Allergy Shots - Immunotherapy:

When I was growing up my allergies were terrible. We lived in a more rural neighborhood in California where grasses grew tall and a huge 10 acre fruit orchard was directly behind our house. Another factor against me was all the pets we had - dog, cat, duck, rabbit, and a bird. At the time my parents had seasonal hayfever and other allergies, but they didn't realize how bad my allergies were. From a young age, I can remember coming inside and rubbing my eyes until they were swollen and red and my nose would be stuffed up all spring and summer. Our pediatrician also ran an allergy clinic from his office so we decided to go for skin testing to see exactly what I was allergic to. The scratch tests are done to determine what foods, pollens, pets, etc. you are allergic to so they can then get you started on allergy shots to build up your immunity levels to those things. The scratch tests were done on my back and didn't hurt to get done but the areas that reacted were itchy and a touch irritated after a few minutes. The idea behind allergy shots, or immunotherapy, is to build up your tolerance (immunity) to certain allergens that cause you the most problems. Mine ended up being tree pollens, dust, and grasses.

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My daughter, who is only 7 years old, has already had allergy shots for almost 3 years and is almost done with her series of shots. When she was little we knew she had pretty bad eczema (skin disorder) and we soon realized she had allergies to things like dust mites, pet dander, and some pollens. Her allergy tests were done with a series of shots that went under the skin, unlike mine that were done with drops on my skin surface. Needless to say my 4 year old daughter (at the time) didn't like that experience at all. Allergies can be debillitating and cause you to be cranky and wiped out physically and mentally. I know that allergy shots increased my tolerance to certain allergens and I still feel like today (almost 25 years later) that my body can handle allergies better. Allergy shots will never cure your allergies, but you should see some reduction in your sensitivity to particular allergens. As you get older, your ability to handle itchy eyes and a stuffy nose also become better. I rarely scratch and itch my eyes during even the heaviest of allergy seasons. I wash my face regularly and use Claritin or some other over the counter allergy medication during the roughest months. My daughter has seen some great improvements in your allergies to dust mites and pet dander. Pollens are periodically a problem, but she has rarely been the type who sneezes or gets hayfever. The allergies have always exacerbated her eczema which flared up more often when she wasn't on allergy shots. For that we are thankful as she had some pretty bad outbreaks of eczema when she was younger and it was hard as a parent to watch. Kids definitely have a harder time dealing with allergies since they tend to play outside more often and want to hold pets at other peoples houses. If your child has allergies, you should definitely get them tested to at least find out what is causing the allergic reactions. Symptoms include runny nose, watery eyes, stuffy nose, skin rashes, even asthma. Even if you choose not to go with allergy shots, you can avoid some of the things that set off the allergic reactions in your child. Adults can even get started on allergy shots and still see some results long-term. In most cases the symptoms become milder and there are some instances when the allergies disappear altogether. I know the relief I felt helped me life a somewhat normal life and I see with my daughter that now she is more capable of going to friends houses and doing normal things without worrying about allergies. I will tell you this, the commitment to get allergy shots is a big deal as you need to visit your doctor to get the shots once a week or more for about 6 months to get up to maintenance levels. Allergy shots are generally given in the upper arm of the patient. There is something called "rush immunotherapy" where you can build up the dosage taken of the allergy extract in literally hours instead of weeks. Rush immunotherapy is often administered in a hospital setting since there is added risk or an allergic reaction with dosages that are taken every few hours. Also, there is oral immunotherapy, wherein the patient takes the allergy extract in a series of drops in the mouth. You can avoid the injections of allergy shots. This procedure is not yet practiced in the United States, but with more tests perhaps the FDA will someday approve its use. Keep in mind that allergy shots are not capable of helping those with food allergies at this time. However, it's a good idea to find out if you are allergic to certain types of foods so you can avoid them.

How much are allergy shots?:

Not all insurance companies cover allergy shots and many will have a 1 year waiting period before you can proceed with things like allergy shots. We use BlueCross Blue Shield here in Oregon and the shots are covered only after we have met our deductible. They are not considered a normal office visit with a copay. I, unfortunately have a $2500 deductible on our families health insurance policy so we pay almost all of the allergy shot bill. The initial fees are higher as you must go more often to build up your tolerance level. We went 2 to 3 times a week for almost 4 months to get my daughter built up to highest dosage of serum as fast as possible. You go through a series of colored bottles that progessively become more potent with the exact allergens that give you allergy issues. The hope is that you can slowly build up an immunity to some of the allergies and at least lessen the overall symptoms. The bottles of allergy extract (also called serum) cost about $300 to $400 and you need to get new bottles every 3 to 4 months depending on how often you are going for shots. The actual shots, at my clinic, cost about $35 for 2 shots. We go every 2 to 3 weeks for my daughter so you can see how this would add up over time. The biggest cost is when you have to go more often at the initial stages of allergy shots. Check with your health provider to see if they cover expenses for allergy shots.

What are the Risks associated with Allergy Shots:

Our nurse that gives my daughter her shots always asks - Did you have any lumps or bumps last time? The most common reaction to any allergy shot is a slight allergic reaction at the site of the shot (usually on the arm). You may experience itching, swelling, and even have a lump in your that aches a little. In the 100's of shots that my daughter has received, I would say about 1 in 20 has "hurt" a bit, mostly just temporarily. Once she had an achy arm for about 3 days. The reactions are almost always going to appear within 20 to 30 minutes of getting the injection so we stay in the allergy clinic office for about 20 minutes after the shots are administered just to be safe. The likelihood of having a severe reaction is small and we have an injectable epinephrine shot at home in case something occurs at a later time when doctors are not around. We have never had to use it and hopefully never will. The EpiPen, as it's called, is good for about 1 year and then you need to replace it with a new one. The epinephrine in the EpiPen can reverse the reactions if they appear to be life-threatening. I feel safer giving my daughter allergy shots than pumping her full of drugs like anti-histamines all the time. We are near the end of the road on the shots and they appear to have helped for now.

How often and how long do I need allergy shot?:

As we mentioned earlier, the process of building up your tolerance to the allergy extract that you are allergic to takes time. The more often you can go at first, the faster you can build up to the highest concentration of allergy extract, or serum. The first few sets of bottles contain allergy extracts of things you are allergic to in very small quantities to give your body the ability to build up some immunity. Gradually the bottles become more concentrated until you reach the highest level possible. At that point, you are beyond the hard part and only need to come in every few weeks to get your 1 or 2 shots. We are now at the point where my daughter can stretch it out to 3 weeks which is a huge benefit. When you first get new bottles, you need to come in more often for the first few shots but you can get to maintenance within a few visits and be back on track to come every few weeks for quite a while. Each bottle lasts about 4-5 months for us. The good news is that you don't have to get them forever. Most immunotherapy doctors will stress at least 3 years and sometimes up to 5 years, but there are no proven benefits of receiving allergy shots after the 5 year period. The long term benefits can last 10, 15, even 20 years in some people.

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