Cymbalta label provides little warning of horrific withdrawal symptoms
The reports are pouring in from all across the country. People are suffering from sudden bouts of paranoia, helplessness, aggression, and suicidal thoughts.
Many are even experiencing electric-like shocks that start in their brains and shoot throughout their entire bodies.
You’d think these people were coming off some illegal street drug like cocaine or heroin. But they’re simply trying to quit Cymbalta, one of the most popular antidepressants on the market today.
It turns out that millions of Cymbalta users may never have been told about the true risks of taking – or trying to quit — the drug. Painful and even life-threatening risks that can stay with you for years.
And the problem may be 40 times worse than we were ever warned.
A hard pill to swallowEli Lilly has a lot of explaining to do.
For years the company has claimed that around 1 percent of users might deal with minor annoyances like nausea, irritability and insomnia when trying to quit Cymbalta.
But now a federal court claims the real number may be closer to half. And the side effects that many users describe as “sheer hell” can last for weeks, months, maybe even years.
One Cymbalta victim, Claudia Herrera, suffered dizziness, nausea and “electrical-shock sensations” for a full year after she stopped taking the drug.
Other users have shared horror stories about intense crying spells, vomiting, feeling like they could no longer control their brains or bodies, and even fits of rage.
The problem is so serious that the FDA has even come up with a term for it — Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome.
Herrera is one of thousands who are now taking Eli Lilly to court over Cymbalta. Last year, the drugmaker attempted to get all the Cymbalta cases tossed out based on the defense that it had warned doctors about the side effects of coming off the drug.
But U.S. District Judge Steven Wilson didn’t buy it. In fact, court filings claim that the company’s very own studies proved that upwards of 44 percent of people had withdrawal problems.
It’s starting to look like Eli Lilly may have pulled its 1 percent risk figure out of thin air. And it may have misled millions of patients about Cymbalta’s true risks.
And, unfortunately, there are far more people taking this dangerous drug now than there should be. Because for years the FDA has been granting additional uses for Cymbalta practically whenever Eli Lilly asked.
Since first approving Cymbalta for depression and diabetic nerve pain, the agency has given it the green light for anxiety, major depressive disorder, fibromyalgia and musculoskeletal pain.
The drug is now even being used off label for “stress urinary incontinence,” a fancy way to say you might have a little accident when you laugh or sneeze.
And the fact that a cheap, generic version of Cymbalta (duloxetine) has been on the market for years is only making matters worse.
The lowest dose Cymbalta comes in is 20 mg, which still appears too high to quit cold turkey.
And while you should always work with a doctor to wean yourself off of any antidepressant, some Cymbalta users are so desperate they’ve started breaking open the capsules and removing a few more beads each day.
But of course the easiest way to avoid the withdrawal symptoms is to never start up on Cymbalta or duloxetine in the first place.
If it’s too late and you or someone you know is already taking Cymbalta or duloxetine, don’t take matters into your own hands. Talk to your doctor immediately to figure out the safest way to get yourself off of it. Otherwise you may find that getting off this powerful drug leads to far worse symptoms than the reason you were taking it in the first place.
Sources:
“Eli Lilly faces first U.S. trials over Cymbalta withdrawal” Jessica Dye, August 3, 2015, Reuters, reuters.com
“Lilly accused at trial of hiding Cymbalta ‘brain zap’ risk” Bloomberg News, August 4, 2015, ibj.com
