Learn about the potential long-term and short-term risks of repeated steroid use in Asthma patients. And discover how DUPIXENT may help reduce or eliminate OCS use.
Oral steroids can be helpful for controlling asthma symptoms when prescribed, but using them to
treat your asthma more than twice a year could be a sign your asthma is uncontrolled.
You should always speak with your doctor about the medication you're taking.
Weight gain
Elevated eye pressure
(glaucoma)
Problems with mood, stress,
sleep, memory, and behavior
Vision loss (cataracts)
Bone loss (osteoporosis)
Diabetes
This is not a complete list of all potential risks associated with oral steroid use. For more information, speak with your healthcare provider.
DUPIXENT is not a steroid or inhaler. It works by targeting two of the key sources of airway inflammation.
*Do not stop taking your corticosteroid medicines unless instructed by your healthcare provider. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by the corticosteroid medicine to come back.
Tim experienced side effects from the steroids he used to help his asthma. Learn how DUPIXENT played a role in decreasing his reliance on steroids and improving control of his asthma symptoms.
TIM:
My name is Tim and I’d like to thank Regeneron and Sanofi for sponsoring me.
I used to experience symptoms of uncontrolled asthma every day of my life.
While oral steroids helped control my severe asthma, dealing with the side effects of steroids could be frustrating.
They can make me feel anxious and restless, and that led to insomnia.
By the time my alarm clock went off in the morning, I rarely felt rested. I didn't feel like I had the ability to get up and be active.
Getting ready to leave the house could be stressful too. I was on daily maintenance steroids to control my asthma.
I had to make sure my bag was packed with my asthma controller inhalers in addition to my daily steroids that I needed to get through the day.
I felt rushed trying to get all my asthma medications and get myself out the door.
At work, I continued to be frustrated by the side effects of my prescription steroids.
With increases in my dose during a flare, I would have increased irritability and get worked up over small issues.
I tried to wean off my maintenance steroids due to the side effects, but my asthma symptoms always flared with coughing and wheezing.
Sometimes, even walking up the stairs to bed was difficult for me. I knew I needed to make a change in my treatment plan.
I asked my doctor if there was another option to help control my severe asthma.
That's when he told me about DUPIXENT, which isn't a steroid or inhaler.
It's an add-on treatment for people six years and older for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma.
He said that adding DUPIXENT to my daily inhalers might help give me better control over my asthma and help me decrease my dependence on my oral steroids.
This sounded like it could be a good fit for me.
Before I started DUPIXENT, I told my doctor about all the medical conditions I had and the medications I was taking.
My doctor and I talked about the potential benefits and risks of treatment, including the most common side effects, such as injection site reactions...
...and some serious side effects, including allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe, inflammation of your blood vessels, and joint aches and pain.
Since I started DUPIXENT, I've been able to decrease my reliance on oral steroids.
Every morning, my wife and I wake up early to walk around the neighborhood. These walks give us a little bit of time to get mentally ready for the day ahead.
Back at the house, I get ready to leave for work.
I still have to take my rescue and maintenance inhalers with me whenever I leave the house, but I've been able to decrease my oral steroid use, which has been good for me.
Being on DUPIXENT has helped me focus less on my severe asthma and more on getting to where I need to be.
At work, I don't have to worry about taking my oral steroids.
With less oral steroids, now that I'm on DUPIXENT, my asthma is better controlled during my work day.
The best part is, after work, I feel I'm able to do the activities I enjoy with less asthma.
I love being outdoors with my wife, and we go hiking every chance we get.
I'm able to enjoy my time doing more of what I love with the people I love.
Important Safety
Information and Indication
Do not use if you are allergic to dupilumab or to any of the ingredients in DUPIXENT®.
Before using DUPIXENT, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Especially tell your healthcare provider if you are taking oral, topical, or inhaled corticosteroid medicines or use an asthma medicine. Do not change or stop your corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine without talking to your healthcare provider. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by the corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine to come back.
DUPIXENT can cause serious side effects, including:
The most common side effects in patients with asthma include injection site reactions, high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), pain in the throat (oropharyngeal pain), and parasitic (helminth) infections.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of DUPIXENT. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Use DUPIXENT exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It’s an injection given under the skin (subcutaneous injection). Your healthcare provider will decide if you or your caregiver can inject DUPIXENT. Do not try to prepare and inject DUPIXENT until you or your caregiver have been trained by your healthcare provider. In children 12 years of age and older, it’s recommended DUPIXENT be administered by or under supervision of an adult. In children 6 to less than 12 years of age, DUPIXENT should be given by a caregiver.
Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information including Patient Information.
Indication
DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used with other asthma medicines for the maintenance treatment of moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral steroid dependent asthma in adults and children 6 years of age and older whose asthma is not controlled with their current asthma medicines. DUPIXENT helps prevent severe asthma attacks (exacerbations) and can improve your breathing. DUPIXENT may also help reduce the amount of oral corticosteroids you need while preventing severe asthma attacks and improving your breathing. DUPIXENT is not used to treat sudden breathing problems. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with asthma under 6 years of age.
Explore how DUPIXENT works in the lungs and learn about the science of DUPIXENT.
