Cymbalta® Withdrawal

What is Cymbalta Withdrawal?

Cymbalta withdrawal refers to the symptoms a person experiences when they stop taking Cymbalta, also called discontinuation-emergent adverse events (“DEAEs”).

The frequency of Cymbalta withdrawal is associated with a drug’s “half-life.” The term “half-life” means the amount of time it takes for half of the drug to be eliminated from the body after one stops taking it. In his book, The Antidepressant Solution, Dr. Joseph Glenmullen, a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard, explains that “the frequency with which antidepressants cause withdrawal reactions correlates with how short their half-lives are.” When a drug has a short half-life, the drug begins to exit the patients system very quickly, and that sudden depletion of the drug in the patient’s body, leads to withdrawal. Conversely, drugs that have a long half-life, leave the body gradually and generally have less frequent and severe withdrawal effects.

Common side effects of Cymbalta withdrawal:

Extreme mood swings

Agitation and/or irritability

Aggression

Nightmares and/or sleep disturbance

Confusion

Diarrhea

Vertigo

Dizziness and/or light-headedness

Headache and/or migraines

Nausea and/or vomiting

Excessive sweating

Memory and concentration difficulties

Suicidal thoughts (ideation)

Suicide attempts

Self-mutilation

Hallucination and/or sensory disturbances

Tremors

Seizures

Fatigue

Lethargy

Flu-like symptoms (abdominal discomfort, weakness, etc.)

Body zaps – electronic shock-like sensations in body (not in head)

Brain zaps – electric shock-like sensations in head

Cymbalta Half-Life

Cymbalta has an extremely short half-life of about twelve hours. This means that, on average, when taking Cymbalta, half of the drug leaves the patient’s system within twelve hours. This is an extremely fast rate. And, among antidepressants, Cymbalta is the second fastest. With such a short half-life, you would expect Cymbalta users to experience very high rates of withdrawal effects. You would also hope that the manufacturer of Cymbalta would properly warn patients and their physicians about this serious risk through the drug label and in Cymbalta advertising.

We are no longer accepting Cymbalta cases.