A Pennsylvania resident claims in an antidepressant withdrawal lawsuit that Eli Lilly failed to adequately warn consumers and the medical community about the nature, frequency and severity of symptoms associated with the discontinuation of its popular drug, Cymbalta.

As a direct result of taking Cymbalta, Plaintiff L. Veronica suffered physical, emotional and psychological injuries because of Eli Lilly’s negligence and omissions relating to Cymbalta withdrawal.

Veronica, who was prescribed the anti-depression drug in 2012 to treat her depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia, alleges Eli Lilly significantly downplayed the frequency of Cymbalta withdrawal side effects and misled consumers that Cymbalta withdrawal syndrome was rare, thus causing consumers to become “prisoners to Cymbalta.”

Veronica claims in the Cymbalta lawsuit that she suffered severe and dangerous withdrawal symptoms, including extreme muscle stiffness, joint aches, spinal shocks, headaches and increased insomnia, as a result of attempting to wean off the drug in October 2012.

The Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuit further alleges that Eli Lilly purposely continued to market Cymbalta without providing adequate instructions for stopping the drug.

Veronica claims that if Eli Lilly had adequately, accurately and properly warned about the withdrawal symptoms associated with stopping Cymbalta, including accurately reporting their frequency, severity and duration of the withdrawal symptoms, she would not have taken the antidepressant medication.

Veronica is bringing claims of negligence, strict liability, fraud, concealment and breach of warranty.

Cymbalta Withdrawal Side Effects

Clinical trials and medical studies show that when patients stop taking Cymbalta, a prescription medication used to treat depression and chronic pain, they may experience sudden and severe withdrawal symptoms.

Cymbalta is prescribed for patients who suffer from depression, anxiety, diabetic kidney disease, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, neuropathic pain and musculoskeletal pain.

Cymbalta withdrawal, clinically known as Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome, describes the side effects that can occur when a patient stops taking the medication.

Potentially serious withdrawal symptoms include:

• Seizures
• Electric shock sensations, or “brain zaps”
• Paresthesia — burning, numbness, tingling, or itching skin sensations
• Blurry vision
• Vertigo — a feeling of spinning or loss of balance

In many cases, these and other Cymbalta side effects are so severe that patients must continue taking the drug simply to ease the withdrawal symptoms. It is a vicious cycle that can leave a patient dependent on the medication.

In addition to the above side effects, the FDA issued a black boxed warning in October 2014 for an increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults who take Cymbalta.

Eli Lilly Misleads Cymbalta Users

Eli Lilly has aggressively marketed Cymbalta to the public and the medical community nationwide since gaining FDA approval in 2004.

It is alleged Eli Lilly downplayed Cymbalta withdrawal risks on the drug’s warning label, saying only about 2 percent of users experienced side effects when coming off the medication, according to court documents.

Yet, many Cymbalta lawsuits have cited medical studies that have found more than 40 percent of Cymbalta patients suffered withdrawal symptoms after quitting the antidepressant.

These Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuits also allege that Eli Lilly disclosed on warning labels in Europe that 45 percent of users reported experiencing some withdrawal symptoms after they stopped taking the drug.

Cymbalta Withdrawal Lawsuits

Thousands of people have filed lawsuits against Cymbalta drug maker Eli Lilly for serious injuries they allege occurred after taking the drug.

Veronica’s Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuit is seeking compensatory, punitive and exemplary damages for Eli Lilly’s alleged failure to provide proper warnings regarding the true frequency, severity, and duration of Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms.

The Cymbalta Withdrawal Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-04216-CDJ, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.