Chicago Attorneys for Dangerous Blood Thinner Drugs
We turn to medications to solve health problems, not create new ones. Yet, sometimes, drugs we think are safe and effective can have the opposite effect. These medications can cause significant side effects, medical complications, and even death.
You trust your doctor, and your doctor trusts the medical information they receive from pharmaceutical manufacturers. When this information is false, inaccurate, or incomplete, lives are put at risk.
The Chicago dangerous drug lawyers with Karlin, Fleisher & Falkenberg, LLC are committed to helping those injured by dangerous medications hold pharmaceutical companies accountable. We know it can feel like an uphill battle, but we believe our legal team has what it takes to fight for you. We have already helped clients recover more than $400 million.
If you’ve taken a blood-thinning drug and suffered a significant and unexpected side effect, call our office at 312-346-8620 to set up a confidential legal consultation.
What Are Blood Thinners?
Anticoagulant drugs are commonly referred to as blood thinners. Anticoagulants are a classification of drugs that prevent blood from clotting easily. These drugs may also help break down existing blood clots to help prevent significant medical conditions, such as heart attacks and strokes.
Blood contains a variety of cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. When the body is injured, blood begins to coagulate or clot at the site of the injury. The platelets in the blood begin to clump together, thicken, and form a mass. These clots are supposed to help prevent excess bleeding and protect the wound from sources of infection. When the wound heals, the blood clot will dissolve naturally. Unfortunately, not all blood clots form at the site of a wound or cut. Sometimes platelets clump together and form clots inside blood vessels. These clots can pose significant risks to a person’s health.
Anticoagulation drugs or blood thinners interfere with the normal blood clotting process, helping to prevent the blood from clotting too easily. Blood thinners can be given to a patient intravenously or can be taken orally. Blood-thinning drugs must generally be prescribed by a medical doctor.
What Conditions Do Blood Thinners Treat?
Internal blood clots can be dangerous for several reasons. Clots that line blood vessels can grow as platelets continue to clump together. Eventually, these clots can obstruct the blood vessel and restrict blood flow to major organs, causing potentially life-threatening problems. Over time, blood clots can also dislodge from blood vessels and travel freely through the bloodstream. When a clot is large enough, it can become stuck in smaller blood vessels, blocking vital blood flow. Blockages caused by blood clots can result in a heart attack or a stroke.
Blood thinners are commonly used to help prevent clots from forming and potentially break down blood clots that may already be present. Generally, these medications are prescribed to people at risk for:
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Pulmonary embolism
Blood thinners may also be used to protect patients who have a medical condition or disease that makes them more prone to developing dangerous blood clots, including:
- Heart surgery patients
- Heart valve replacement recipients
- Those with atrial fibrillation
- Blood clotting disorders such as Factor V Leiden, antiphospholipid syndrome, and the prothrombin gene mutation
- Those with a history of deep vein thrombosis
Individuals who are obese, using supplemental estrogen, or who take certain cancer drugs may also be at risk for developing blood clots and may need blood thinning medication.
The Dangers Blood Thinners Can Pose
Blood thinners can certainly decrease a person’s risk of developing dangerous blood clots but using these drugs doesn’t come without risk. Studies have linked some blood-thinning medications to dangerous side effects. Reports have found that popular blood-thinning drugs like Xarelto and Pradaxa are connected to higher rates of side effects like serious or uncontrolled bouts of internal bleeding.
Eliquis is another popular blood thinning drug that manufacturers claimed to be a safer alternative to drugs like Coumadin and Xarelto. However, questions have been raised about potentially faulty and misleading clinical studies completed before FDA approval of the drug. These concerns were brought to light through a series of class action lawsuits filed against the manufacturer of the drug by patients and families injured and killed by the drug.
Unfortunately, these drugs can cause potentially devastating and life-altering medical complications and side effects. Some of the dangers that these drugs may pose to patients include:
- Abnormal internal bleeding
- Reduced platelet levels
- Brain hemorrhage
- Kidney bleeding
- Abnormal liver function
- Death
Patients injured by these blood-thinning drugs claim that manufacturers failed to warn the public about the potential dangers the drugs pose.
What Can You Do If You’ve Been Injured by Taking Blood Thinners?
Drug manufacturers have a responsibility to provide physicians and patients with relevant information on a drug’s potentially adverse side effects. When they fail to protect the public and do not disclose the potential side effects of their drugs, pharmaceutical companies can potentially be held liable. Unfortunately, most people find the prospect of taking on a major pharmaceutical company overwhelming.
At Karlin, Fleisher & Falkenberg, LLC, we recognize how daunting it can be to go head-to-head with the pharmaceutical industry. These companies have seemingly endless resources and power. However, at Karlin, Fleisher & Falkenberg, LLC, we believe that you deserve justice and fair compensation for your injuries. Our legal team is ready to fight for you and use our extensive network of resources and legal knowledge to help you achieve the most favorable outcome possible for your case.
Contact Our Dangerous Drug Attorneys Today
Cases against pharmaceutical manufacturers can be challenging. There may be tough days ahead, but at Karlin, Fleisher & Falkenberg, LLC, you don’t have to go through those difficult days alone. Our Chicago attorneys will stand by you through every step in the legal process and help hold negligent pharmaceutical companies accountable for their actions.
Has taking a blood thinning drug caused adverse reactions and jeopardized your health? Talk to an experienced dangerous drug attorney with Karlin, Fleisher & Falkenberg, LLC about your potential case.
For answers to some commonly asked questions, please see our FAQ page or call us at 312-346-8620 to set up a confidential legal consultation.