1. < Skin Health

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

Posted by 43219876x @43219876x, Sep 23, 2016

I have been diagnosed with Grover's disease under my breasts. I had a biopsy for diagnosis. Tried topical ointment with no really good results. Any ideas?

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gardeningjunkie | @gardeningjunkie | Feb 26, 2023
In reply to @ib66 "Has anyone experienced an itchy scalp from Grovers? If so, have you had good experiences with..." + (show)
@ib66

Has anyone experienced an itchy scalp from Grovers? If so, have you had good experiences with a shampoo/ conditioner that relieves the itching? Thanks!

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Dont' rule out Allergic Contact Dermatitis, ACD, for itchy scalp . I have both GD and ACD. My GD was never in my scalp, but before testing used shampoos and conditioners that I was allergic to.

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nodgabnoj | @nodgabnoj | Feb 26, 2023

I get have two reactions to these posts, actually three. There is no cure(at this point), there is no one size fits all when dealing with it(light therapy didn’t work for me), and Cilantro may be the most effective way to suppress its misery. I believe that eliminating most sugar in my diet and a 3 year regimen of Cilantro put my GD in remission, at least for now.

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bjwilliams | @bjwilliams | Feb 27, 2023
In reply to @woody92354 "Got GD around New Years 2023. Broke out virtually overnight. Suffered for about 6 weeks with..." + (show)
@woody92354

Got GD around New Years 2023. Broke out virtually overnight. Suffered for about 6 weeks with red spots & ITCH! No topicals, Rx or OTC cremes/lotions/ointments did any good. Finally derm says decreasing dose of Prednisone should, in his words "Knock it down". It did! It did not return after 6 day descending dosage was complete. It's now been about 3weeks, and it has NOT returned w/a vengeance as some have said it may/would. My question is now this: while spots have faded, you can still clearly see where they were. #1) Will they fade away completely? #2) If GD does return, will these same spots again redden & become itchy. or will completely new spots appear in other locations? FYI, I had GD on upper outer thighs, sides of torso, lower back, rash on arms & elbows, some lower leg spots & even on my left foot. Currently taking Fish oil, Vit. D3, and L Lysine that I had. Also consuming one Cilantro smoothie/day, as I kind of like them. Thank you for any response/info regarding my two questions. Good luck to all with this horrendous affliction. Hoping my case stays in remission!

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I had a similar experience except that my GD began in August 2022. I began thinking it was an allergy and consulted an allergist, who prescribed a quadruple dose of Zyrtec. It did absolutely nothing, couldn't even tell that I was taking it. I saw a dermatologist who diagnosed Grover's and prescribed Triamcinolone Acetonide Ointment which at first helped with the itching but became less and less effective. I suffered for over five months using various OTC meds for the unrelenting itch: Biofreeze, Sarna, Witch Hazel, aloe/menthol/camphor concoctions, etc. Finally, I saw a second dermatologist. He prescribed the two-week diminishing dose of Prednisone as well as a double dose of Zyrtec. He explained that the Prednisone should "reset" my immune response and that the Zyrtec might take over after two weeks. The itching stopped almost immediately. My two weeks on Prednisone ended a week ago, and the itch has not returned. (I experienced some unpleasant side effects from the Zyrtec, however, and had to replace it with Allegra.) So far so good. Note that this does NOT involve long-term use of Prednisone which is, indeed, dangerous.

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3 replies
woody92354 | @woody92354 | Feb 27, 2023
In reply to @itchyrich "Have never heard anything good about Prednizone as a permanent treatment. Get on the Facebook Grover's..." + (show)
@itchyrich

Have never heard anything good about Prednizone as a permanent treatment. Get on the Facebook Grover's Disease page and read about it. Steroids can be dangerous long term. I've never used it. I hope it worked for you. I have had GD for a very long time and the only thing that worked for a long time was Gabapentin, which worked for 13 years and then, just quit working.

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Hey itchyrich, as far as the Prednisone goes, I was desperate for something, and this is what derm prescribed. I don't know about it becoming a permanent treatment. So far, it's been a one & done fix. I have read where some take it 3-4 times/yr. Hoping this is not the case for me. Still drinking Cilantro w/mango juice smoothies, as I kind of like them. I have also started kind of a Keto way of eating, which is basically cutting out a lot of SUGAR. I've easily lost 18# in three weeks, ending some inflammation in my left leg & foot. Also taking fish oil, L Lysine & vit. D3. This is working for me, for now at least. Sorry your fix just stopped working for you. Good luck finding a new fix. Keep us posted...

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woody92354 | @woody92354 | Feb 27, 2023

Sorry to hear steroids did no good for you. It's working for me for now, so knock on wood. Glad to hear spots will fade over time. Loving my Cilantro smoothies every day, even though not sure I still need them. Bought a new blender, so why not? Hoping you manage to keep GD at bay.

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margie1915 | @margie1915 | Feb 27, 2023
In reply to @bjwilliams "I had a similar experience except that my GD began in August 2022. I began thinking..." + (show)
@bjwilliams

I had a similar experience except that my GD began in August 2022. I began thinking it was an allergy and consulted an allergist, who prescribed a quadruple dose of Zyrtec. It did absolutely nothing, couldn't even tell that I was taking it. I saw a dermatologist who diagnosed Grover's and prescribed Triamcinolone Acetonide Ointment which at first helped with the itching but became less and less effective. I suffered for over five months using various OTC meds for the unrelenting itch: Biofreeze, Sarna, Witch Hazel, aloe/menthol/camphor concoctions, etc. Finally, I saw a second dermatologist. He prescribed the two-week diminishing dose of Prednisone as well as a double dose of Zyrtec. He explained that the Prednisone should "reset" my immune response and that the Zyrtec might take over after two weeks. The itching stopped almost immediately. My two weeks on Prednisone ended a week ago, and the itch has not returned. (I experienced some unpleasant side effects from the Zyrtec, however, and had to replace it with Allegra.) So far so good. Note that this does NOT involve long-term use of Prednisone which is, indeed, dangerous.

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I have had GD for several years but this time is the worse that I have ever had it. I just finished a week of prednisone. In the last three days on it it started coming back. Now I am waking up in the middle of the night because the itching is so bad. I am waiting for a call back from my Dr

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margie1915 | @margie1915 | Feb 27, 2023

I am seeing lots of comments about cilantro. Can someone tell me about it? How to take it..how much?

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3 replies
bjwilliams | @bjwilliams | Feb 27, 2023
In reply to @margie1915 "I am seeing lots of comments about cilantro. Can someone tell me about it? How to..." + (show)
@margie1915

I am seeing lots of comments about cilantro. Can someone tell me about it? How to take it..how much?

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Most people make a breakfast smoothie consisting of a handful of fresh cilantro (stems and all) combined with fresh and/or frozen fruit plus some fruit juice or water in a blender. Some people add other ingredients like yogurt, seeds, etc. Cilantro is a chelating herb, so it’s thought to clear toxins from the body. This is also a good way to get a daily punch of vitamins and minerals to help strengthen the immune system.

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griffin1120 | @griffin1120 | Feb 27, 2023
In reply to @gardeningjunkie "I'm glad steroids worked for you; they did nothing for me. Give your papule scars time,..." + (show)
@gardeningjunkie

I'm glad steroids worked for you; they did nothing for me.
Give your papule scars time, yes, they will go away. In my case it took over a year for them to completely heal. It took longer than that to not have pressure hurt my back and a massage would feel good today.
Cilantro did the trick for me, not one other treatment worked. After two years in remission, I started getting a few itchy, stinging papules starting to appear on front torso and then the back torso. I've been back to my blended cilantro. I did it daily for 2 weeks and now several times a week and have healed with no new erupted papules, however if I press hard on my skin on my upper back, I can feel a few little bumps under the skin. Previously all my breakouts had thousands of these little under the skin bumps. After my 2 years in remission my skin felt normal again. I was thinking I was cured, but now face the reality that this is a chronic disease and am vigilant and appreciate my good health today and take advantage of every blessed day without this debilitating disease.

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Gabapentin works great for me, too. I started out with 300 mg at night & 200 mg during the day, but tapered off gradually. I hadn’t used it at all in the last couple of months, but itch has slightly come back, so I used 100 mg two nights to sleep last week.
Feeling good & not itching.

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woody92354 | @woody92354 | Feb 27, 2023
In reply to @bjwilliams "I had a similar experience except that my GD began in August 2022. I began thinking..." + (show)
@bjwilliams

I had a similar experience except that my GD began in August 2022. I began thinking it was an allergy and consulted an allergist, who prescribed a quadruple dose of Zyrtec. It did absolutely nothing, couldn't even tell that I was taking it. I saw a dermatologist who diagnosed Grover's and prescribed Triamcinolone Acetonide Ointment which at first helped with the itching but became less and less effective. I suffered for over five months using various OTC meds for the unrelenting itch: Biofreeze, Sarna, Witch Hazel, aloe/menthol/camphor concoctions, etc. Finally, I saw a second dermatologist. He prescribed the two-week diminishing dose of Prednisone as well as a double dose of Zyrtec. He explained that the Prednisone should "reset" my immune response and that the Zyrtec might take over after two weeks. The itching stopped almost immediately. My two weeks on Prednisone ended a week ago, and the itch has not returned. (I experienced some unpleasant side effects from the Zyrtec, however, and had to replace it with Allegra.) So far so good. Note that this does NOT involve long-term use of Prednisone which is, indeed, dangerous.

Jump to this post

Happy to hear bjwilliams. Hopefully Prednisone kicked it for you also. I only wish derm had Rx'd it sooner, as all his cremes, ointments, pills etc. didn't touch it. OTC stuff didn't help me either! Suffered about 6 weeks. before Prednisone was offered/given. I originally thought my outbreak was chiggers (another red itchy bugger you don't want!) Then what looked more like a rash on my arms (not individual spots) had me thinking I had poison Ivy. Only thing was, you get neither of those in the debt of winter. Derm punch biopsy concluded GD, something I was totally unaware existed. Ignorance is Bliss! Good luck to you and all inhabitants of GD Kingdom.

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