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

I dealt with GD covering most of my front and back upper and lower torso for 4 years, on and off. My first outbreak lasted one year and after that I had 6 months of activity and 6 months of dormancy. My outbreaks were severe.
I tried every single topical prescription or non-prescription treatment, not never steroids helped or gave relief.
I luckily learned theories that GD is tied to heavy metals and did a recommended heavy metal home chelation using fresh and fresh frozen cilantro daily. Experimenting I put my 1-month-old recent breakout in remission after 2 months of drinking it and I was afraid to go off the blended cilantro for six months but most only do this for 3 months. I haven't had a breakout since. It still took almost a year for every single old non itchy papule scab to release and heal. It took over 2 years for my skin to feel normal and enjoy being touched.
Now 4 years later, if I feel a tingle or feel the beginnings of tiny under skin bumps on my upper back torso (where it normally started) I drink a blended cilantro tonic daily for a week or more.
They say GD is for life, chronic, but my life is back to normal, and I am grateful for every pain and itch free day and hope you can find relief also. Why not try this, it helps about 40-45% of us who documented our experiences back in Feb of 2019 on a GD Mayo blog discussion. Kimass1, a Mayo blogger. told us about cilantro helping some with GD.

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Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
I was diagnosed with Grover’s Disease this year. The steroid prescription did not help. When I read your comments I realized that the large amount of cilantro I’ve been consuming probably is the reason all the spots are drying up or just plain disappearing. We recently moved to Florida and the produce is so amazing that we eat salsa or guacamole almost daily. Thanks again!

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I am a 48 year old female who has been suffering from Grover's Disease for over 3 years. I was on a steroid cream which helped to alleviate some of the itching but the rash was always on my stomach. I tried the cilantro in the smoothies for over 3 weeks but that didn't help at all.

Around 6 weeks ago, I started having stomach issues that lasted for over 4 weeks. I was about to go get blood work and provide a stool sample when someone who had a similar stomach issue last year suggested garlic and honey. I am not a garlic fan but I would have tried anything to help with my stomach issues (think colonoscopy prep type diarrhea for 4 weeks.) So I started the garlic and honey suggestion. Every morning I would wake up and chop two cloves of fresh garlic and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. Then I would put the garlic on a spoon and drizzle it with honey then eat the garlic and honey (it doesn't taste great and some mornings I even gagged but I am so glad I tried it.) You have to then wait about an hour before eating and drinking. After 4 days my stomach issue was completely gone. After 7 days of having garlic and honey every morning on an empty stomach, my Grover's Disease was almost non existent. I couldn't believe it. I still have the garlic and honey a few mornings a week but I don't wait the full hour before eating. I chop it up, let it sit for 15 minutes, mix in the honey, eat it and then have my breakfast and tea.

It's the middle of the summer which is normally when my Grover's is at it's worst - sun, sweat, heat, but to my amazement it's almost non existent. I am hoping after another week or two it's completely gone.

So if you are like me and trying to find ways to help your Grover's Disease, and you don't mind having garlic breath until lunch time, maybe you should give garlic and honey a shot. I hope it works for you.

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My 50-year struggle with Grover’s was finally put under control with UV photo therapy a few years back, but I’m always interested in new ways to fight this plague, should it flare again.

Do you “soak” the garlic clove in the honey before eating it? I've eaten raw garlic, but certainly never made it a daily habit. I too, have stomach/digestive issues as I have aged, and I'd give the garlic/honey regimen a try.

BTW, a pre-med student recommended aloe vera gels to treat stomach issues. I'm trying this now, but so far it’s not effective.

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I have suffered from Grover's since last August (2022). My dermatologist prescribed Gabapentin last Monday, and, after taking my first 300 mg. capsule, my itch stopped. I currently am taking 300 mg. in the morning and 300 mg. at night although the doctor said I can take another 300 mg. midday if necessary. I have had a few instances of breakthrough minor itches, but none have been severe enough to require anti-itch medication. I am virtually itch free without feeling sticky, cold, or generally icky from topical medications.

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I'm always happy to hear from others that get relief from this demon disease and can't understand why more doctors don't recommend giving cilantro a try. I wrote up my results as well as the results of others and gave this write up to both of my dermatologists which seemed to have no interest in the heavy metal detox theory to aid in GD remission. Transcient Acantholytic Dermatitis, aka, Grover's Disease, GD, is normally transcient, it comes and goes and as you have learned, just like the rest of us, there are no prescription medications to cure this disease or that even offer relief. Yet doctors all prescribe them trying to give us hope.
My first outbreak was crippling and lasted one full year and subsequently it ran a 6 months on and 6 months off cycle for years. The subsequent break outs covered large areas, was terribly itchy and painful, but was not as severe as the first outbreak. We're all different in that regard. Mine was more severe then many, yet I read of one man on an Earth Clinic GD blog whose initial outbread lasted 6 years! He started on cilantro and he went into remission.
I'm writing what you probably already know, but want to to encourage you not to be discouraged if it returns. If that happens, return to the cilantro routine. For me drinking 1/2 bunch daily put my 1 month old break- out in remission, but it took months for a full recovery and up to one year for some of the dormant scabs to completely heal and fall off not to return. Now years later I have a hard time believing I had to live with such misery for so many years. But I'm not cured. If I start to get that tingle in my torso, always starts in my upper back torso, and feel the beginning of the tiny under the skin papuales start I go back on the blended cilantro for about a week and it resolves the sensation and what I believe are the beginnings of GD papuales forming on the inside disappear. Other then that my life is back to normal. Always be vigilant. Best of luck fellow suffer.

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In 2008, after suffering from itching for 18 months, I went to UCSF and the dermatologist put me on 300mg of gabapentin at night and 100mg in the morning. The itch stopped almost immediately. I dropped the morning dose but continued the 300mg at night for 13 years with no itching. Then, about 20 months ago, the itch came back. UCSF is too much of a drive for me anymore so I'm back to local dermatologists who don't have much to offer. I've been taking two to four cilantro capsules and one chlorella capsule a day for 75 days with no noticeable results yet. I take hydroxyzine at bedtime to get some sleep. In 2007/2008 and currently, I use Eucerin Itch Relief lotion when it gets bad. Works temporarily. My PCPs were never happy with my dosage of gabapentin but I never had any side effects.

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Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
I was diagnosed with Grover’s Disease this year. The steroid prescription did not help. When I read your comments I realized that the large amount of cilantro I’ve been consuming probably is the reason all the spots are drying up or just plain disappearing. We recently moved to Florida and the produce is so amazing that we eat salsa or guacamole almost daily. Thanks again!

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