How Do Allergy Drops and Shots Treatments Work?

Allergy drops and allergy shots are a natural way to assist your immune system in building up its own tolerance to the allergen(s) causing your symptoms. Using your immune system as a barrier to the allergen is the optimal solution for long-lasting results. The mechanism behind allergy immunotherapy is simple and elegant and is analogous to lifting weights. The only way to get stronger is to lift more weight. The more often we do so, the stronger we become and the more efficiently our bodies operate.

Similarly, in allergy immunotherapy, a person’s immune system builds up protective blocking antibodies when you receive gradual, stronger doses of allergy drops. The stimulation to the immune system creates a shift in the immune balance to block allergy symptoms instead of developing such symptoms.

The beauty of allergy drops versus injections is that you are getting small, safe doses daily but at the same time, your body is getting a quantity of medication that is one hundred times higher, which leads to immune protection. By building a tolerance to the allergen, the immune system is learning to tolerate and to stop overreacting to what should be a harmless substance.

Allergy Drops or Allergy Shots?

Allergy shots are the gold standard for treatment of Allergic Rhinitis (Allergic Sinus Disease) and Allergic Asthma. Because they are an established treatment, allergy shots are typically covered by insurance, which makes them a more affordable option for some patients. However, some people find the weekly clinic visits required during allergy shot treatment inconvenient. Allergy drops involve the same medications that are used in allergy shots. However, instead of being injected, allergy drops are administered as sublingual (under the tongue) immunotherapy. This method of therapy is self-administered at home.

Both are considered safe, but allergy shots MUST be given under physician supervision until maintenance phase is reached. At Trahan ENT and Aesthetics, our policy does not allow you to take your injections out of the office until you reach your maintenance level, and you attend our allergy shot education session.  You must also have a current Epipen/Auvi-Q (dual pack).  If it is difficult to make it to our office each week, we can send your serums to another doctor’s office for them to administer the injections prior to reaching maintenance level. This would be efficient if you live out of town or if our current hours do not work well for you.

How Long Does it Take to Start Working? How Long Until I Feel Better?

Allergy shots tend to start working within 3-6 months of starting treatment depending upon how often shots are given. Allergy drops can start working within 8 weeks of starting treatment but with both allergy shots and allergy drops it may take up to 1-2 years to really see dramatic improvement.

During the first year of treatment, you should feel noticeably better. But by the second year, you should not only feel even better but allergic parameters will also show that you are indeed better by medical definition.

How Much Do Allergy Drops and Shots Treatment Cost?

Most health insurance policies will cover a significant amount of the cost of allergy testing and shots through co-pays and deductibles. Allergy drops are considered an off-label use of FDA-approved antigen medication. Because of this, your insurance may not cover the cost of the drops. Make an appointment today to learn more about which treatment option is better for you.