Grover's Disease: What works to help find relief?

@skinonfire Same here. I suffered through drinking cilantro smoothies for six months with no relief whatsoever.

Have suffered with Grovers disease for 20+ yrs. Any help in sight?

Acitretin has helped me but you have to monitor your liver counts closely with a standard blood draw.

@skinonfire From responses on this site the majority of those injesting cilantro do not get relief I've never claimed it helped everyone. Yet feel and have felt the need to share my story. My postings might help a few. My outbreads were severe, extremely itcy and extremely painful. I couldn't lean back in a chair. I had to drive hunched over. Yet I was blessed with clear sides so in my sleepless bed I could lay on my sides.
Back in 2019 when a group of us experimented who cilantro, because of a Feb posting by Kimass1 one who read about cilantro putting GD in remission on an EarthClinic posting, about 40% found relief. In our group of 10-15 about 40% had positve results. Out of that 40% some had total remission like myself and others had different degrees of remission.
My cycle with GD after the first full year of total front and back torso papalues, except for bra area and sides, was 6 months of break outs, 6 months of dormancy in which time the pauales would crust and begin to fall off. This went on for about 4 years. I was only about 1 month in the begining of a 6 month cycle when I began drinking 1/2 bunch of cilantro daily. Within 3 weeks I noticed fewer new papuales, it took about 6 weeks to be sure. Most only drank the cilantro for 3 months but I was afraid to stop and drank the cilantro for 6 months daily. It still took a year for all the old crusted papuales to release, if I pulled off the scab they leaked and would crust over again, however at that time they no longer itched or caused pain. I took about 2 years for me to enjoy shower spray on my back, because my back still hurt from that pressure.
In your case it seems you are in the majority for which cilantro doesn't help. What causes GD is still in question and why some of us get it and others don't is not understood. Sun damage, which I have seems to be a common element, yet I have a sister my age with the same amount of sun damage and no GD.
I've read that heavy metals may be a cause. Several years ago, before I read about a relationship of GD with heavy metals and a few years after I did the cilantro detox, I considered a metal knee replacement. I have Allergic Contact Dermatitis, ACD so I had blood testing for the implant components and learned I had 5 metal allergic. Nickle and Aluminum were moderate to severe and the 3 others were rated mild. Cilantro is considered a natural heavy metal detox and perhaps my reaction to heavy metals is what triggered my GD around the age of 64.
You may had a different cause of you GD. I do understand you misery and so hope relief will be coming for you too and if you learn the cause please post it for it may help others too.

@nodgabnoj It's good to learn that cilantro is still a benefit for you.

@jtboston Were you allergic to the injection?

@draj
Hi,
There is a lady who posts a lot about cilantro who is known as gardeningjunkie . She has the recipe for the smoothie.

Im a 45 year old female who was just diagnosed last week. 4 months ago I started with what I thought was poison ivy on my left arm. Over the course of 7 weeks, it spread over my entire body. For weeks I couldn't sleep, eat normal, or function like I was when i was clear. Every moment was spent feeling like bugs were crawling out of my skin. I tried calamine, lotions, special soaps, every kind of cream and lotion you can get OTC. I finally went to urgent care after breaking down in tears. They said I must have ingested poison ivy. They gave me a steroid shot, steroid cream, allergy medicine, another pill to help inflamation and sent me home. After two weeks I was only getting worse. I finally got to a point where I was up in the middle of the night tearing through creams, desperate to find any kind of relief........I also woke up one morning to pill bottles scattered on the counter......i was taking 4 allergey medications at the same time (approved by dr.). My partner said I looked crazy and I wasnt okay. I decided for my sanity, i needed to seek additional help. I went to see a dermatologist who diagnosed me with GD. She gave me a prescription for Acitretin. I haven't gotten my hands on it as of yet, as I guess its harder to get where I live. Not to mention its 950 for the script.
I didn't have sun damaged skin, and I take care of myself....or so I thought.
Im currently laying in bed with flare ups all over my buttocks, neck, back, chest, arms, thighs.......literally everywhere. I have become obsessed with the word itch and while im remaining positive and hopeful, im feeling very stressed over my life potentially being like this forever. I have gone to local stores and purchased Sarna, avena eczema creams and body wash, oatmeal bath items, and baking soda. As of now, sitting in an ice bath, taking freezing cold showers and having ice packs all over me are my only real relief. I came here looking for help......hoping to feel somewhat understood.....and supported by others dealing with the same. Im desperate. Im going to immediately stop drinking alcohol, change my diet, and start drinking the cilantro smoothie to see what happens. Im also confused as to weather im supposed to be drying myself out with herbs or trying to soothe myself with herbs. Will items like Licorice root and turmeric be bad...or helpful? I know this is now part of my life so I will be coming on with updates in hopes that I can also bring some form of help to someone else. Im currently in herb school where I will continue to learn how herbs and items from the earth can help us. Im going to be doing my end of class presentation on GD. Any ideas and suggestions from you all with directions I can start in would be helpful and appreciated. We all aren't alone. Thank you to each of you for being brave and sharing your stories. We will find a way through this together. We have to.