Allergies

Your allergy symptoms are caused by your body producing excessive amounts of allergy antibody when you breathe allergens. Immunotherapy helps your immune system build protective antibodies to the various allergens for which you are being treated. These protective antibodies reduce the allergic reactions and can suppress your system’s tendency to produce excessive allergy antibodies.

Allergy immunotherapy can be done in two ways. Either through injections or throat a regimen of sublingual drops

Injections are administered weekly until you have achieved your maximum symptom-relieving dose. This takes several months depending on your degree of sensitivity.

The blood tests and skin tests indicate a safe starting dose. Each patient is different and the strength of the maintenance dose and frequency of injections is tailored to the individual.

The maximum symptom-relieving dose is then repeated weekly until your symptoms have been controlled through at least two consecutive seasons. After that time, an attempt is made to gradually taper your injections. Most patients undergo immunotherapy an average of 3-5 years.

Generally, as the strength of your treatment dose is increased, you will experience relief of your symptoms after the injection. This relief gradually wears off during the week and your symptoms may return. Eventually, the majority of your symptoms will be controlled from week to week.

Interruptions in your progress can occur if you have an infection, are under stress, or have other medical problems that are not controlled and can produce allergic-like symptoms. Excessive exposure to pollens, dust, molds irritants, tobacco smoke or smog in your environment may cause an increase in your symptoms. It may be necessary to adjust your allergy dose and take allergy medication.

Occasionally, you may have a local reaction at the injection site consisting of redness and swelling. It is usually of little importance. When a local reaction is greater than 2 inches or persists for more than 48 hours, it is an indication to adjust your next treatment dose.

You may experience a slight increase in your allergy symptoms the first day after the injection. This may be controlled with allergy medication if necessary and also indicates a need to adjust your treatment dose. It is important to notify us of any local reactions or increased symptoms.

Rarely, patients can have severe life threatening systemic anaphylactic reactions. This is why all our patients are prescribed an epinephrine pen. All patients must bring their epinephrine pen with them to all allergy shot appointments in case this rare emergency happens. Our office is equipped with medications and equipment needed to manage the reaction.

Allergy injections can be safely administered during pregnancy.

When your allergy symptoms have been controlled through two consecutive seasons, it is then appropriate to taper off allergy injections. If your symptoms have responded to immunotherapy, your inhalant allergy symptoms will remain controlled as the interval between injections is lengthened. The method for tapering allergy injections is adjusted to fit the individual patients.