A growing number of Cymbalta lawsuits claim that drug manufacturer Eli Lilly intentionally hid the risk of withdrawal side effects including painful “brain zaps” from consumers while marketing and promoting the antidepressant.

Cymbalta is a widely prescribed treatment for depression, anxiety disorders as well as nerve and musculoskeletal pain. However, up to 78 percent of patients claim they experienced multiple Cymbalta withdrawal side effects when trying to discontinue the medication.

Cymbalta consumers allege that the withdrawal symptoms can take weeks and in some cases even months to end after they have stopped taking the drug.

Cymbalta Withdrawal Syndrome

Since its FDA approval in 2004, manufacturer Eli Lilly has generated more than $18 billion in Cymbalta sales. The medication was designed to help regulate mood by increasing levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. In addition to helping with mood, Eli Lilly also claims Cymbalta can stop pain signals from traveling through the brain, which can help certain nerve conditions including fibromyalgia.

Manufacturer Eli Lilly warned patients that withdrawal symptoms are rare, only occuring one percent of the time, and only if consumers stop taking the medication abruptly. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a report that Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome is more serious and more common than Eli Lilly will admit.

Up to 78 percent of Cymbalta consumers report the following cymbalta side effects:

• Tremors
• Paresthesia (sensation of tingling, tickling, prickling, pricking, or burning of a person’s skin)
• Mood swings
• Brain zaps (electric-like shock sensations in the brain
• Dizziness
• Hot and cold flashes
• Nightmares
• Severe nausea
• Vomiting

An FDA advisory committee report found that manufacturer Eli Lilly has yet to develop a clinically proven safe protocol for discontinuing Cymbalta use.

The manufacturer recommends tapering off slowly but does not offer a lower dose to help consumer achieve this. Cymbalta consumers claim they feel forced to open up capsules and count the beads to create a smaller dose on their own or to simply stop taking the medication all at once.

Cymbalta Withdrawal Lawsuits

Multiple Cymbalta lawsuits allege Eli Lilly misled consumers into believing Cymbalta withdrawal side effects were uncommon. Plaintiffs claim that manufacturers purposefully omitted the risk of Cymbalta withdrawal so it wouldn’t hurt sales. In general, Cymbalta lawsuits accuse Eli Lilly of negligence, unfair business practices and false advertising.

Some Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuits claim it is possible to experience some of the painful withdrawal side effects while currently using the product. This is due to the drug’s half-life being less than a day. Consumers claim that since the medication is prescribed to be taken daily, there is a high probability to suffer from withdrawal side effects after missing a single dose or while currently taking the medication.

In a recently filed Cymbalta class action lawsuit, plaintiffs claim that “users become prisoners to Cymbalta, and Lilly financially benefits by having a legion of physically dependent, long-term users of Cymbalta.”

Those filing Cymbalta lawsuits seek financial compensation for the physical pain they have suffered due to withdrawal side effects as well as the emotional anguish they have endured.