As many patients are now aware, taking the antidepressant Cymbalta can result in major withdrawal symptoms that can result in persistent damages. Across the country, people are taking legal action against manufacturer Eli Lilly & Co. for failing to warn consumers about these side effects and for failing to protect them against the dangers of their product.

Recent studies indicate that 50 to 78 percent of all Cymbalta patients suffer severe withdrawal symptoms after ceasing the drug, and the symptoms can last for months. However, the drug’s warning label states that only 1 to 2 percent of patients suffer Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms, and even then with the rare cases only lasting a short period of time. This alleged false advertising has led to nearly three dozen Cymbalta withdrawal lawsuits filed against Eli Lilly for concealing such vital safety information.

Overview of Cymbalta Withdrawal Symptoms Risks

Patients who suffered had withdrawal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, vertigo, dizziness, hot and cold flashes, insomnia, nightmares, and the infamous “brain zaps.” The zaps patients report are electrical shock-like feelings in their brains that are often accompanied by nausea and dizziness soon after stopping Cymbalta. While the medical community has been aware that certain antidepressants have been known to induce antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, or antidepressant withdrawal, Cymbalta withdrawal reports have become so frequent that the drug earned its own title, Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome.

Experts estimate that approximately one in five patients who take an antidepressant for six weeks or more will experience withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly stop using the drug, and face an increased risk for other issues. These symptoms can include those mentioned above, along with flu-like symptoms and severe interferences in thinking and emotional processing.

Cymbalta is a part of the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) family, which is primarily prescribed to treat major forms of depression and generalized anxiety disorder. It is also approved to treat nerve pain associated with diabetes, fibromyalgia, and musculoskeletal pain that often comes with arthritis and lower back pain.

With its wide range of uses, both patients and doctors were devastated to learn that this drug had a tendency of causing severe withdrawal symptoms that often lasted months. Before the release of generic Cymbalta, the drug had earned billions for Eli Lilly, showcasing the extreme popularity of the drug; even now it continues to earn millions for the company.

In 2009, an FDA advisory committee released a detailed report describing the risk and duration of Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms, stating that they can be severe and last weeks, and even months in the worst cases. The FDA also summarizes the claims made by Cymbalta users, describing how Eli Lilly & Co. had deliberately misled consumers and the medical community about the risks and benefits of the drugs, particularly presenting that the positive points outweigh the negative ones.

Additional complaints against Eli Lilly state that the company reportedly failed to develop any clinical protocol to safely discontinue Cymbalta without the withdrawal symptoms. Moreover, Eli Lilly sales representatives allegedly did not adequately warn physicians against the likelihood or severity of Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms. Ultimately, the FDA stated that Cymbalta’s warning label falsely represented the risks of the drug by describing the withdrawal symptoms as “rare or mild.”

Joining the FDA, the non-profit reporting service of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, QuarterWatch, is also trying to spread the warning of Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms. During the first quarter of 2012, the group reviewed 48 FDA event reports of Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms ranging from appetite changes to suicidal thoughts. Like the FDA, the service found a great disconnect between the actual risk of Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms and how it is described on Cymbalta’s warning label.