Are Allergy Shots My Best Option of Treatment?

Who wouldn’t want an opportunity to say goodbye to allergy symptoms once and for all? The good news is that that’s precisely the goal of allergy shots, or immunotherapy. 

The goal of this form of allergy treatment centers around desensitizing you to the allergens triggering your symptoms. The result? Long-lasting allergy relief. However, this approach doesn’t happen overnight and is not right for everyone.

Our experts use immunotherapy when treating numerous allergic conditions at Advanced Allergy & Asthma in Ogden, Utah. If you have allergies or another allergic condition, here’s what you need to know about this safe and effective treatment.

How allergy shots work

As you might expect, allergy shots involve an injection. However, instead of getting medicine, we inject small amounts of your allergy triggers, gradually increasing the dosage each time. This “build-up phase” often requires 1-2 shots each week for 3-6 months, but we can sometimes accelerate the process to 1-2 days with rush immunotherapy.

Once you reach the most effective allergen dose, you move into the “maintenance phase” of your treatment. Simply put, you continue receiving your allergy shots to maintain your results, but they occur less frequently. This phase varies from person to person but usually requires monthly shots for 3-5 years.

Allergy shots can decrease many allergy symptoms, but it doesn’t happen overnight. Instead, they require time and commitment to achieve the best results. They also provide safe and effective results for numerous allergic conditions, but not all of them.

When to consider allergy shots

Allergy shots are safe for people of all ages, including children five and older. 

Allergic conditions that respond to immunotherapy often include:

• Seasonal allergies, like hayfever 
• Indoor allergens, like mold, dust mites, pet dander, and cockroaches
• Insect stings, like hornets, wasps, or yellow jackets
• Allergic asthma
• Skin allergies, like contact dermatitis and eczema

In these cases, allergy shots can provide game-changing results, especially for people with severe allergies, life-threatening reactions to insect stings, or symptoms that don’t respond to other treatments. On top of that, studies also show that allergy shots could even stop children with nasal allergies from developing asthma, which often occur together. 

However, we can’t use allergy shots for food allergies.

How to know if allergy shots are your best option

Allergy shots come with few risks or severe reactions. However, we still work with each of our patients on a case-by-case basis to determine whether or not allergy shots are right for them.

Factors we consider when recommending allergy shots include:

• Your allergic condition 
• The severity of your symptoms
• Whether medication can manage your symptoms or cause negative side effects
• If your allergies impact your quality of life
• Your desire to reduce your need for long-term allergy medication

We also discuss your overall health and other medical conditions you may have, like heart disease, and the long-term commitment required to get effective results with allergy shots.

Based on this information, we can work together to decide if immunotherapy is your best allergy treatment option.

Ready to see if allergy shots are right for you? Contact Advanced Allergy & Asthma to schedule a consultation by calling or requesting an appointment online today.