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Dr. Lockshin & Brooke

BROOKE: A few years back, I had intense itching and then what I thought were bug bites on my arms and legs.

I had red, itchy, inflamed bumps that just would not go away. I was very uncomfortable with how my skin looked.

And my skin would be so itchy, I was scratching constantly trying to find relief. But the scratching only made more bumps appear. I lived with this for years. The bumps would ooze and scab over. I kept thinking they were bug bites that just weren’t healing.

Eventually, my rheumatologist saw these bumps at one of my regular appointments and insisted that I follow up with a dermatologist.

DR. LOCKSHIN: Brooke came to me with a case of prurigo nodularis, or PN.

PN is an uncommon, chronic, itchy, inflammatory skin disease.

Although the cause is not completely understood, PN is thought to be related to an abnormal relationship between the skin, nervous system, and immune system. When you have PN, your nerves may send too many itch signals to the brain, which can lead to intense, persistent itching. The itching and scratching can, in turn, lead to inflammation, which further drives the itch.

It can be hard to diagnose sometimes because it’s an uncommon condition, but I recognized the bumps, or lesions, Brooke had on her arms and legs. She said her itching severity was at an 8 or 9 out of 10. I could tell she was suffering due to the signs and symptoms of the disease.

BROOKE: I had never heard of PN before. I had been living with this condition for three years, so I was very relieved to finally have a diagnosis and to know that I wasn’t doing anything to cause it.

Dr. Lockshin answered my questions, and then we started talking about management options. He mentioned a biologic treatment called DUPIXENT that might help my PN.

DR. LOCKSHIN: We needed a treatment option that could help lessen her itch and help her skin become clearer of PN bumps, and DUPIXENT is the first FDA-approved biologic treatment proven to help reduce PN symptoms.

Given Brooke's clear diagnosis of PN, I recommended that she start treatment with DUPIXENT. I treated several other PN patients with DUPIXENT and felt confident that this could be an appropriate treatment option for Brooke as well.

BROOKE: Dr. Lockshin and I have a good rapport, and I trusted his recommendation. He said that DUPIXENT is not a cream, an immunosuppressant, or a steroid. DUPIXENT is a biologic that works by blocking a source of inflammation which could contribute to PN.

And when Dr. Lockshin went over the safety and efficacy with me and told me about his experience treating PN with DUPIXENT, I decided to move forward with it.

Before I started DUPIXENT, I talked with Dr. Lockshin about all the medical conditions I had and medications I was taking.

Dr. Lockshin and I talked about the potential benefits and risks of treatment, including the most common side effects such as eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision...

...and some serious side effects including allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe, eye problems, and joint aches and pain.

DR. LOCKSHIN: Brooke was on DUPIXENT when I saw her for a follow-up appointment. Brooke's skin was clearer of PN bumps, and she experienced a reduction in itching. We were both pleased, to say the least, with how it was working for her.

Of course, this is just Brooke’s experience. Everyone’s experience with DUPIXENT will be different.

BROOKE: I know starting treatment was the right decision for me. My PN had been making my skin so uncomfortable. DUPIXENT helped reduce my itchiness, and my skin is clearer.

Since I don’t itch as much, I’m not scratching as frequently. I go about my busy life knowing that I am staying one step ahead of my PN symptoms, and that's a great feeling!

DR. LOCKSHIN: I’m glad that Brooke and I were able to find a treatment that works for her.

She always tells me how much she loves having skin that’s clearer and less itchy. I’ll never get tired of hearing that!