The Need For Allergy Shots

An allergy shot contains a very little amount of the substance that the patient is allergic to, called an allergen. Treatment carried out through the allergy shots is also called immunotherapy.

Common allergens consist of mold and pollen from grasses, ragweed and trees. So, for instance, if someone is allergic to grass pollen, a small amount of grass pollen will be included into the shot. Immunotherapy not only makes symptoms go away, it can truly help prevent the amplification of the disease into asthma and decreases the number of allergies.

Allergy shots help the body fight with the allergen. When shots of the allergen are given, the body starts making antibodies into the allergen. The next time the body has any contact with the allergen, these antibodies help block its effect. Because the antibodies block the way, the body reacts to the allergen; the allergy symptoms become less severe. After many allergy shots, the person experiencing the allergy might start to get relief from the allergy symptoms. This relief will last for a long duration of time.

Not all people have to be treated with allergy shots. Allergy shots work very well for pollen allergies, which are also called allergic rhinitis or hay fever, eye allergies, bee-sting allergy and some other drug allergies. In quite a few people, allergy shots can bring about an improvement in asthma symptoms.

Usually people get treated through the use of allergy shots after they have tried other treatments that have not worked for them. Other treatments include staying away from allergens and taking medicines, such as an antihistamine.

Everyone cannot get allergy shots. Allergy shots may not be good for people especially if they have severe asthma or heart ailments. An allergy shot should be taken if the person having the allergy takes a beta blocker for heart problems.

Children younger than five years of age also should not get allergy shots. Allergy shots should not be given in cases of pregnant women. But, if someone has been taking allergy shots and during that time, becomes pregnant, a doctor should be consulted. He may advise you, depending on your situation, whether you can continue taking allergy shots or not.

When the doctor and patient both decide to have the allergy shots, the doctor will want to do an allergy test to help determine exactly what it is that is causing the allergy. An allergy skin test puts very little amount of allergens onto the skin to see which ones get a reaction from the body. Or, a blood test may be decided to be taken, such as the radioallergosorbent test, often called RAST, or the ImmunoCap test.

Quite a few allergy shots need to be taken. The doctor will start giving the shots once or twice a week. After almost six weeks of weekly allergy shots, the doctor decides when the maintenance treatment can be started. Maintenance shots are given usually just once each month, throughout the year.

Maintenance shots need to be given mostly for three to four years. After that, allergy shots are even stopped in many cases.

Allergy shots are not harmful. They are usually safe. But because allergy shots contain tiny amounts of an allergen a person might have an allergic reaction to the shot itself. One common response to allergy shots is swelling and inflammation at the place where the shot is given.

Some people can also have severe, shock-like responses to an allergy shot. This kind of reaction is called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a reaction that is rare but very severe.

If the shots are taken according to the schedule, that is, every week or every month, it is less likely that such a reaction will occur.

In case there is a bad reaction, a stay at the office for about twenty minutes every time a shot is given will be considered by the doctor. That way, even if there is a reaction, the doctor will be able to do something right away to stop the reaction to the shot.

Patients are mostly worried about how long it will take after the shots that the allergy will start getting better. It normally takes six months or a longer duration of time before the person experiencing the allergy starts feeling good and notice relief from the allergy symptoms.

If, even after this time, the allergy symptoms do not get better, the doctor can be asked to use any other kind of treatment for the allergies.