An allergy shot every month for several years might not be your idea of fun. But if you or your child has persistent allergies that aren’t responding to medication, monthly allergy shots (immunotherapy) might be your best bet for relief.

Allergy shots - sometimes called allergy vaccines, desensitization shots or hyposensitization shots - contain small amounts of allergens. Allergens are the allergy-causing substances to which you react. The purpose of allergy shots is to increase your tolerance to allergens.

Allergy Relief

Some of the medications used to treat respiratory allergy symptoms include antihistamines, decongestants, nasal sprays and eyedrops. What do medications do? Allegra D Allegra Claritin-D Flonase Nasacort Nasacort AQ Nasonex Patanol Zyrtec

To be effective, allergy shots are given on a schedule. Typically you’ll receive a shot once or twice a week for about three to six months. After that, you’ll need a shot about once a month for three to five years. If you don’t have an adverse reaction, the allergen dose is increased each time you receive a shot. Gradually your body learns to accept the allergen as the harmless substance it is. As this happens, your symptoms decrease.

But allergy shots aren’t for everyone. The shots don’t work on all allergies or on all people with allergies. And if you do decide to go through with the allergy shots, it takes commitment to stick to the treatment for a few years.

Talking with your doctor can help you decide if allergy shots are right for you or your child.

Benefits of allergy shots

Allergy shots are used to desensitize you to certain allergies. In some cases they might also be used to prevent your child from developing allergy-related asthma.

The most common condition treated with allergy shots is allergic rhinitis - commonly known as hay fever. Symptoms occur when you inhale airborne particles, such as dust, pet dander and pollen.

# Hay fever

In most people who undergo allergy shot treatments, allergic rhinitis can be controlled. Symptom relief appears to be related to dosage and length of treatment.

Allergy shots can also be used to control allergic reactions to stinging insects, such as bees, yellow jackets, hornet and wasps. However, allergy shots won’t treat some allergies, such as allergic rashes on your skin (atopic dermatitis) and food allergies.

If your child has allergies, consider allergy shots to help prevent him or her from developing allergy-related asthma later in life. Allergy shots may also prevent children from developing new allergies. Children as young as 5 years old can receive allergy shots.

Weighing the pros and cons

When deciding whether to start allergy shot treatments for you or your child, consider the following:

  * Symptoms. If your symptoms are severe you might be more willing to go through the years of shots it takes to desensitize your body to the allergens. Also, the length of the allergy season where you live - the time of year in which your symptoms are worst - might influence your decision.

  * Current allergy medication. If your current allergy medication isn’t working as well as you’d like or if you dislike the side effects of your current medication, you might consider allergy shots.

  * Unavoidable allergens. Avoiding allergens that trigger your symptoms isn’t always possible. If that’s true in your case, you might be interested in allergy shots.

  * Treatment time. Allergy shots continue over several years for most people. You might not be interested in the time commitment necessary for the treatment.

  * Cost. Depending on your health insurance plan, your allergy shots might not be covered by insurance. Check with your insurance provider before deciding to try allergy shots.

  * Other medical conditions. If you’re currently taking beta blockers or you’re pregnant, talk to your doctor before starting allergy shots. Allergy shots could cause serious complications.

  * Shot anxiety. When considering allergy shots for your child, also think about how your child will react to the frequent shots. Any kind of shot can be frightening, especially for a child.

Receiving treatments

Your doctor will want to diagnose your allergy using a skin test before you proceed with allergy shots. This will help your doctor confirm that your reactions are allergies and determine what allergens are causing your symptoms.

During a skin test, a small amount of the suspected allergen is scratched into your skin and the area is then observed for about 20 minutes. Swelling and redness indicate you’re allergic to the substance.

What happens in an allergy test? It’s the same for kids and adults. Watch this video and find out. ...

# Allergy skin tests: Diagnosing your allergies

# Allergy testing for kids

If you decide you want shots to treat your allergies, you’ll go through two phases of treatment:

  * Build-up phase. This is the initial phase when you receive shots once or twice a week. This generally lasts three to six months.

  * Maintenance phase. During this second phase you’ll receive shots every two to four weeks, depending on what your doctor feels is appropriate. This can go on for as long as five years, sometimes longer.

Depending on your treatment, your doctor might recommend more or fewer shots.

When to expect relief

By sticking with your allergy shots, you have a good chance of reducing your symptoms. And the longer you continue, the longer those benefits will extend after treatment.

But relief from your allergies won’t come overnight. You’ll probably see some improvement in symptoms your first year of treatment, but the most noticeable improvement takes place during your second year. By the third year, most people are desensitized to the allergens contained in the shots.

Be prepared for reactions

Your body may react negatively to the allergy shots. Two types of reactions could occur:

  * Local reactions include redness, swelling or irritation at the site of the injection. Small local reactions are normal and typically last four to eight hours.

  * Systemic reactions are more serious and affect your body as a whole. They include itchy eyes, shortness of breath, runny nose and a tight throat. Systemic reactions can be life threatening.

Most serious reactions occur within 20 minutes of receiving an allergy shot, so your doctor will ask you to wait in the office for 20 to 30 minutes after your shot. If you feel a reaction coming on after you leave, return to your doctor’s office or go to an emergency room.

Talk to your doctor

Your doctor can discuss all of your allergy treatment options with you, including allergy shots, medications or allergen avoidance. Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of all of these options. This will help you decide what’s best for you or your child.