<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Dear Ginny,
I am not an MD, but have DH myself, so my response comes from what I've
learned from doctors and self-education. DH does not respond quickly to a GF
diet. It should respond quickly (within several days) to dapsone, depending
on the dose. I have been on a GF diet for two years and still must take a
low dose of dapsone (25-50 mg / day). As I understand it, the DH outbreaks
are not a direct function of gluten, but come about through a chain of
events that includes production of IgA. IgA can be present in the skin and
in the blood for a very long time after gluten is no longer ingested. My
recommendation is that she stay faithfully on the GF diet but take a low
dose of dapsone until she can wean off of it.  I just lowered my dose again
and hope I'll be able to keep it there, then phase it out. There is further
information about this in the archives of this listserv, I believe.

Best wishes,
Hal Grotevant
St. Paul, MN