A recently filed withdrawal class action lawsuit brought forth collectively by 16 men and women across the United States alleges that Eli Lilly and Co. fraudulently overstated the efficacy their Cymbalta drug, downplayed Cymbalta withdrawal side effects, and misstated the actual risk and severity of the allegedly known withdrawal side effects.

Lead Plaintiff Jennifer N., a California resident who was prescribed Cymbalta in 2012 for treatment of depression and pain, alleges Eli Lilly knew or should have known of the significantly increased risk of Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms, including their severity and duration, and yet failed to adequately warn her and other consumers about said risks. Jennifer claims that she suffered severe and dangerous withdrawal symptoms, including extreme mood swings, agitation, irritability, electric shock like sensations in her head, nightmares, suicidal thoughts, and nausea a result of attempting to wean off Cymbalta in 2013.

Jennifer and 15 other named plaintiffs claim that Eli Lilly purposely concealed Cymbalta side effects studies that indicated the frequency and severity of Cymbalta withdrawal syndrome. Cymbalta withdrawal lawyers claim that if Eli Lilly adequately, accurately and properly warned Jennifer, the other named plaintiffs, and the putative Class about the withdrawal risk associated with Cymbalta (including the high risk of experiencing them and their frequency and severity), these individuals would not have taken Cymbalta and would have been prescribed another antidepressant instead.

Cymbalta Withdrawal Side Effects

Cymbalta is used to treat major depressive disorder. It is a “Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI) drug, which in addition to supposedly increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain, SNRIs like Cymbalta also increase the amount of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter and hormone associated with cardiovascular regulation.

When patients try to stop taking Cymbalta, the depression medication side effects can be severe enough to force them to start taking Cymbalta again, not to treat their underlying depressive condition, but simply to stop the withdrawal symptoms. Patients allegedly become prisoners to Cymbalta, and Eli Lilly financially benefits by having a legion of physically dependent, long-term users of their antidepressant medication.

Cymbalta’s withdrawal side effects include:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Paresthesia
• Vomiting
• Irritability
• Nightmares
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Hyperhidrosis
• Sensory Disturbances
• Electric Shock Sensations
• Seizures
• Vertigo

Cymbalta Lawsuits: Eli Lilly Downplays Withdrawal Side Effects

Since gaining approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004, Eli Lilly has aggressively marketed Cymbalta to the public and the medical community nationwide. A substantial portion of Lilly’s sales and profits have been derived from Cymbalta alone, whose 2009 annual sales exceeded $3 billion. Currently, Cymbalta is the second most profitable drug in Lilly’s current medical product line.

Several plaintiffs alleged Eli Lilly downplayed any difference in the withdrawal risk for Cymbalta when compared to other similar antidepressants, and affirmatively misled the consuming patient population by mischaracterizing the drug’s withdrawal risk profile. According to court documents, Eli Lilly’s clinical trials allegedly showed that 9.6 percent of Cymbalta users suffered severe withdrawal side effects. However, nowhere on the Cymbalta drug label does Eli Lilly inform practitioners and patients of that risk.

Cymbalta Class Action Lawsuit

This Cymbalta class action lawsuit is seeking compensatory and statutory damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, and punitive damages for Eli Lilly’s alleged failure to provide proper warnings regarding the true frequency, severity, and duration of Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms. The filed complaint indicates a demand for a jury trial for this case.

The Cymbalta Withdrawal Class Action Lawsuit is Case No. 2:14-cv-02811-KJM-EFB, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California Sacramento Division.