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>Treatment: He said that the treatment is the gluten-free diet for life and
>taking the sulfa drug dapsone for a short time to control the itching
>while it lasts. (He didn't specify how you know the when itching has
>stopped if the dapsone is controlling it.) However, the dapsone has
>serious side effects and someone taking it must have regular blood tests
>to monitor them.
 
When I weaned myself off dapsone by going completely GF, I took a 100mg
tablet when symptoms appeared than waited until they reappeared. Over a
period of weeks the time between pills became greater until the tabs were
no longer used. I never experienced any noticeable side effects using this
approach. Prior to my "weaning" process I was on a cheating GF diet and
couldn't get off the dreaded dapsone. For the last 6 months I have been
GF, DH free and dapsone free. With regard to dapsone side effects, when I
was first diagnosed with DH, some 25 years ago, I was prescribed sulphur
piridine (M&B 693 trade name) and this drug was effective in releaving
symptoms. However, the potential effects on the kidneys was always a
worry. I wonder if Dermatologists ever use sulphur piridine as an
alternative to dapsone for those who have a more severe reaction to the
latter, especially for short term treatment after the commencement of the
GF diet?
Cheers
Roy
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Roy A. Hall, PhD
Senior Research Officer
Molecular Virology
Dept. of Microbiology,
University of Queensland
Brisbane. 4072. QLD
Australia
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