When it comes to your allergy treatment options, you have a few that provide almost immediate relief, like over-the-counter medications and allergen avoidance (the practice of avoiding the allergen causing your symptoms), and longer-term options like immunotherapy, which can take anywhere from three to five years to complete.
With such a long treatment time, it helps to understand how immunotherapy works and why it’s worth the wait.
Starting Immunotherapy: The Buildup Phase
Immunotherapy starts with allergy testing to identify which allergens are causing your symptoms (pollen, pet dander, molds, certain foods, etc.). After we identify the allergen and confirm that immunotherapy can treat it, we’ll begin the process.
All immunotherapy starts with something we call the buildup phase. During the buildup phase, which typically lasts six months, you’ll receive gradually increasing doses of an allergen to help your immune system build up a tolerance to the substance. You have two options for immunotherapy: subcutaneous (shots) or oral (tablets and drops). If you choose shots, we’ll administer the medication in the office once or twice a week for about 6 months.
If you choose oral immunotherapy, we will either have you take the drops in the office during the buildup phase or send you home with them; the severity of your allergies will dictate which option we recommend. You will need to take allergy drops or tablets daily.
Continuing Immunotherapy: The Maintenance Phase
After about the first six months, you’ll move on to the maintenance phase, which will continue for three to five years. During the maintenance phase, you’ll receive allergy shots about once a month for the full length of treatment. If you choose oral immunotherapy, you’ll need to continue taking the medication every day for the full length of treatment.
Symptom Improvement
Symptom improvement will vary from patient to patient, but many patients undergoing subcutaneous immunotherapy will notice a slight difference between six months and one year,[1] and a more noticeable reduction in symptoms in the second and third years.
Oral immunotherapy will start to show changes earlier, likely within the first three to four months,[2] and your symptoms will gradually improve from there until they reach their peak reduction.
The wait may be long, but being able to walk through the Grandview Nature Preserve with fewer symptoms makes it well worth it. For more information or to start your immunotherapy journey, contact Hampton Roads ENT ~ Allergy to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists.
[1] Cleveland Clinic medical professional. (2023). Allergy shots. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/25194-allergy-shots
[2] Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2024). Could allergy drops be the key to allergy relief? Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/seasonal-allergies/could-allergy-drops-be-the-key-to-allergy-relief