Cymbalta Withdrawal Symptoms Only Exist on Message Boards

For anyone not familiar with the topic of Cymbalta withdrawal you may be surprised to find out than an astonishing amount of Americans are experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms once they try to stop taking Cymbalta. What is more infuriating than the withdrawal symptoms themselves is the fact that there is no information readily available to the public about Cymbalta withdrawal ... expect of course on message boards and blogs.

Cymbalta which is an SNRI or Seretonin-norepinepherine reuptake inhibitor, is an antidepressant that is growing more and more popular. Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Cymbalta recently received approval from the FDA for this drug to be prescribed to patient's experiencing neuropathy (nerve pain). Patient's that would fall into this category would be people with Diabetes of Fibromyalgia.

Because of this recent approval from the FDA, Cymbalta is now being deemed the "wonder drug". It cures everything from depression to pain. So what's the problem? Cymbalta causes severe, dabilitating withdrawal symptoms in those who wish to stop taking it.

In an article I posted on my website titled Cymbalta Withdrawal Symptoms Suck I vented my frustration over experiencing Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms. In this article I explained that I had begun experiencing signs of illness including flu like symptoms, bone pain and the phenomena known as brain zaps. I was completely in the dark to the fact that these symptoms were in anyway related to me tapering off Cymbalta until I located some message boards filled with others experiencing the same exact thing.

To my astonishment my article about Cymbalta withdrawal has received hundreds of comments from other patient's experiencing all of the same sings and symptoms of Cymbalta withdrawal. This got me a little concerned and I started looking for some answers. My doctor couldn't provide any answers because according to him "he never heard of Cymbalta causing withdrawal". I tried to find some information on the Cymbalta website but to my surprise...there is nothing mentioned about withdrawal symptoms.

So I have come to the conclusion that Cymbalta withdrawal only exists in cyberspace on message boards and blogs. This needs to change. The subject of Cymbalta withdrawal needs to be brought into the spotlight. There are people out there staying on Cymbalta for the sole purpose of avoiding withdrawal symptoms, not because they are getting any benefit from taking it.

So What Can We Do?

I have created an online Cymbalta petition which is addressed to Eli Lilly. It is a demand that they disclose any and all information they have about Cymbalta withdrawal to the public. People are unable to make informed decisions about whether or not to start taking Cymbalta if they don't have all the facts. I also ask that they make it mandatory that their pharmaceutical reps disclose information about Cymbalta's potential for causing withdrawal to physicians prior to handing out free samples. Finally, I asked that they provide a tapering down schedule that would make it possible to avoid/minimize the withdrawal symptoms and that this tapering schedule should be available to both physician and patient.

I am urging anyone and everyone to sign this online petition. It is open for signatures until February of 2008 at which time it will be delivered directly to Eli Lilly.

Secondly I have filed a formal complaint with the FDA advising them of exactly what withdrawal symptoms I experienced once I stopped taking Cymbalta. I am sending out a call for action to anyone who has suffered through Cymbalta withdrawal to also file a formal complaint with the FDA using their online reporting system.

Change happens because we make it happen.