According to National Institute of Health, Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms can be severe, but only when the drug is ceased suddenly. However, a 2009 U.S. Food and Drug Administration presentation indicates that there are reports of much more serious Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms allegedly experienced by users who tried to slowly wean themselves off the antidepressant medication as well as those who have stopped their treatment suddenly.

Cymbalta is an antidepressant, but it has also been FDA approved to treat anxiety disorders, which are influenced by similar neurotransmitters in the brain. Patients who have stopped taking Cymbalta have reported “Cymbalta withdrawal,” which is also listed in the National Institute of Health’s Medline publication as a possible risk for patients who stop taking Cymbalta suddenly. However, the Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms experienced by patients who stop taking Cymbalta are technically not a regular “withdrawal” in the medical sense. Instead, many Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms are technically an antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.

Cymbalta Withdrawal Syndrome

The difference between antidepressant discontinuation syndrome and a hypothetical Cymbalta withdrawal is that in a true withdrawal, patients’ behaviors change in a specific way. The key change is related to “drug seeking behaviors.” For example, a heroin or cocaine addict going through withdrawals will compulsively try to get more of the drug, or at the very least strongly crave it. Patients suffering from antidepressant discontinuation syndrome may have some of the same symptoms as a patient going through withdrawal from a more addictive drug, but they do not crave the drug and do not engage in drug seeking behaviors. Despite this clinical difference, Cymbalta discontinuation symptoms are just as serious as true drug withdrawal.

According to Medline, an information service by the National Institute of Health, patients should never stop taking Cymbalta without a doctor’s advice and care. This is because Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms could include nausea, nightmares, trouble sleeping, dizziness, anxiety, tiredness, headache, and vomiting. These Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms can be severe if the drug is stopped suddenly, though relatively rare, according to the NIH’s evaluation. However, a more recent FDA report has found that the problem of Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome may be more common, and severe, than previously determined.

FDA Warns Against Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome

In a 2009 FDA presentation, the government agency indicated that it had received some reports that Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome may have been more severe than anticipated. The presentation stressed that the studies and reports were preliminary, and not yet peer-reviewed or subjected to systemic analysis; however, the FDA had seen signs that Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome could include symptoms like “brain zaps,” that is, a sudden painful “electric” sensation in the brain, as well as mood swings, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and rebounding depression. The FDA reported that these symptoms could strain personal and professional relationships, and may even complicate doctor/patient relationships, making treatment for depression and Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms difficult.

Additionally, the FDA’s presentation indicated that the makers of Cymbalta may have engaged in misconduct in how they handled reports of Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome reports. Allegedly, Cymbalta’s makers set up call centers for Cymbalta patients to report complications. However, these call centers allegedly downplayed Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms, both in severity and prevalence. Additionally, the FDA alleged that Cymbalta call centers did not properly record or report Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome symptoms, failing to create a paper trail for the FDA to fully analyze.