A considerable number of mass tort and class action lawsuits are now underway over the withdrawal effects associated with the popular drug Cymbalta.

Cymbalta is a product of Eli Lilly and Company. One of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, Eli Lilly’s revenues have exceeded $20 billion annually. Eli Lilly developed Cymbalta to replace its blockbuster antidepressant Prozac once the patent for that older drug expired in 2001.

Cymbalta has been on the market since 2004. It’s a type of drug known as a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, or SNRI, which functions by increasing the presence of both serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain. Cymbalta is currently FDA-approved as a treatment for major depressive disorder in adults and general anxiety disorder in both adults and children over the age of 7, as well as for fibromyalgia, chronic muscle and joint pain, and diabetic neuropathy. Sales of Cymbalta since its introduction through 2011 have been estimated at $18 billion.

Cymbalta Withdrawal Symptoms

In its time on the market, Cymbalta has become notorious for causing withdrawal symptoms in some patients when they discontinue regular use of the drug. Notable among reported side effects of Cymbalta withdrawal is a sensation of electric shocks happening inside the head, a phenomenon colloquially known as “brain zaps.” Users also report tunnel vision and body shaking. The warning label for Cymbalta, with some variation over the years, has mentioned dizziness, nausea, headache, fatigue, paresthesia, vomiting, irritability, nightmares, insomnia, diarrhea, anxiety, hyperhidrosis, and vertigo as withdrawal symptoms.

Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms can be so adverse that some patients continue to take the drug solely to avoid withdrawal. The process of beating Cymbalta dependence typically requires gradual reduction in dosage until the patient can finally stand to cease taking the drug entirely. The task of weaning themselves off Cymbalta has taken some patients several months and sometimes as much as a full year. Moreover, some patients report that withdrawal symptoms continued for several more months even after they completely stopped taking Cymbalta.

Gradually, victims of Cymbalta withdrawal began to find each other in online support groups. Their public descriptions of their experiences created a large volume of anecdotal evidence of the impact of Cymbalta withdrawal.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took note. Since 2005, the FDA has issued several orders to Eli Lilly to cease certain practices related to its marketing of Cymbalta, variously citing the company for false or misleading advertisement and failures to disclose important information to consumers about Cymbalta side effects.

Since then, Eli Lilly has more than once updated the withdrawal symptom warning information on its Cymbalta labeling. However, the company also implemented a new marketing campaign called “The Cymbalta Promise,” offering prospective customers a free supply of Cymbalta for a 60-day trial period – the same length of time, according to studies conducted at Eli Lilly’s direction, in which approximately half of users could expect to develop withdrawal symptoms.

What Cymbalta Lawsuits Allege

There have already been some Cymbalta class action lawsuits filed, as well as many individual claims. Cymbalta lawsuits typically allege that Eli Lilly failed to disclose important information about the frequency, severity and duration of Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms. They allege that while the Cymbalta labeling has stated that clinical trials found withdrawal symptoms at a rate “greater than or equal to 1%,” studies conducted under Eli Lilly’s direction found withdrawal symptoms in as many as 51 percent of subjects. The label does not make any mention of the duration of withdrawal symptoms.

Plaintiffs typically state that they relied on Eli Lilly’s representations when deciding to take Cymbalta. They say that had they been properly informed of the risks, they would never have taken Cymbalta to begin with. The plaintiffs’ allegations as presented could constitute violation of several different states’ consumer protection laws.

In addition to compensation for the pain and suffering caused by Cymbalta’s severe withdrawal symptoms, plaintiffs seek compensation for the economic harm of medical expenses and decreased productivity on the job. In consumer protection cases such as these, plaintiffs may also seek awards of punitive damages and attorney’s fees.