G5052 Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I started shots some 35 years ago when I was a teen, and continued into my early 30's, primarily because I had to change the mix for different places I lived. Then I stopped at that point because my allergies really weren't too bad. Well, fast forward. Now they're bad again. I was retested over the holidays, and indeed my allergies to dust, molds, grasses, and weeds were significant. All of the recommendations of this doctor and office were really good. Their hours are convenient, and I like both the doctor and staff. Anyway, several questions... Do all doctors now require an Epipen if you get shots? That part is new to me. I'm supposed to bring it with me for shots and carry it that day. I never had a bad reaction to shot back then, but suppose that it is a good precaution. The doctor said that I should see some improvement in about a year. I remember it taking awhile, but is there anyway to make this go faster? She said that coming in twice a week for shots for the first months would help, but otherwise it just takes time. If my fall allergies in 2016 are better, I'd be thrilled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Yep, an Epi is pretty standard. If you don't have your epi-pen yet, there is often a coupon at the Epi-pen website that works with your insurance to lower your cost. Doing 2 days a week is a great way to get started but it can get a bit overwhelming if you are doing multiple shots in each arm. It does take quite a while to see benefits. The first doses are so very tiny that it takes a while to get up to a therapeutic level. Different doctors progress at different speeds, so one persons story isn't always the same as the next persons. We switched doctors close to the end of her treatment and the new doctor was surprised at how fast the first doctor progressed my daughter in the beginning stages of treatment. Some doctors will do a "rush" treatment where you stay in their office most of one day and get a lot of the beginning doses out of the way all at once. It requires some pre-meds and doctor who is willing to do it, but it can knock a month or so off of treatment. It may be worth asking your doctor about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) Epi is standard. STAY at the office 30 full minutes, even if your doctor does not require it. DO NOT leave. Be sure you have good nurses and a very competent, organized office. The allergy shots really really helped my kids. Although they had to stop, it has still helped long-term. Whatever you do, don't rush it. If you are sick and they cut the dose, let them ....and don't push it. If you stay on the shots, you will reap the benefits even if you never get to maintenance dose. Edited January 1, 2016 by Calming Tea 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Agreeing with the others. You must carry that epi to each appointment. If you have asthma, you really need to have your inhaler. If you are prone to delayed reactions to things, 30 minutes is a good wait, but no one will mind if you sit there longer. Good luck! I had results within a year, but ragweed took about 4 or 5. I still struggle with it, but not as much. The doctor was ready to pull the plug, but when she found out I was getting results for ragweed for the first time, she happily let me go another 9 months or so. I am so glad I did shots. Make sure you check your vials every time they give you shots--even if you are pretty sure you have a unique name. I remember a nurse telling me once that she was never sure anyone at her doctor's office got their own allergy shots! That was a family practice that I've never been to, but I agree about the organized office thing. It's a big deal to go someplace that standardizes their practices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 My DD has done allergy shots (one in each arm) for just over a year. She doesn't have an Epi & that wasn't anything they talked to us about. We do have some 'reaction tabs' (little pills) for two different symptoms. She stays the full 30 minutes (required) after the shots. She felt relief with many of her symptoms within six months of starting. She is still getting quite the reaction with one of the shots (probably the mold/animal one), so they have cut her dose down (from whatever they had the maintenance set at). She's not getting as much and her reaction has gone down. We're not sure if she'll still have the same relief from her allergy symptoms, but the doctor thinks we will. *crosses fingers* If she doesn't, we'll probably ramp back up (to where we were) gradually. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 Thank you. The doctor wanted me to get the Epipen on the way home because I reacted so strongly to testing. She thought that my risk was low, but said I might as well have it. Thankfully insurance made it very reasonable. The practice was started 40 years ago, and I actually see the daughter of the founder who is one of five doctors now. Her mother is still part-time with the practice, is a medical school professor, and mixes all of the vials personally. Everyone I know who goes there comments about how organized they are. They don't do the one-day ramp up, but recommend twice a week if I can. With winter weather and family needs, we'll see if I can do that. Summer would be a better time for me that way, but getting some of the benefit before summer pollen is good too. So we'll see. I'm looking forward to the results, not the process. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Pretty soon it'll become a routine thing in your week and...this is weird...but you might actually see it as an escape from your life as a parent. you go there, and you are forced to sit there for 35 minutes, once a week. :hurray: You should get in the habit of not turning on your phone...you can enjoy some special mom time, subscribe to magazines you've overlooked, read a book, ....that's what we eventually got into doing and it was nice. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Thank you. The doctor wanted me to get the Epipen on the way home because I reacted so strongly to testing. I have almost stopped breathing with enough dust exposure, and that was long before I showed seasonal allergy or asthma symptoms. It only got worse from there, and I had a very severe reaction to grass out of the blue--trouble breathing and hives from head to toe that were connected in patches as large as dinner plates. Not long after that episode, I got my allergy testing. When tested, my reaction to dust (not mites, though I reacted to those too) was the biggest reaction my allergist has ever seen. I have never stopped carrying an epi pen after I stopped shots, and thankfully no one questions my need. I have come close to using it a few times, and the more I've learned, I should have used one last year (I don't know for sure what I reacted to then, unfortunately). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 One more thing I thought of. DD had a really strong reaction to a couple of her existing allergies (strange cat & hay) after she had just started shots. It was like she was extra-sensitive to them. We've never seen reactions at that level before and she hasn't had problems since. So, just be aware it could happen even with something you don't normally really react to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyOwn Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 We've had multiple people on shots here for 5+ years. The only one with an epipen is the one who also has food allergies, so I have definitely not heard of that being a new standard for shots. Then again, I don't think our allergist is the greatest, but there is no one else close enough for us to go to. All had improvements within 6 months of starting. I will say that my dd and my dh, who have always had a horrible time in the spring and fall, improved during those seasons and then seemd to get worse in the winter. My dd was retested after 2 years if shots, had a bunch of new allergies and when they added them to the serum, things got better in the winter again. Good luck! I hope they are painless and that you get great results. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 We've had multiple people on shots here for 5+ years. The only one with an epipen is the one who also has food allergies, so I have definitely not heard of that being a new standard for shots. Then again, I don't think our allergist is the greatest, but there is no one else close enough for us to go to. All had improvements within 6 months of starting. I will say that my dd and my dh, who have always had a horrible time in the spring and fall, improved during those seasons and then seemd to get worse in the winter. My dd was retested after 2 years if shots, had a bunch of new allergies and when they added them to the serum, things got better in the winter again. Good luck! I hope they are painless and that you get great results If you still have someone on allergy shots, you might ask the doctor if you should have an epi for that person. My DDs first doctor (allergist and asthma specialist), once asked us if we needed a refill on her Epi. When I told her we didn't have one, she was shocked. I guess it was standard protocol when dd started shots, but it was overlooked in the process. The doctor just assumed we had one, because she always wrote for one before starting shots. DD's lack of one, was only caught when we had an appointment for her asthma meds, and the doctor was taking care of refills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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