An Introduction to Pradaxa Side Effects
Just like any medicine,
Pradaxa® (
dabigatran etexilate mesylate) can cause side effects. As with most drugs that affect the blood's ability to form clots, Pradaxa can cause serious side effects (mostly related to the risk of bleeding).
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Pradaxa. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list with you.)
Common Side Effects of Pradaxa
In studies, Pradaxa was compared to
warfarin (
Coumadin®,
Jantoven®), the standard drug used for anticoagulation in people with
atrial fibrillation. In these studies, the possible side effects of each medication were recorded and compared.
Up to 35 percent of people taking Pradaxa experienced gastrointestinal problems, compared to 24 percent of people taking warfarin. These gastrointestinal problems included but were not limited to:
The other common side effect of Pradaxa is bleeding. Bleeding side effects included:
- Any bleeding -- in up to 16.6 percent of people taking Pradaxa (compared to 18.4 percent with warfarin)
- Major (serious) bleeding -- up to 3.3 percent (compared to 3.6 percent with warfarin)
- Life-threatening bleeding -- up to 1.5 percent (compared to 1.9 percent with warfarin)
- Bleeding in the brain -- up to 0.3 percent (compared to 0.8 percent with warfarin).
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