allergy shots anyone?

[suzyjazz]

Has anyone here received allergy shots? If so, how long did you get them, and did they help you at all?

My allergies have recently seemed to get quite a bit worse. I have frequent sinus infections and lately my throat is sore and itchy all the time. I'm having the tests done tomorrow so I had to quit taking medicine yesterday. Most of today was terrible. I've had itchy eyes, itchy throat, using too many tissues, etc. I finally decided no one would be able to help me until I get allergy tests. I've had some form of allergy trouble since age 10 at least, but I've never been to an allergy doctor before. It finally got to the point where I am tired of being "sick." I'm fully expecting the doctor to tell me that allergy shots are likely the best thing for me, but we'll have a lot to talk about after the test. I'm taking my pill and nose spray the second those tests are done!

[HotHolly]

My brother and daughter both has serums made from allergy testing. My brother had shots & daughter had drops (she was really little at the time). The allergist said that it has a 20% likelihood of helping. Wasnt worth the trauma, since it had no apparent affect on her.

[click2shoot]

Hey Suzy i get those shots and they last me about 45 days.

[suzyjazz]

Originally Posted by HotHolly

My brother and daughter both has serums made from allergy testing. My brother had shots & daughter had drops (she was really little at the time). The allergist said that it has a 20% likelihood of helping. Wasnt worth the trauma, since it had no apparent affect on her.

That's pretty bad odds for getting a needle in your arm once per week/month however often. Thanks for the reply. I'm not too sold on them, so that's the reason for my post.

[suzyjazz]

Originally Posted by click2shoot

Hey Suzy i get those shots and they last me about 45 days.

What do you mean, they get rid of your allergy symptoms for 45 days and then you need another shot to help you?

I hope if nothing else, my doc will give me a stronger allergy medicine.

[Murph]

Yes, they work. Yes, I get them once a week. I am down from 1-2 sinus infections a MONTH, to one or two a YEAR!

[Glassman]

Have you seen this on the Oprah show...Dr. OZ
http://www.oprah.com/health/oz/oz_20..._350_106.jhtml

I watched the show and many of the people using it said they had bad sinus infections, headaches, etc and it really helped them.

[Murph]

Use one twice a day, and they work.

Originally Posted by Glassman

Have you seen this on the Oprah show...Dr. OZ
http://www.oprah.com/health/oz/oz_20..._350_106.jhtml

I watched the show and many of the people using it said they had bad sinus infections, headaches, etc and it really helped them.

[Detonate]

Allergies used to make me almost non-functional.

Walking barefoot across grass would swell my feet up to the point where I could not where shoes. And just think of the murder allergies is on a scuba diving instructor out at the lake?

Well I started getting allergy shots, and I can honestly say that I haven't had ANY problems with allergies since I started.

At first I had to get them twice a week, then I believe after six month I went to once a week, then a year at once a week, I went to every other week.

I don't believe you can ever get off of the shots. But for me, I used to pop perscription medicine daily, and often times I'd wake up in the middle of the night with my throat and eyes so swollen, that I was miserable.

The 20 minutes a week it takes to get the allergy shot is well worth it, in my opinion.

[laanba]

I have received allergy shots for about 5 years now (or is it 6, I've lost track.) It has made a huge difference for me. I used to get sinus infections (sometimes developing into bronchitis) multiple times throughout the year and I haven't had any of that in years. Sometimes I will have days where the allergies kick especially hard, but the difference for me is that they don't develop into anything more serious.

My doctor is working on weaning me off of the medication slowly, but I think the last thing to go will be the shots. I notice such a difference when I take them.

Good luck.

[Wes]

My doc gives me a cortizone shot in the butt once per year (in the fall) and it gets me through the allergy season. Sometimes I need it in the Spring, but it's usually just the fall.

If your eyes are having a tough time have your doc give you a script for Patanol or Pataday. You take Patanol 2x per day, and Pataday is a 1x per day drop. My experience has been that the drop goes in, the eyes stop itching within about a minute or so. If you wear contacts put the drops in about 10 minutes before your lenses.

[PhotoByLeal]

Suzy,

I get shots in Sugar Land with Dr. Brown, where are you going?

Each person is different, so the shots will affect everybody different. At first you will have to go every week and then back off a bit and then go every other week and then go once a month and so on and so on. I use to fight allergies 8 to 9 months out of the year, but now it is not so bad.

I have been taking shots on and off since 2001, with the same Dr!
I love the staff there and there great! That place gets packed!!!

Let me know if it might be Southwest Asthma & Allergy in Sugar Land.


Thanks,
TxmexNitro - Angel

[ttusa]

Hi Suzy,
I had two years' worth of allergy shots, but they didn't seem to help me.

[snidow]

I had them done when I was in high school, too many years ago to think about and they did not seem to help. But, I'm allergic to the world and I would probably have to take them for years before I received any relief. Right now I take pills daily and would have to be tested again if I were to get shots again and I hated the testing!

[byarger]

Suzy -

When I was growing up in Ohio I ended up having to take allergy shots as a teenager and into college. These would be once a week for 9 months each year over three years, then a three year pause, then three more years. My situation improved greatly and with a move to Washington DC after college and I stopped taking the shots for about 12 years. When I moved to Texas, however, I experienced bad allergy problems and finally went to an allergy doctor who started me on weekly injections. This went on for about five or six years until I "plateaued" with my allergies. At that time I became aware that my doctor was a "lifetime" allergy doctor and he believed that, no matter how much better you got, the need for continued treatment and regular injections would always be there. So I ceased my treatments with him. That was 16 years ago. Now I treat any allergy issues with regular use of Zyrtec.
It's important to find out the doctor's philosophy before beginning any treatment program, particularly with allergies. In theory, the reason they inject you with serums derived from the allergens you have is so that you build up an immunity to those allergens, so why wouldn't you reach that point of immunity? Some doctors don't subscribe to that in my opinion.
Good luck.