Cymbalta is one of the most popular antidepressants in the United States and has also been at the center of growing legal controversy. Eli Lilly & Co. has reveled in the drug’s success, as numerous patients request it to treat their anxiety and depression. While patients state that Cymbalta was very effective in staving off their symptoms, they reported that it was very difficult to discontinue the antidepressant.

Cymbalta Withdrawal Symptoms

According to numerous accounts from patients, they experienced severe withdrawal symptoms like dizziness, tunnel vision, and electrical shock-like sensations called ‘brain zaps’. These brain zaps are often accompanied by painful headaches and severe nausea, which impair the patients’ abilities of performing daily tasks.

These Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms can be mild to severe, with some cases only lasting a week to extreme cases that can last months. Due to the fact that nausea and migraines often accompany the infamous brain zaps, patients are often forced to miss work or other appointments, as these withdrawal symptoms can cause them to not see straight for hours.

There have been so many reported cases of this condition, the FDA gave the condition its own title “Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome.” This is because that Cymbalta is expected to cause withdrawal symptoms more severe than any other medication in this particular drug family.

Like in most cases of withdrawal symptoms, these Cymbalta side effects ceased when patients continued on with their Cymbalta prescriptions. This has forced patients to become dependent on Cymbalta, causing them to waste money on prescriptions they do not need and ultimately decrease their quality of life. According to legal experts, Eli Lilly failed to warn patients against these Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms and that the side effects of antidepressant withdrawal can last long after stopping the drug.

Cymbalta Withdrawal Allegations

Numerous patients have complained that they had used the medication without fully understanding the severity of the withdrawal symptoms. Former Cymbalta patients described suffering chronic brain zaps and suicidal thoughts. Patients complain that Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms had ultimately interrupted their daily lives and they are still contending with the medical bills this drug caused. The FDA agreed with these assessments, as the FDA announced that Eli Lilly failed to provide sufficient information about Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms back in 2009.

In fact, Cymbalta’s warning label actually encourages doctors to restart patients on Cymbalta if the withdrawal symptoms occur. The company went further on to say that the Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms will eventually stop if the medication is given in a more gradual rate.

Furthermore, Eli Lilly & Co. also claimed that Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms were a rare occurrence, only occurring in about 1% of patients, and will stop after a short time. Obviously, this was not true for many patients, as there were severe cases that lasted for nearly a year.

Overall medical experts agree that the risks attached to Cymbalta may outweigh its benefits. Several advocacy groups, including QuarterWatch, have called for the FDA to recall the drug from the market. In the meantime, there have been numerous product-liability lawsuits filed against Eli Lilly for Cymbalta withdrawal injuries. As described in the injury complaints, patients stated that the company deliberately concealed this information in order to protect the market value of Cymbalta.

In December 2014, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation denied the motion to consolidate 25 Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuits because there was reportedly insufficient reason. For now, these and incoming Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuits will be processed in individual trials. Legal experts ultimately expect many more Cymbalta cases, with consolidation being inevitable legal step in the future.