Allergy Shots Overview

Medicine administered as an injection just under the skin to help decrease allergic reactions

• Hay fever (also called allergic rhinitis)

• Allergic asthma

• Allergies to bee and insect stings

Allergy shots do not work on all allergies or on all people with allergies. For example, they are not used to treat food allergies .

Allergy shots should be considered for patients with severe symptoms that are difficult to control with medicines and when other forms of treatment have failed.

Allergy shots decrease your sensitivity to allergens by exposing you to increasingly larger doses of the allergens to which you are allergic. An allergen is a substance that can produce an allergic, or hypersensitive response, often called an allergy attack. Pollen, dust mites, and mold spores are common allergens.

First, your doctor will use skin or blood tests to determine what you are allergic to. Then, a shot is made from small amounts of these specific allergens. With repeated shots, your body becomes less sensitive to these allergens, causing you to have a less severe allergic reaction or none at all.

It can take as long as 12 moonths of regular shots before you notice relief of your allergy symptoms.

Allergy Shots Should Not Be Taken Under These Conditions:

• Having severe asthma that is not controlled with medicine

• Having heart problems

• Taking a beta-blocker

Discuss Pregnancy with Your Doctor

Women who are pregnant should not begin allergy shots. However, if a woman has been receiving allergy shots for some time when she becomes pregnant, she may be able to continue.

Discuss Other Medications

Tell your doctor if you are taking or plan to take any medicines, including over-the-counter drugs, for both allergic and nonallergic conditions. Your allergy shots may affect the use of other medicines.

Continue Other Measures

Allergy shots can greatly reduce allergy symptoms, but are not a guaranteed cure. Therefore, you should continue to avoid known allergens while receiving shots.

Allergy shots are given year-round. For the first 3-6 months, you will get 1-2 shots per week (called the build-up phase). Then, a maintenance dose is injected every few weeks to once a month. You will receive these monthly shots for 3-5 years. After this time, you may be able to stop shots completely.

Allergy shots are usually safe. However, because they contain a small amount of an allergen, there is a risk of an adverse reaction. This may be as mild as swelling and redness at the site of the shot, which can last for 1-3 days. However, a serious, life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis can occur. Such a reaction is rare.

You will receive your shot in a doctor's office, and you will be asked to wait 30 minutes after the shot before leaving. If a bad reaction occurs, the medical personnel will be able to treat you immediately.

RESOURCES:

American College of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology
http://www.acaai.org/

Family Doctor.org
http://www.familydoctor.org/

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Allergy Asthma Information Association
http://aaia.ca/

Calgary Allergy Network
http://www.calgaryallergy.ca/

References

FamilyDoctor.org editorial staff. Allergy Shots: Could They Help Your Allergies? FamilyDoctor.org website. Available at http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/allergies/treatment/232.html . Updated 9/2010. Accessed 12/10/2010

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Tips to remember: allergy shots. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology website. Available at: http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/whatareallergyshots.stm . Updated July 8, 2010. Accessed September 14, 2010.

American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Managing asthma and allergies during pregnancy. American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology website. Available at: http://www.acaai.org/patients/resources/asthma/Pages/pregnancies-and-allergy-asthma-management.aspx . Updated February 2005. Accessed September 14, 2010.

Cincinnatti Allergy & Asthma Center. Immunotherapy (allergy shots). Cincinnatti Allergy & Asthma Center website. Available at: http://www.caac-inc.com/Shot%20Handout.pdf . Accessed September 14, 2010.

Food Allergy. Treatments for food allergies. Food Allergy website. Available at: http://www.food-allergy.org/page2.html . Accessed September 14, 2010.

Garcia-Marcos L, Carvajal Uruena I, Escribano Montaner A, et al. Seasons and other factors affecting the quality of life of asthmatic children. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol.2007;17:249-256.

Garcia-Marcos L, Lucas Moreno JM, Garde JG. Sublingual specific immunotherapy: state of the art. Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets.2007;6:117-126.

Jacobsen L, Niggemann B, Dreborg S, et al. Specific immunotherapy has long-term preventive effect of seasonal and perennial asthma: 10-year follow-up on the PAT study. Allergy.2007;62:943-948.

Kids With Food Allergies. Could sublingual immunotherapy be used to treat food allergies? Kids With Food Allergies website. Available at: http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=45& . Updated January 2007. Accessed September 14, 2010.

Mayo Clinic. Allergy shots. Mayo Clinic website. Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/allergy-shots/MY01158/DSECTION=risks . Updated July 8, 2010. Accessed September 14, 2010.