Allergy shots? Natural alternative?

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I went to the allergist this past Monday. They did the allergy testing and I reacted immediately and severely to grass pollen (and some trees) and to a much lesser extent cats and dust mites. The allergist said that I'm a very good candidate for allergy shots.

 

I'm very conflicted about this. My neighbor has benefited tremendously from her shots. She was on multiple medications, always had a red, stuffy nose among other symptoms. Now she is medication free. I did know a girl in college, though, who went into anaphylactic shock and died after an allergy shot. That is very, very, very rare, but is a real thought in the back of my head.

 

Have allergy shots been effective for anyone here? Anyone know of an effective natural alternative?

[KS_]

I have acupuncture once a month for sinus/allergy issues and have not had to take any meds for my allergies since (and it's been going on 5 years, I think). I was taking decongestants daily (usually not antihistamines because most of those didn't make me feel very good). I go once a month because that seems to work well for me - some people may be able to go less often once their symptoms are under control.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

due to the allergy shot therapy I had as a young teen. You can see the affects of long-term allergies in all my school pictures (taken every Fall). Puffy eyes, red nose, styes from rubbing my eyes so much, dry skin, lots of sinus infections, ear infections...

 

I finally had a severe asthma attack at the age of 12 that convinced my doctor to send me to an allergist. 3+ years of shots were well worth it. I ended up with a food allergy (shellfish), but I'm fine with that. I would not hesitate to put my children on shot therapy if they needed it.

 

hth

K

[Hillary in KS]

My son had severe environmental allergies, and he's been taking the shots for nearly 4 years now. (He's down to one shot every 3 weeks.)

 

We noticed a HUGE difference! He's medication-free, except during the *worst* of ragweed season. And even then, it depends upon how much time he spends outside.

 

Usually, if you're going to have a serious reaction to the shots, it'll be immediately. The allergists STRONGLY recommend that you remain in the office for 30 minutes after the shot. They also recommend that you carry an epi-pen on the days you have your shot, just in case.

 

You can also take benadryl (or another antihistamine) before your shots.

 

Discuss your concern with your allergist.

[Katiebug_1976]

I cant comment on the effectiveness of allergy shots since I have never had one. I'd rather go the natural/herbal route if at all possible. Alfalfa tea and local honey are good fighters for allergies. Take dried alfalfa (you can mix it in w/ you favorite tea, you don't have to drink is alone) and steep it in hot water, then sweeten with local, preferably raw honey. This is not an quick fix, it's a long term thing. But if you drink it regularly, you will start to notice a difference after several months.

[Omma]

Both my son and I have severe allergies, and allergy shots have helped both of us tremendously!

 

Brenda

[plansrme]

The allergist's office lied to us, repeatedly, about how long she would be on shots. I wish I had gotten their "schedule," such as it was, in writing. As it turned out, their schedule appears to be "as often as she'll come in and pay, for as long as she'll come in." In other words, our intervals NEVER spread out. After 6 months, they still told us she had to come in twice a week, and that was not what we'd signed up for. Apparently they would have her come in twice a week forever. She eventually had to stop anyway because she was having such bad reactions to, I'm convinced, the "cat" part of her shots. But, that aside, even a partial course of shots helped her pollen and similar allergies. They didn't go away completely, but they're much better.

Flonase has been the biggest help for her during pollen seasons.

 

As for taking Benadryl before the shots, wouldn't that make the shots less effective? Isn't the whole point to have your body react to very small amounts of the allergen so that it eventually tolerates it, and wouldn't the Benadryl make that not happen? I don't know, but every time I had to give her Benadryl for a reaction after a shot, I thought, "Great, another hour of our life and another $35 down the drain." Maybe I'm wrong 'bout that, though.

 

Terri

[Hillary in KS]

I only gave benadryl before the shot during the worst part of the year - for ds, three weeks in August.

 

Did your dd never move beyond 2 shots a week *because* she kept reacting to part of the shot? Did they ever take out the cat portion of the shot? That's great that your dd saw improvement in some areas! :)

[5Youngs]

You might be interested in researching homeopathic medicine.

It WAS medicine pre-pharmaceuticals.

Homeopathic medicine treats the symptoms of allergic reaction, not unlike pharmaceuticals.

The likelihood of a negative reaction, however, is very low, much unlike pharmaceuticals.

Here are a few links you may find useful.

HTH~

 

http://abchomeopathy.com/taking.htm

http://www.homoeo.com/articles/allergies.shtml

http://www.healthrepaircenter.com/allergy/homeopathic-allergy-remedy.html

http://www.hylands.com/aboutmain.php

 

Here is a link to the Oxford Journal that verifies that they have homeopathic experts on their board of evidence-based and complementary medicine.

http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/ecam/edboards.html

[Leah]

The allergy shot therapy I had as a teen was very, very helpful. I am so glad I did it!

When I started the shots, I always had to stay in the office for some observation, and I don't remember how long that lasted, but it was a long time.

 

I did have a very strong reaction to a shot while I was on maintenance one time (being on maintenance, I no longer waited at the office after the shot.) I could tell as I was driving home that I was reacting to the shot, so I turned around and went right back. They gave me a shot and a large dose of benadryl, kept me there for a long time for observation, and then other than being completely wiped out, I was fine.

[Happy]

My teenager has been taking allergy shots for nearly a year. We opted for 'rush' treatment which intensifies the treatment in order to get the patient more immunity faster. In this, the worst time of the year for him, he is much improved. I wish we'd done this years ago....

 

Because, see, we did try all the natural and homopathic treatments we could. Local honey does help...until intense allergy season. My son's biggest allergies aren't to things blooming right now in Texas, but mountain cedar stuff blown in from Colorado. I suppose some Colorado honey might have helped. You name it we tried it.

 

The homopathic treatments were, frankly, a waste of money and energy. No help what so ever. It still be willing to try acupuncture, but I doubt he would. Needles do not make him happy. ;)

 

My son goes in every two weeks, soon to be once a month, for two shots. He waits in the office for thirty minutes and carries an epi-pen for 24 hours after. He is required to take an antihistimine like Zytec or Benadryl thirty minutes before a shot to lessen the impact of a reaction. If he forgets he isn't allowed to take the shot. Once he was a little short on time between taking and getting. The injection site was very swollen and itchy. He learned his lesson.

 

Did I mention that I wish we'd done this years ago? He suffered with allergies all his life and he didn't have to.

[ElizabethB]

I have had bad pollen and mold allergies since I was 17.

 

I've been getting shots for a little over a year now and they've been very helpful. I used to not be able to mow the lawn, I would get so bad my face would swell up and I would sneeze about 50 times a minute. Now, I sneeze a few times while mowing the entire lawn and do have to shower afterwards, but I can mow the lawn!

 

I still react some to pollen and mold, but it's a lot better. I can now take no medicine on light pollen days and take half of a pill instead of a whole pill for high pollen and mold days, although occasionally on a really bad day I'll take the second half before bed. Before, I would take the whole pill and still be suffering during pollen season.

 

They started helping at about the 3 or 4 month period, it takes a while for them to start working.

[Jeannie in NJ]

I used to have horrible allergies, such that I could not function lots of days of the year. I then started taking zrytec every night and local, raw honey, a tablespoon every day. I have pretty much no allergies any more. Maybe sometimes, during really bad pollen days, I will be a little teary eyed but not much and nothing like what it used to be.. I have been taking the zrytec and honey now for years and the result has been amazing.

[Maria from IN]

I had a reaction to one of my shots when I first started taking them. The allergist I had only found out what I was allergic to; he didn't bother to find out how bad the reaction was. On the third shot of the first vial I had a very bad reaction-I got lightheaded, my arm started burning, I got dizzy, and I couldn't breathe. That allergist told me there was no hope for my allergies, and I would just have to stay inside during allergy season.

 

Then I went to my mother's allergist, who found not only all the inhalant allergies but all the food ones too. They tested the things I reacted to several times with different strengths to see how much I could tolerate when I started shots. They told me that the other doctor did not dilute the serum enough before he gave it to me, and that some people are very sensitive to the "regular" mixture. It took four months before I found my maintenance dose, but it was worth it because I was already feeling better within a few weeks.

 

I highly recommend the shots. The headaches disappear and my energy level improved dramatically.

 

:001_smile:

[Hillary in KS]

I used to have horrible allergies, such that I could not function lots of days of the year. I then started taking zrytec every night and local, raw honey, a tablespoon every day. I have pretty much no allergies any more. Maybe sometimes, during really bad pollen days, I will be a little teary eyed but not much and nothing like what it used to be.. I have been taking the zrytec and honey now for years and the result has been amazing.

 

Jeannie, I am curious.... If you stopped taking the Zyrtec, how bad would your allergies be? Have you ever tried *only* the raw honey? (I'm not suggesting you do. I was just wondering if you've ever figured out how much the honey helps on its own.)

[Jeannie in NJ]

Hillary, actually I don't take my zrytec whenever I am sick with something else say an infection and I am taking antibodics (I just don't want to mix meds) and I have not noticed that my allergies get worse so maybe someday I will try to go longer than a week without my zrytec and see if the honey works on its own. I have been wary about doing that as the last tihing I want is to possible have bad allergies again but maybe I will try it. \\By the way, I have suggested the local honey so several friends that have bad allergies and they have all experienced relief (and I don't know if the honey is the only thing that they take, but they do come back and tell me that the honey works for them).

[Mom0012]

Jeannie -

 

How much honey do you take each day?

 

Thanks!

Lisa

[Tess in the Burbs]

I just started ALLERGY DROPS.

 

they do it in Europe but is not FDA approved here yet. So I pay out of pocket for them, but it's cheaper than my co-pays for shots anyway!!! And I do it at home so I don't have to haul kids into the office several times a week. So far no problems or side effects. very pleased!!!

 

ask your allergist about it or call around and find one that does them.

[Sharon H in IL]

I read somewhere that people can relieve a summer's worth of pollen reaction by fasting for one week in the very early spring.

 

Maybe some research would turn up something useful there. No personal knowlege, just a bit of data that stuck to my flypaper brain.

[KrissiK]

I have had 5 years of allergy shots and I have no idea if they've helped or not. I tested positive for everything they tested me for, but I wasn't in horrible shape before I went in. It's a long story. So, I'm quitting them. It's a hassle. The closest allergist is 45 minutes away and I was going twice a month. With gas prices here in Calif. and just the time spent, I couldn't do it. So, we'll see what happens as I go off them. What helped me most was Allegra-D. I think part of my problem, too, is I have chronic systemic yeast infection and E. Barr virus, so who knows what the heck is making me feel lousy half the time! Or it could be my three little kids! Heehee!

[Karen FL]

I was on allergy shots for three years. Before the shots I was on eight medications for asthma. I'd been hospitalized for seven days with asthma too. After about six months of shots I only needed Claritin as needed.

I started the allergy shots again about three weeks ago. My allergies were out of control. I didn't want the asthma to come back full force.

I've tried natural remedies in the past without any success. It was a waste of money for me.

Two of three of my children are also on allergy shots. One has asthma. They are both much improved after the allergy shots. DD is now starting to sneeze all day and snore at night. I just started her on Zyrtec OTC. Thusfar, it's helping. She's only four and is too young for testing.

[Jeannie in NJ]

I take about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon a day. I don't really measure it, I just stick a spoon in the jar and swallow the honey. What is funny, is that I hate the taste of honey so I always drink water after taking the honey. I have heard, but don't know if it is true, that the honey does not work if it is put in anything hot. So I just down the honey every day. My dd also hate honey so she will put her spoonful on some leftover chicken, I figure whatever it takes to get the honey in her. It does have to be raw, local honey. I get ours at a health food store and it has the honeycomb in the jar. This may sound gross but I suck the honey out of the comb and then spit out the wax.

 

Oh, this message was answering LisaTheresa's question.

[sandalwood]

I hate to be "dumb" but the allergist wanted to put my son on steriod shots for his severe allergies. Basically -- in a nutshell--- he is allergic to almost "everything" outside from all trees & grasses to about 6 foods that we know of, plus pets, all kinds of other things to numerous to mention. The allergist said the only hope for him was steriod shots but we have hesitated just because I'm not sure I want to put him on steriods (he's 11).

 

Here is my dumb question: Are the allergy shots of those getting them actually steriod shots or something else? I'm clueless as to what the "allergy" shot is. I do know a man allergic to bees who gets some kind of shot that builds up an immunity to bees.... Are you all getting specific allergy shots? Hope this is not hijacking the thread... it just seems you all know what you are talking about and I have been curious about this. Thanks!

[Omma]

I hate to be "dumb" but the allergist wanted to put my son on steriod shots for his severe allergies. Basically -- in a nutshell--- he is allergic to almost "everything" outside from all trees & grasses to about 6 foods that we know of, plus pets, all kinds of other things to numerous to mention. The allergist said the only hope for him was steriod shots but we have hesitated just because I'm not sure I want to put him on steriods (he's 11).

 

Here is my dumb question: Are the allergy shots of those getting them actually steriod shots or something else? I'm clueless as to what the "allergy" shot is. I do know a man allergic to bees who gets some kind of shot that builds up an immunity to bees.... Are you all getting specific allergy shots? Hope this is not hijacking the thread... it just seems you all know what you are talking about and I have been curious about this. Thanks!

 

I don't fully understand the science of allergy shots, but I believe that it involves getting injections of the actual substances that you are allergic to. But I think that this only works with environmental allergies, and not food allergies. Steroid shots are completely different, I think.

 

Brenda

[happymainemom]

My daughter is starting allergy shots this Friday. We have a great doctor (Dr. David Hurst...he is a well know allergist around the country) who believes that the best thing you can do is become medication free and allergy free. For the patients who followed through with the regimen and didn't quit, he has never been unsuccessful in getting rid of (or desensitizing) the allergy. My mom, who works in an allergy office, asked him about allergy drops instead. In his research he found that allergy drops are not as effective as shots and therefore he doesn't offer then. He doesn't prefer to do things that have a smaller rate of success.

 

Anyway, I would encourage you to do them. I don't feel that I am exposing my daughter to anything that she isn't naturally exposed to, just higher concentrations. So if that is the case, and I can improve her quality of life, then I say go for it.

[sandalwood]

I don't fully understand the science of allergy shots, but I believe that it involves getting injections of the actual substances that you are allergic to. But I think that this only works with environmental allergies, and not food allergies. Steroid shots are completely different, I think.

 

Brenda

 

Thanks!!

[Guest liz08]

I think that's a personal decision that you're going to have to research and weigh the pros and cons. It may also depend on just how badly you suffer seasonally in the area you live in. You could definitely try a few more natural routes first and see if they help enough. Taking a tablespoon of raw, local honey has helped many people immensely.You have to take it for a little while before it takes effect, but I understand that it can work quite well. You can also look into homeopathic remedies, like Hyland's Seasonal Allergy Relief, which are very safe and natural (but I'm not sure if they're quite strong enough for extremely severe allergies). They may or may not be effective treatments for you, but the only way to find out is to try. If you're unable to find some natural options that work well, then you will be better equipped to make a decision about the shot therapy without wondering if you could have chosen a different route.