PRURIGO NODULARIS --Thalidomide
by OptimalThinking

Most of us PN suffers are aware of Thalidomide. It may be effective for some of
us, but at what long term cost? Thalidomide may be addressing the symptoms of
PN, but what about the long term root causes?

It reminds me of a Nutritionist I talked to once who asked me the following:

When you have a headache, you take a Tylenol, Advil, or aspirin drug.  The
headache goes away. Does that mean your headache was caused by a deficiency of
Tylenol, Advil, etc. in your body?

I smiled and said, "Of course not. The drug is just addressing the symptom, the
headache, but what caused the headache to begin with?  That's the more
important question".

Same with PN. There are drugs like Thalidomide and or other treatment protocols
that address symptoms, but not the root causes. So for a lot of PN suffers, it
becomes a never ending cycle.

I've heard of some cases where the PN suffers are in remission after using
Thalidomide, but deal with the side effects of the drug. To make things worse
the PN comes back after the person is off of Thalidomide. Some of the side
effects, like peripheral neuropathy, may be permanent and irreversible.  If you
are considering Thalidomide, consider these risks very carefully.  For me, the
risks are far too great for just the potential for symptom relief.

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