pradaxa is internal bleeding.

While blood clotting is normally a bad thing for the body and can lead to dangerous problems, which is why people use anticoagulants used in the first place, there are rare situations in which the body uses blood clots to protect itself.

Blood clotting can be a life-saving thing in the event of an emergency like a car crash or an emergency surgery. To prevent the body from losing too much blood, it forms blood clots, helping to slow the blood flow and increase a patient’s risk of survival.

Unfortunately, anticoagulant users may be at an increased of severe of fatal bleeding because their bodies are unable to form life-saving blood clots.

Pradaxa bleeding injuries can result in a number of serious complications, some of which may be lasting or fatal in nature.

Some of these Pradaxa bleeding injuries include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Heart attacks
• Liver failure
• Major bleeding
• Death

Major bleeding is also a warfarin side effect, but warfarin has an advantage over Pradaxa in this case: warfarin has an antidote to stop excess bleeding, a reversal agent that can be used to prevent a patient from losing too much blood.

However, since Pradaxa did not have a reversal agent for the first five years it was on the market, major bleeding side effects were much more dangerous. Even now, the reversal agent Praxabind may not be available at all hospitals in case of emergency.

Pradaxa Bleeding Injuries Lawsuits

Though Pradaxa is inarguably popular across the country, a growing number of Pradaxa users are filing both complaints and lawsuits about allegedly severe Pradaxa bleeding injuries. These lawsuit claim that Pradaxa is more dangerous than other blood thinners, and offers far more danger than benefit.

Lawsuits against Pradaxa’s manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, claim that the company either knew or should have known about the possibility of serious Pradaxa bleeding injuries, but failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community about them.

Already, thousands of Pradaxa users have filed lawsuits against Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.

While filing a Pradaxa lawsuit cannot negate the pain and suffering caused by these severe complications, it can help compensate for financial expenses from medical bills and lost wages incurred by Pradaxa bleeding injuries.

If you or someone you love has taken Pradaxa and subsequently experienced Pradaxa bleeding injuries or other major complications, you may be able to file a Pradaxa lawsuit.