Allergy Shots: An Effective Treatment

Anyone who suffers from severe allergy knows how life limiting it can become. A severe allergy attack can also become as serious as to feel the need to call in emergency medical assistance. Allergies also come in different types and forms and while there are many choices of treatment, one of them is of allergy shots.

When Are Allergy Shots Feasible?

While there are other treatments available to control allergies as well, your allergist may recommend allergy shots if no medication affects your allergy symptoms positively, if the medication causes side effects, or interferes with other medications you take, if you are allergic to insect stings or if you want to reduce the use of medications in the long run.
How Do Allergy Shots Help?
Allergy shots are affective in case if you have seasonal, indoor or insect sting allergies. Also known as “immunotherapy”, the shot contains a small amount of the allergen that triggers your condition so that the body may get used to it. Allergy shots aren’t a cure for your allergy but help the immune system adapt to the allergen so that it stops seeing it as a virus. Thus, these shots helps reduce the symptoms and severity of the allergy over time.

How Often Are Allergy Shots Required?

Allergy shots are given once or twice a week for a few months initially and contain the allergen you are allergic to, such as pollen, dust or mold. After the few months have passed, the dose is gradually enhanced until it reaches the level of maintenance dose. Once that level is reached, a shot is given every 2-4 weeks for a period of 4-5 months. Gradually, the time between shots is increased until you receive them only once a month. During this time, you should experience a decline in your allergy symptoms and greater tolerance for the allergen which caused you allergy in the first place.

You may be required to stay at your allergist’s office for 30 minutes after receiving the shot in order to ensure that there are no side effects of the allergy. However, if you still suffer from the same allergy symptoms, you should check in at the nearest emergency center.
After getting the allergy shots, you may experience some common symptoms such as irritation, redness or swelling in the area where the injection was inserted. These symptoms usually only last for 4 to 8 hours.

It is very important to pay attention to your allergy symptoms and seek the right treatment for it. If medications don’t help, you might want to consult a NYC allergist and get allergy shots as they have been found to be an effective treatment for most people. The process may be longer but it will help develop endurance in your body for the allergen. To schedule an appointment with one of the best NYC allergists, contact us at 212-319-5282 today.