Allergy shots contain small amounts of allergens - the substances that the patients are allergic to. Treatment with allergy shots is also known as immunotherapy.
The most common allergens include mold and pollen from grasses, trees and ragweed.
So, for example, if a person is allergic to grass pollen, the shot will include a small amount of grass pollen. Immunotherapy not only forces symptoms to disappear, but it can really help preclude the amplification of the ilness into asthma and reduces the number of allergies.
Allergy shots make our bodies struggle against the allergen. When the shots are given, the body starts producing antibodies into the allergen. Next, when the body has a contact with the allergen, the antibodies just block its effect. Due to the fact that the antibodies block the way, the body responds to the allergen; the symptoms of allergy become less serious. After numerous allergy shots, the patient suffering from the allergy might start to feel relief from the symptoms. This relief lasts for a long time.
There is no need to treat all the patients with allergy shots. They are very effective for pollen allergies, (so called allergic rhinitis or hay fever) eye allergies, bee-sting allergy and some other allergies to drugs. In some patients, allergy shots can bring relief in asthma symptoms.
Usually patients are treated with allergy shots after they have tried other treatments that have failed. Other forms of allergy treatment include taking medications, such as an antihistamine and obviously staying away from allergens.
Allergy shots are not for everyone. They may not be suitable for people particularly if they have heart problems or severe form of asthma. An allergy shot is a good choice if the patient takes a beta blocker for heart ailments.
Children younger than five years old should not be treated with allergy shots. They are not recommended to pregnant women. However, if a woman has been taking allergy shots before she became pregnant, she should consult a physician. He will advise you, considering your situation, whether you should continue treatment with allergy shots or not.
When both the physician and the patient decide on therapy with allergy shots, the physician will ask the patient to do an allergy test in order to determine exactly what is causing the allergy. During an allergy skin test a small amounts of allergens are placed on the skin in order to see which ones cause a reaction of the body. Also, a blood test may be performed, such as the radioallergosorbent test (RAST), or the ImmunoCap test.
Only a few allergy shots are to be taken. The physician will start giving the shots one or two times a week. After almost six weeks of such a treatment, the physician decides when the maintenance treatment should be started. Maintenance shots are usually given once a month. Mostly, they need to be given for three to four years. After that, they are stopped in many cases.
Allergy shots have no harmful effects and they are usually completely safe. However, due to the fact that they contain small amounts of allergens, a patient might show an allergic reaction to the shot. One typical response to allergy shots is inflammation and swelling at the place of injection.
Some patients can also experience severe, shock-like reactions to an allergy shot. Such kind of reaction is called anaphylaxis. It occurs rarely, but is very severe.
If the shots are taken due to the schedule (every week or every month) it is less probably that such a reaction will take place.
In case of a bad reaction, a stay at the office for at least twenty minutes at times when a shot is given will be recommended by the physician. That way, even if a reaction occurs, the physician will be able to react immediately to stop it.
Patients are usually worried about how long does it take to see the improvement. Normally, it takes at least six months before the person suffering from the allergy starts feeling better and notice relief from the symptoms.
If the allergy symptoms do not get better after this time, the physician should be asked to recommend another kind of treatment for the allergies.
