Granuloma Annulare: Any ideas for treatment?

Mine,too, is generalized in my scalp and body. I have seen
n two derms. and all they give me are steroid creams Not much help.

Oddly I have started mild itching on the top of my head. I have GA everywhere. I never thought about it being there. I was sure reports said not face or head.
Dermatologist looked at bumps and they were nothing. I may need a second opinion.

I just thought of something. Since some say ice helps, I wonder if you guys tried icy cold lotion if it would help? I also have skin nerve neuropathy from mid calf to my feet and cold did help that.

I was told in May of 2023 I have GA, I’m going crazy with itching . It on ky back, chest, arms, legs and neck. I’m taking Plaqunil and have done 2 months of photo therapy. Seems nothing is working. Anyone have any advice for me at this point?
Please help me.
Thank you

Good evening @10dendel, @germangal, @tommyd, and other members who are struggling with the itching symptoms of GA, Granuloma Annulare. When I see the words " Please Help Me", I recall my shockingly difficult situation with Neuropathic itch. It took two years of misery and fearful uncontrolled itching before I was introduced to a relatively new Biologic........ Dupixent or Dupilumab.

The information I found online is associated with scientific findings related to the use of pen injections of Dupixent in resolving the GA itch. I simply wrote....."Can Dupixent help GA itch? " You can also visit this government site for the following section.

"Generalized Granuloma Annulare Associated With Dupilumab Therapy on ncib.nim,bih.gov"

Please know that I am not a medical professional. However, I want to help as much as my limited medical education will permit.

Another option is to ask your dermatologist or PCP to help with the research. And the final option would be to call Dupixent directly. ( 844 387-4936) They have medical professionals on the phone and you can also talk with folks in the laboratory responsible for the current research and clinical studies.

Please let me know what you find out. You may help many fellow patients.

May you all be safe, protected and free from inner and outer harm.
Chris

There are just a few case reports of Dupixent and
GA. Another promising approach is Otezla originally for psoriasis. There are more patient responses reported
with this drug.
It is orally administered and has a longer track record and safety profile. Insurance coverage with preapprovals
is an unfortunate barrier for off label use.
Dermatologists may be more receptive to trying it.

Hello, I have only been taking the pills since Feb and doing light therapy since then as well. Neither one seems to be doing any good. Is there any hope of the spots or blotches disappearing at in the future? I feel I’m stuck in the house forever. Have u found that warm water causes an issue at all? What about sun? No one has any answers at all it seems.
Thank you.

Good evening, @10dendel. Thanks for responding. It does seem like there are no answers. However, I think this may play out the way other medicines have developed positive results beyond the introductory thoughts. I do not know about spots or blotches that leave their mark on patients with a GA diagnosis. I did spend quite a bit of time in light therapy booths, which seemed to remove some of the skin scars.

Here's another option to remove the "neuropathic itch." I learned about this topical medication from my dermatologist after the product was introduced at a dermatology conference. "Dermeleve" is an OTC topical that I keep handy every day. It takes about 20 minutes to activate and will last 6-8 hours. Recently, a Scalp Itch shampoo was introduced. It just arrived, and I will try it tomorrow. My scalp does seem to itch on an almost regular basis. I will let you know as soon as I give it a good workout.

Please let all of us here on Connect know about your discovery of products that work .

May you be free of suffering and the cause of suffering.
Chris

Thank you for responding so
soon.
I’m going to try and think positive and continue my phototherapy for now, the meds not sure yet I might see if I can try the others you mentioned before. Hopefully they will be covered under my insurance.
For now take care and stay strong.
Thank you

I was diagnosed with GA in October, 2022 after seeing a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. I started taking hydroxychloroquine in March, 2023 and my GA red spots have mostly disappeared and the itchiness is gone!