Allergy shots decrease sensitivity to allergens and often lead to lasting relief even after treatment is stopped. It changes your immune system to stop recognizing your allergies.
Both children and adults can receive allergy shots.
There are two phases:
You may notice a decrease in symptoms during the build-up phase, but it may take as long as 12 months on the maintenance dose to notice an improvement. Maintenance treatment is generally continued for three to five years.
Allergy shots have shown to decrease symptoms of many allergies. It can prevent the development of new allergies, and in children it can prevent the progression of allergic disease from allergic rhinitis to asthma. The effectiveness of allergy shots appears to be related to the length of the treatment program as well as the dose of the allergen. Some people experience lasting relief from allergy symptoms, while others may relapse after discontinuing allergy shots.
A typical reaction is redness and swelling at the injection site, immediately or several hours after the shot. Occasionally, symptoms can increase allergy symptoms such as sneezing, nasal congestion or hives.
Serious reactions to allergy shots are rare. Symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction can include swelling in the throat, wheezing or tightness in the chest, nausea and dizziness. Most serious reactions develop within 30 minutes of the allergy injections. This is why it is recommended you wait in our office for at least 30 minutes after you receive allergy shots.
Sublingual immunotherapy (Allergy Drops or SLIT) are allergy vaccines that are administered under the tongue. Sublingual immunotherapy is not considered more effective than allergy injection therapy, but there are several situations when SLIT may be a reasonable alternative.