For Eugenia, March 16, 2022, is a date she’ll always remember. “That was the day I got the real medication,” she says. “As soon as it started going into my body, the itching literally stopped.”
Eugenia had been struggling for 5 years with prurigo nodularis (PN), a uncommon inflammatory pores and skin illness marked by onerous, itchy nodules and relentless discomfort. “It’s an itch that you cannot fix from the outside,” she explains. “No cream or steroid shot could help. It was coming from inside out.”
From Train to Emergency
Her signs started in 2017, only a few months into a brand new strolling routine. What began as a easy itch spiraled right into a persistent situation that affected practically each facet of her life. “I thought maybe an insect bit me or it was allergies,” she remembers. “But when the itching didn’t stop, I knew something wasn’t right.”
The nodules on Eugenia’s arm, proven right here earlier than therapy, had been a visual reminder of years of struggling. Now, post-treatment, the irritation is gone and she or he proudly wears sleeveless outfits once more.
Because the situation worsened, so did the toll on her psychological well being. “I couldn’t sleep. I was constantly covered up, even in Alabama summers,” she says. “I became reclusive, depressed, even suicidal. I didn’t want people seeing me like that.”
A Analysis and a Breakthrough
It wasn’t till she visited a board-certified dermatologist that she received a correct prognosis. “That was the first time in five years I even heard the name prurigo nodularis,” she says. The dermatologist, struck by the severity of her case, invited Eugenia to affix a medical trial for a drug referred to as Nemluvio, an injectable therapy that works by focusing on the itch alerts deep within the nervous system.
She didn’t hesitate. “I asked, ‘Is it life-threatening?’ She said no. I said, ‘Sign me up.’ I had nothing to lose.”
Earlier than therapy, Eugenia’s legs had been lined in itchy, painful nodules from prurigo nodularis. After receiving month-to-month injections of Nemluvio, the bumps pale and her pores and skin started to heal. Aid in a Single Injection
Inside minutes of receiving her first actual dose, every part modified. “I could feel it working immediately,” she says. “For the first time in five years, I was able to sleep through the night.”
Nemluvio, FDA-approved in 2024, works by blocking the interleukin-31 (IL-31) receptor, a chemical messenger concerned within the nerve signaling of itch and irritation. In accordance with Chicago dermatologist Peter Lio, MD the reduction might be virtually instantaneous. “There is evidence that within 48 hours, patients notice a difference,” he says. “Some even feel better the next day. It’s been transformative.”
Therapeutic Inside and Out
As Eugenia’s itch subsided, the nodules that when lined her physique started to heal. “The nodules only appeared because I scratched so much. Once I stopped scratching, they started disappearing,” she explains. “I still have some scarring, but I can wear sleeveless outfits again.”
Extra importantly, she’s reclaiming her identification. “I’m outgoing again. I’m singing again. I’m back to myself.”
Now that Nemluvio is extensively accessible, Eugenia needs others with extreme itching to know they don’t must undergo. “Talk to your doctor,” she urges. “There’s help out there. And if your dermatologist doesn’t have answers, don’t give up.”
She provides, “You can get your life back. I did.”
