Allergen immunotherapy, also known as allergy shots, are a popular form of long-term treatment that work to decrease symptoms experienced by many people with certain allergies. This form of allergy treatment aims to reduce a person’s allergic reaction to allergens through a series of injections (shots) with a solution that contains the allergens that cause the adverse symptoms. Individuals suffering from allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, eye allergies, or insect allergies may benefit from allergy shots.
It is important to note that allergy shots cannot be used to treat food allergies. Allergy shots decrease sensitivity to allergens, which means they often lead to lasting relief from symptoms even once the treatment has stopped. For many people, allergy shots are a cost-effective and beneficial treatment approach that will help increase their overall quality of life and comfort level.
Who Benefits From Allergy Shots?
Allergy shots are used to treat allergies in both children and adults, however, this treatment method is not typically recommended for children under the age of five. The following are taken into consideration when determining whether or not allergy shots are right for you:
- Length of allergy season
- Severity of symptoms
- How well medications are helping your allergy symptoms
- If you want to avoid long-term medication use
- Time available for treatment
- Cost
In most cases, six months to a year of allergy shots are required before any improvement in symptoms is noticed. If your symptoms do not improve during this amount of time, you may need to ask your Dallas ENT doctor to review your overall treatment program. In the event the treatment is effective, you may need to continue receiving shots for three to five years or until you are symptom-free. Allergy shots should be stopped if they are not effective in two to three years.
How Allergy Shots Work?
Allergy shots have been likened to a vaccine. Once injected, your body will respond to the particular allergen and eventually develop an immunity or tolerance to it. There are two important phases of allergy shots:
- Build-up phase – During this phase the patient will receive injections with increasing amounts of the allergen. These shots are typically administered one to two times per week, depending on how an individual is reacting or responding
- Maintenance phase – This phase occurs once the effective dose is reached and depends on your response during the build-up phase. During the maintenance phase, there will be longer periods of time between treatments, as determined by your Dallas ENT doctor
To learn more about allergy shots and to see if this treatment method is right for you, please contact Central Park ENT today. We are located in Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington to provide expert ENT services so feel free to drop us a message through the contact form or visit us today.
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