Cymbalta is prescribed to individuals who have been diagnosed with health problems including major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and musculoskeletal pain.

However, Cymbalta side effects can be minor or debilitating, as many users face a lengthy withdrawal process.

Cymbalta was initially marketed as a treatment for depression, but soon doctors began prescribing it for anxiety, muscle pain, stress urinary incontinence and even diabetic neuropathy. The medication works by regulating neurotransmitters in the brain that may become unbalanced due to a number of factors.

Patients took Cymbalta without a full understanding of how difficult, harmful and lengthy the withdrawal from the antidepressant can be. Former Cymbalta patients provide accounts of debilitating brain zaps and also of experiencing suicidal thoughts. Cymbalta withdrawal can be so severe that it disrupts one’s ability to work and may even require hospitalization.

This significant danger, in addition to other potential Cymbalta withdrawal side effects, suggests that the risks of the medication may outweigh possible benefits.

What is the Duration of Cymbalta Withdrawal?

Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms can be both psychological and physical.  They can include dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, nightmares, irritability, and unpleasant symptoms such as burning or tingling.  The symptoms are often described as ‘brain zaps’ or ‘head shocks’.

Although the Cymbalta warning label states that these symptoms “occurred at a rate greater than or equal to 1%,” recent studies have found them to be far more frequent (up to 51% of users). These symptoms may be so severe that patients have to keep taking Cymbalta simply to lessen the effects of the withdrawal, causing a person to become completely dependent on the drug.

The withdrawal symptoms of Cymbalta do not show up immediately, even if a patient stops taking it suddenly. It can take a few days before Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms occur. The actual duration time will vary from person to person but in general the symptoms can last for seven days or in some rare cases the symptoms may last for three months or more.

Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a name for these severe withdrawal symptoms: Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome. According to data collected by the agency, more patients who discontinued use of Cymbalta suffered from these sometimes debilitating side effects than on other drugs in the same class.

Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome can range from mild to severe—the latter consisting of debilitating and painful symptoms that can lead to hospitalization and loss of the ability to work and engage in everyday activities.

Cymbalta Lawsuits

When patients try to stop taking Cymbalta, the duration and severity of side effects can be severe enough to force them to start taking Cymbalta again — not to treat their underlying condition, but simply to stop the Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms.

Patients thus become prisoners to Cymbalta, and manufacturer Eli Lilly financially benefits by having a legion of physically dependent, long-term users of Cymbalta, according to a growing number of Cymbalta lawsuits.

If you or someone you love experienced severe Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms including seizures, tingling skin sensations, or electric shock sensations in the body and brain after taking the antidepressant medication, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, as well as pain and suffering.