Despite Cymbalta’s wide range of uses, the benefits of the antidepressant may not override the numerous severe side effects the drug could cause. Many patients have reported suffering severe withdrawal symptoms after ending their Cymbalta prescription, leaving them with long-lasting physical and mental anguish.

Cymbalta, manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co., was first approved in August of 2004. The FDA initially approved the drug to treat depression, but later expanded the approval to cover treatment of a wide variety of conditions, including: anxiety, muscle pain, stress, urinary incontinence, and even diabetic neuropathy. The drug is prescribed most commonly to treat major depression and generalized anxiety disorder.

Cymbalta (duloxetine) is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), which works by managing certain brain chemicals that help with overall mental stability. The drug was an instant hit with patients, making its manufacturers $5 billion per year before the release of generic variations. Unfortunately, not long after its release patients reported suffering painful Cymbalta side effects when they stopped taking the drug. Former Cymbalta patients report these symptoms can last as long as several weeks.

According to medical experts, approximately 41 percent of Cymbalta users experience withdrawal symptoms. 46 percent of those experiencing withdrawal report mild symptoms, while 17 percent report severe symptoms. These statistics contrast with Cymbalta’s warning label, which states that Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms are rare, occurring in only about 1 percent of patients.

Medical research has found that patients suffer from withdrawal symptoms more often after stopping Cymbalta than after stopping other similar drugs in the SNRI family. Patients and medical experts complain that the warning label does not adequately describe Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms, and misleads the public about how rare the adverse events are and how long the withdrawal symptoms may last.

The withdrawal symptoms include, but are not limited to:

• Severe Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Mood Swings
• Brain “Zaps” (electric-shock sensations in the brain)
• Paresthesia (tingling, tickling, prickling, pricking, or burning sensations on the skin)

Overview of Cymbalta Withdrawal Severity

While it is common knowledge in the medical community that abruptly ceasing any SNRI antidepressant can result in Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome, or antidepressant withdrawal, Cymbalta’s label allegedly does not sufficiently describe the risk. In addition to insufficient labeling, Cymbalta seems to cause more severe withdrawal symptoms than other drugs in the SNRI family. In fact, the severe symptoms have earned their own diagnosis title: Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome.

In 2009, an FDA advisory committee released a detailed report describing the duration and severity of Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms, stating that they can be severe and last for weeks, or even months in the worst cases.

There have been numerous other studies suggesting that the risks of Cymbalta may outweigh the benefits, including a 2009 study in the French medical journal Prescrire. This study compared Cymbalta treatment therapy to other medications and treatments for depression and anxiety. The results ultimately indicated that Cymbalta carried a high risk for withdrawal symptoms, leading the researchers to recommend that physicians not prescribe the drug at all.

These research findings have led to public backlash against Eli Lilly. Upset patients and members of the medical community have accused Eli Lilly of deliberately concealing the likelihood and severity of Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms in order to protect the drug’s market value.

The backlash eventually led to legal action. The first Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuit was filed in October 2012 and has encouraged other victims of Cymbalta withdrawal to follow suit.