#drug study

Pfizer jumps 6% after positive test results for the coronavirus vaccine were released 2020

Pfizer stock rose up to 6% on Wednesday after the company announced positive trial results for its early-stage coronavirus vaccine.

The drug BNT162b1 successfully produced antibodies in all participants who received doses of 10, 30 or 100 micrograms.

Those who took two of the 10 or 30 microgram doses produced between 1.8 and 2.8 times the antibodies seen in recovered COVID-19 patients, Pfizer…

There was a Resident doctor tagging along the Derm doctor. The Derm doctor was talking about how BAD my situation was when I started the drug study; going into detail about my hairfall and wounded scabs and emotional health...

Before the Derm doctor said more, I managed to say, "just a sec...could you talk about this when I'm not here? Please?"

It went well! He stopped. Was apologetic and sincere about it, and we continued on the (dreaded) appointment.

Two years done!

Also, it was my last appointment as a drug trial participant because Dupilumab has been FDA approved. The study has officially ended. It will be sold as Dupixent.

My visit for month 24 was a little more involved: there were questionnaires, blood work, vitals, and a final injection.

Skin Updates:

I’m facing some facial redness these days; it’s probably from the sun.

Skin appearance is still poor, but much, MUCH better than last year.

To clarify, skin quality is more comfortable, but I have a more blotchy look.

No moisturization needed, though I do use Cetaphil after taking salt baths.

Not scratching as much.

No issue with hair loss (actually leg hair is reappearing :( lol).

Sore spots: face, neck, ankles.

When I do apply moisturizer, my skin eventually feels damp, possibly because it’s releasing “extra” moisture?

Still haven’t received my participant cheque, but hopefully I’ll hear from them soon. I’ll just keep bugging them. I deserve the $$.

I revisit the clinic in 3 months (June) for a skin examination. I’m curious to see how my skin will do without the weekly Dupilumab injections, but I’m not too scared.

Drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and commonly prescribed by doctors are killing thousands of people every year yet remain on the market. A recent report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed nearly 32 percent of FDA-approved medications have significant safety problems. FDA-Approved Drugs With Safety Issues Known as “postmarket safety…

My visits are only once every two months now. It used to be weekly!

ANYWAY, I guess it’s been a while because ~everyone~ was reveling on how good I look; how much my skin has improved; how “I look so different”. I mean, I totally agree. I’ve seen (and FELT) remarkable improvement since the October/November month. It’s fantastic news, really.

But it felt weird. The attention made me feel like a lab rat. I mean, I kinda literally am! Being part of a experimental drug study and all.

It’s been one year since beginning the open-label study. Time flies! Hmmm… now to think of a way to celebrate this milestone.

The only thing new was to sign a consent form, the only difference I noticed was that the scheduling for blood labs and skin exams are less frequent.

My next visit will be in two months, and it’s only for a resupply of Dupilumab for me to take home (and a UPT test, which is every month).

The night of and day after the Dupilumab injection, I seem to “sweat it out”. It totally sucks during sleep because I feel so uncomfortably damp.

Healing seems stagnant. Unsure if things are getting better or worse tbh. I notice more blotchiness, but at the same time, I’m feeling better overall. Dealing with a lot less skin pain nowadays!

Legs are kinda dry these days, a kind of non-eczema dry (so far).

My arms and ankles are unfortunately the most affected and scratched daily. Dermatillomania is the worst at my ankles.

Generally not terribly itchy, it’s more about skin discomfort due to the lack of skin barrier and feeling like there are “foreign objects” on my skin.

I still moisturize my sore spots around 3x per day, but it’s not a necessity, I can probably get by with just one morning routine. I moisturize for appearance reasons as well as skin discomfort reasons.

I apply topical steroids minimally… maybe once a week.

This month I had experienced some chest discomfort. Usually I wouldn’t be so panicked, but being part of a drug study (Dupilumab) made me more anxious. I was worried about my heart.

I decided to visit the ER because my nurse-friend told me that they usually fast-track people who experience chest pain. I wanted answers. My fear of the unknown was really distracting (I had trouble concentrating at work, and it was especially bad because my work involves looking at hospital records...).

So the chest pain was non-urgent because my cumulative wait time was 6 hours. SIX HOURS:

Register... wait / Take vitals... wait / ECG... wait / Move to specific ward waiting room... wait / Nurse visit... wait / Enter doctor’s examination room... wait / Examination, medicine, and blood tests... wait (for results).

It was a lot of waiting.

However, the ER doctor’s visit was very reassuring.

Near the end I was so tired and stressed. I’m sure the waiting queue is purposeful because if you can’t wait, it’s not REALLY an emergency, right? :(

If this were to happen again, I would recommend visiting a walk-in clinic instead. Since I know now I won’t be fast-tracked and the waiting times would be more bearable. The only downfall is that you probably won’t receive treatment right away and you would probably have to visit another clinic/pharmacy for blood tests & ECG stuff & prescriptions.