I take warfarin (generic coumadin) and have for about 15 years. I discussed changing to Pradaxa with my cardiologist when that drug first came out, I decided not to use it because of cost (warfarin cost about 12 cents a day) and the fact I do well on warfarin, albeit I have to have my blood coagulation tested once a month. Recently I have seen a lot of "bad news" about Pradaxa including law firm adds looking for new participants in a class action suit, as I understand it...I could have that all wrong.
My cardiologist would not let me stop warfarin even when in NSR. I had two period each about 1.5 years long when I was in NSR, but I always go back to AFib. Yes, I too would have preferred not to be on warfarin when in NSR...but my cardiologist was concerned that I might go into AFib while sleeping and go back into NSR when I wake up and not know that I was having periods of AFib.
As said, I use warfarin, noting it too has risks and problems. For example, even with an INR between 2 and 3, when I got a number of scratches on my right arm due to reaching under some chicken wire around my vegetable garden the wire scratches appear to have caused bleed under the skin, so now I have a number of red spots on that arm. I expect they will dissolve and are only a cosmetic problem - they are not permanent like my age spots.
Sorry, but from what I've heard, Pradaxa can be a very dangerous drug. I take Coumadin and feel it is quite safe. A cousin of ours started on Pradaxa almost 2 months ago, ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks and almost bled to death. He's in his late 60's. He had to have many units of blood but did pull through and is scheduled for an ablation on the 13th of Sept.