Immunotherapy
The first step in treating allergies is an accurate diagnosis. Our board-certified allergist/immunologists are trained to treat patients of all ages and are experts in identifying the allergens causing your symptoms and recommending a treatment plan unique to your individual needs that will significantly improve your quality of life.
There are a number of excellent treatment options available for people who suffer from seasonal and year-round allergies. For some, medications may work, however, they only treat the symptoms. Another more permanent solution is allergy immunotherapy (commonly referred to as allergy shots) and is the only disease modifying treatment for allergy sufferers. However, “allergy immunotherapy” covers a range of treatment options.
What is Immunotherapy?
Allergy Shots
Allergy shots, also referred to as allergy injections or subcutaneous immunotherapy, are a series of injections used to treat allergies under the skin. It is an FDA-approved form of immunotherapy with well-established guidelines based on decades of research. Unlike medications that temporarily treat a patient’s symptoms, allergy shots have the potential to cure a patient of their allergies and give them long-term relief even after stopping shots.
How do they work?
Allergy shots are not a medication. They are a vaccine that contains the specific allergens that a patient is allergic to as determined by allergy testing. Receiving allergy shots desensitizes patients to their specific allergens and is the best way to decrease the immune system’s abnormal reactions to allergens. Allergy patients frequently choose to get allergy shots in order to get rid of their allergies and become “medication free.” During immunotherapy, the patient will gradually develop a stronger tolerance for his or her allergic triggers. Allergy shots always provide allergy relief and will significantly decrease or even eliminate a patient’s allergy symptoms.
Allergy shots contain traces of your specific allergens – pollens, molds, animal allergen and dust mite – that trigger an allergic response from your immune system. By gradually increasing the doses of the allergens in your shots, your body develops an immunity and/or tolerance to those allergens. Allergy shots are targeted to an individual’s allergen profile based on that patient’s specific testing. Dosing for allergy shots is based on national practice parameters established by decades of allergy research. It is effective in shifting the patient’s immune response to natural allergen exposure. Allergy shots are the closest thing we have to a cure.
How Allergy Shots Improve Your Quality of Life
Can children receive allergy shots?
Research studies suggest that allergy shots may prevent development of new allergies in children and also may prevent the development of childhood asthma. Starting allergy shots will greatly decrease the chance that your child will develop more allergies later in life, preventing future disruptions in your child’s lifelong journey of learning. In fact, allergies and asthma are the most common reason for missed school and/or work.
Allergy Tablets
A major benefit of these dissolving tablets is that they are taken at home without frequent visits with the allergist. These are a form of oral immunotherapy and have recently been approved by the FDA for use in the United States. They are currently available for patients with specific sensitivities to ragweed, some grasses, or dust mites.
How do they work?
These fast dissolving tablets are placed under the tongue and work to help the body build tolerance to allergens through consistent exposure.
Are they effective?
Allergy tablets have been shown to reduce allergy symptoms up to 50%.
Allergy Drops
These are a series of liquid drops placed underneath the tongue containing traces of your specific allergens. They are not FDA approved and are not covered by insurance making them an out-of-pocket expense to patients.
Are they effective?
More research is still pending regarding the effectiveness.
What is the availability?
Currently unavailable at Charleston Allergy and Asthma. Once these drops are FDA approved and there is enough evidence of effectiveness of doses we will consider recommending this therapy.