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Allergy & Asthma Advocate: Winter 2006
Immunotherapy in the Off SeasonBy Rita Gupta, MD and Iftikhar Hussain, MD, FAAAAI
Allergy shots are not a cure, but can help decrease allergy symptoms in some individuals who are unable to avoid allergens or do not respond to other medications.
The benefits of receiving allergy shots when you do not have allergy symptoms is that over time your symptoms are likely to improve or completely resolve. Other benefits include avoiding the side effects and costs of allergy medicines. In patients that have asthma and allergies, it may decrease the number of exacerbations. In addition, the shots are beneficial for patients that are unable to avoid the allergen.
Higher doses of immunotherapy may be given in the season when you do not have symptoms, while decreasing the dose of the shots in season to minimize the chance of a severe allergic reaction. Because of the potential for severe side effects, allergy shots must always be given at a healthcare provider's office. Allergy shots are given regularly with gradually increasing doses of allergens to which you are sensitive. When starting immunotherapy, you will need to go to your healthcare provider once or twice a week for at least several months until the maintenance dose is reached. Then, the shots are often given once a month to control your allergy symptoms. Allergy shots may have to be given for six months to a year before any improvement in symptoms is noticed. If the treatment if effective, the shots often will continue for 3-5 until either your symptoms are gone or you can be controlled with mild medications for one year. In conclusion, it is better to start allergy shots in the off season to get ready for the allergy season and decrease unwanted side effects or reactions due to immunotherapy.
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© 1996-2008 · All Rights Reserved · American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology |
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Allergy shots, also called immunotherapy, are given to reduce allergic reactions to allergens. Allergens are substances to which you are allergic. Allergy shots can be effective against house dust mites, weed and tree pollen, insect stings, grass, and cat and dog dander. These shots are not a useful method to treat food allergy. 
Immunotherapy is appropriate for patients who have symptoms of hay fever or allergic asthma with natural exposure to allergens and who have specific IgE antibodies to relevant antigens by skin testing, whose symptoms are not controlled by appropriate medicines, have adverse effects of the medications, and want to avoid long-term medication use and decrease the cost of their medications. In addition, it should be considered in patients that have coexisting hay fever and asthma. 
Patients with seasonal allergies should get immunotherapy in the preseason so they do not have symptoms during the season because the shots take time to have an effect. The risks of receiving allergy shots is a rare systemic reaction called anaphylaxis that can cause a variety of systemic side effects, including low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, and hives.