A Tennessee resident claims in a new medication lawsuit that Eli Lilly fraudulently overstated Cymbalta’s efficacy, downplayed Cymbalta withdrawal side effects, and misstated the actual risk and severity of side effects, all of which induced physicians to prescribe Cymbalta and consumers to use it.

According to the Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuit, Plaintiff Carmen Kaplan’s use of the drug and consequent injuries and damages were a direct and proximate result of Eli Lilly’s acts and omissions relating to Cymbalta

Kaplan, who was prescribed Cymbalta in 2008 to treat her fibromyalgia, 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 about said risks. Kaplan claims in the Cymbalta lawsuit that she suffered debilitating withdrawal symptoms including stomach pain, headaches, insomnia, “brain zaps”, anxiety, depression, night terrors, and edema in her hands and feet a result of attempting to wean off Cymbalta in 2013.

The Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuit further alleges that Eli Lilly purposely concealed studies that indicated the frequency and severity of Cymbalta withdrawal. Cymbalta injury lawyers claim that if Eli Lilly adequately, accurately and properly warned about the withdrawal risk associated with Cymbalta, including the high risk of experiencing them and their frequency and severity, Kaplan would not have taken Cymbalta.

Cymbalta Withdrawal Side Effects

Cymbalta is used to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MMD). It is a “Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (“SNRI”), which in addition to supposedly increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain, also increases the amount of norepinephrine (a neurotransmitter and hormone associated with cardiovascular regulation).

When patients try to stop taking Cymbalta, the side effects can be severe enough to force them to start taking Cymbalta again — not to treat their underlying condition, but simply to stop the Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms. Patients thus become prisoners to Cymbalta, and Lilly financially benefits by having a legion of physically dependent, long-term users of Cymbalta, according to a growing number of Cymbalta lawsuits.

Cymbalta’s withdrawal side effects include, among other things:

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

Eli Lilly Misleads Cymbalta Consumers

Since gaining approval from the 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, whose 2009 annual sales exceeded $3 billion, making it the second most profitable drug in Lilly’s current product line.

It is alleged Eli Lilly downplayed any difference in the withdrawal risk for Cymbalta as compared to other similar antidepressants, and affirmatively misled the consuming patient population and mischaracterized the drug’s risk profile. According to court documents, Eli Lilly’s clinical trials showed that, overall, 9.6% of Cymbalta users suffered severe withdrawal side effects, yet nowhere in the label does Eli Lilly inform practitioners and patients of that risk.

Cymbalta Withdrawal Lawsuits

A growing number of Cymbalta lawsuits are being filed by patients who tried to stop taking the drug and suffered severe withdrawal symptoms.

Kaplan’s Cymbalta withdrawal product liability 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 Lawsuit is Carmen Kaplan and Kenny Kaplan (H/W) v. Eli Lilly and Company, Case No. 2:14-cv-02752-JTF-TMP, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee Western Division.