Is The Allergy Shot Right For You
If you are interested in finding out whether allergy shots might work for you, talk to an allergist certified by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.
Shots may be right for you if you have very severe symptoms that interfere with your normal activities even though you are taking appropriate medication. For more information on medications, see Understanding Allergy and Hay Fever Medications. They are a good option for people who have severe side effects from allergy medications or who cannot take allergy medications at all.
Allergy shots are suitable for both children older than 5 years and adults. Allergy shots are generally not given to people with heart problems or severe asthma, to people who take beta-blocker drugs for heart problems, high blood pressure, or glaucoma, or to people who take drugs called monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors.
Allergy shots do not work for all allergens or for all allergic conditions. While they reduce symptoms of allergies such as seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever); indoor allergies such as dust and dust mites, molds and mildews, and animal dander; and stinging insect venoms, they are not effective for food or medication allergies at this time. Generally, they are given only for allergens that are bothersome all year long or for significant portions of each year.
Before prescribing shots, your allergist will do a full evaluation. He or she will first go over your medical history and do a brief medical exam.
A full series of allergy tests will be performed to confirm your specific allergen(s). Depending on the results, the allergist may go ahead and recommend that you try allergy shots. The specific shots that you receive are based on which allergens you are found to be allergic to.
Another purpose of this testing is to make sure you don’t have a bad reaction to the very tiny amounts of allergens used in the tests. If you do, you may not be able to take the shots because you might be at higher risk of developing an unlikely, but potentially very severe and even life-threatening, reaction called anaphylaxis.
Some people refuse to consider allergy shots because they fear needles. Because the allergen extracts are injected just under the skin, the needles used for immunotherapy are very small, much smaller and finer than the larger needles used for many immunizations and medications. The discomfort associated with these very small needles is minimal. Even most children are able to tolerate the shots very well. Even shot haters can change their minds when their symptoms start to abate.
A final factor in your consideration of allergy shots is your patience. If they are to work properly, the shots must be given in a series over time. The initial series takes at least 6 months, and maintenance therapy should continue for 3-5 years. Trying to speed up the schedule can be dangerous.
Most people who have good results begin to see an improvement in their symptoms about 6-12 months after starting the treatment. You will need to continue getting booster (maintenance) shots for some time after completing the first series of shots.
While most people are able to stop the shots after 3-5 years without experiencing bothersome symptoms, others have to keep getting shots for longer periods. You need to make a commitment at the beginning to stick with the therapy or you will not see positive results.
Alisha Dhamani
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/is-the-allergy-shot-right-for-you-496960.html
October 09 2009 02:53 am | Allergy
October 9th, 2009 at 2:53 am
allergy shot?
i have really bad allergys . im allergic to cats dogs …..
when im around then i feel like i cant breath and my lugs start hurting then i break out in hives and ich all over . i also think i may be allergic to chocolate , when i eat it my thoat iches . i was wondering if anyone that has been on the allergy shot and maybe some info about it, and also if it worked for you ? thanks starla
i was thinking about going on the shot because i have tried a lot of allergy pills and they dont seem to work .
October 9th, 2009 at 7:55 am
oh geez WELL before you go look all over the internet for information on the allergy shot.. let me tell you that i did that and everything I read about it .. well actually like 98% of what i read about it was BAD!!!!!!! BAD LIKE I WAS TERRIFIED TO GET IT HOWEVER… when i read all of that stuff.. i had already gotten the shot.. So… don’t read what it says on the internet about it because it sounds scarry. I have been on the allergy shot for about 2 months now. Nothing that I read bad about the shot happend to me personally and believe me I WAS PAYING GOOD ATTENTION TOO!
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I got the allergy shot about 2 months ago. The dr. will also prescribe you a nasal spray that needs to be used once every day for the shot to work. (I hate nasal spray) anyhow… the first day my allergies were still HORRIBLE! i got online to see how long it will take to start working and READ ALL KINDS OF HORRIBLE THInGS ABOUT IT INSTEAD—so i was very scared……the next day when i awoke it was like i was a whole new person… it was sooo crazy. Two months later i’m still doing great but still hate the nasal spray! lol
i am pro allergy shot! lol :o) it’s awesome!
October 9th, 2009 at 7:57 am
First, see an allergy specialist, you will get tested for allergies; several small inoculations (usually on your back) in grid fashion of varying allergens - then reaction checked. Your allergy shots are custom mixed for you and you must receive them on a set schedule, usually twice a week. Over time this is designed to build up your immune system to prevent your symptomatic response to your ‘allergy inducers’ - cats, dogs, etc. etc.
However, these shots may or may not work, bummer…
I was on shots for a few years, got a little relief, but not much.
You may need a prescription (or two) for medication designed to block production of the reactants that cause your symptoms; may want to get checked for allergy induced asthma also - which should be easy, allergists are usually ashtma specialists as well.
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I am an MD.
October 9th, 2009 at 7:59 am
I’m allergic to dogs and cats, as well as a lot of other things. I had allergy shots for many years as a kid and have restarted them now that I’m in my 30s. They help me, which is the only reason I’m willing to go through them.
You need to see an allergist and get tested. There are several types of test, but most seem to do the skin prick/scratch test where a tiny amount of allergen is applied to the skin and the reaction recorded. Then if you and your allergist thing shots are the thing for you the shot will be custom mixed, and the number of shots varies. I get two shots, one in each arm, once a week until I hit the maintanence dose, which is going to be tomorrow. Then it will go to every two weeks for another 6 months, then eventually to once a month if I respond well. My arms swell and ache terribly from the shots, and I’ve got to take a lot of medicine before I get them to control the reactions, I’ve also had to get a prednisone shot to deal with reactions to the shot.
To me they are worth it. I wasn’t prescribed nasal spray or anything like that. I do carry an epipen for the food allergies, which the shots don’t help, which sucks. If I didn’t think the shots are worth it I sure wouldn’t be getting them, because the side effects have been a lot rougher than I remember from childhood.
You might also want to see if you are asthmatic, and may need a rescue inhaler if you are or daily control medications.
Good luck.
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