Shower Faucet Dripping

Hello -
I have a single handle Delta shower faucet that will drip continuously after using. Eventually it will stop if I hold the stopper up for a little bit or jamb a paper towel up in the faucet for a little while. It’s getting to be annoying though having to go through this regime every time the faucet is run.

I have changed the cartridge twice as well as the rubber washers on the cartridge but it doesn’t seem to have any effect. I had a plumber in to take a look at it and his response was…”Every brand of cartridge is junk. You’re basically stuck with this problem.”

I refuse to accept that this is all I can do. My house/faucet is 17 years old and I realize things fail but is there anything I can do to fix this dripping faucet? I welcome any and all suggestions. Thank you!

what do you mean by holding the stopper up?

Are you referring to the diverter on the tub spout that you pull up to get water to shower head?
do you have a hose attached to the shower arm?

Some of the newer big shower heads drip for a bit longer. sometimes the leak is not from the valve itself but from residual water trickling down the riser to the head. part of the contributing factor are the flow restrictors. take off the shower head and turn on faucet. does the dripping stop faster with the head off?

Thank you for replying! Yes, by the stopper I mean the diverter on the tub spout. I do have a shower arm attached with a large shower head. However, a shower hasn't been taken for awhile...it is always baths. I'll remove the shower head though and see what happens. Thanks again for the help!