Meredith Friesen  |  July 3, 2015

Category: Legal News

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cymbalta lawsuitDoctors have prescribed Cymbalta to thousands of individuals suffering from depression. Although all antidepressants come with side effects, and many cause additional withdrawal symptoms, Cymbalta withdrawal has caused patients to experience extreme pain and suffering that often lasts long after the patient has stopped using the drug.

Due to the severity of the Cymbalta withdrawal side effects, many patients have filed Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuits against Eli Lilly and Co., accusing the manufacturer of failing to warn against the severity and length of Cymbalta withdrawal side effects. The Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuits claim that Eli Lilly is guilty for failing to warn patients of the risks of the drug, for false advertising, breach of warranty, and negligence. 

Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome

Many patients experience some withdrawal symptoms when discontinuing a depression medication. The medical community calls these side effects Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome. Cymbalta, however, has been set in its own category due to the drastic symptoms many patients have allegedly experienced. A patient suffering from Cymbalta withdrawal side effects is diagnosed with Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome.

While Lilly claims on Cymbalta’s warning label that only 1 or 2 percent of Cymbalta users will experience withdrawal side effects, other studies have shown that over half of all Cymbalta users may experience Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome. Lilly’s own studies have shown that up to 41 percent of Cymbalta users experience Cymbalta withdrawal.

Cymbalta withdrawal side effects may include:

  • Severe nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Dizziness, light-headedness, vertigo
  • Headaches
  • Hot and cold flashes
  • Mood swings, anxiety, irritability, hostility
  • Nightmares
  • Brain “zaps” (electric-shock-like sensations in the brain)
  • Paresthesia (sensation of tingling, tickling, prickling, pricking, or burning of a person’s skin)
  • Tremors, shaking hands
  • Visual disturbances

What Causes Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome?

Cymbalta lawsuits pinpoint the drug’s half-life as one of the primary problems with the antidepressant. A half-life is the amount of time it takes for the effects of the drug to be reduced by half in the patient’s system. While many antidepressants have a half-lives of multiple days, Cymbalta has a half-life of just one. This means that a patient is required to take Cymbalta every day in order for the drug to be effective.

However, if a patient wishes to stop using Cymbalta, their options for stopping are limited. A patient can experience Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome after only one day of not using the medication, even if the off day was simply a patient forgetting to take their medication that day. Furthermore, Cymbalta is available only in extremely limited dosages, which prohibits individuals from taking the drug at smaller dosages until they are no longer dependent upon it. The instructions on Cymbalta’s label also clearly state that the pill is not to be cut in half, sprinkled on food, or taken in any way that “breaks” the medication.

This leads to patients suffering from severe Cymbalta withdrawal side effects almost immediately after they stop using the drug. While Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome symptoms often go away without treatment in one or two weeks, the more severe Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome symptoms can last for weeks or months after a patient has stopped taking the drug, and often require medical treatment. 

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The Cymbalta attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or Cymbalta class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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