When To Start Allergy Shots

They Can Improve Mental Health Too

It’s not just physical symptoms that can get better with allergy shots mental state can improve, as wellespecially if severe allergies have really taken a toll on your health and happiness.

This may be especially true for insect allergies, a condition that can cause serious distress and affect a person’s ability to enjoy the outdoors. One 2014 study found that patients with insect-venom allergies who received immunotherapy not only had a lower risk of anaphylaxis and death than those who didn’t, but also had lower anxiety and depression scores.

Lessen Your Cedar Fever Symptoms With These Tips

Start taking your allergy medications now. Choose either a nasal spray like a Flonase or an antihistamine like a Claritin or Zyrtec. These can take about two weeks before they have the maximum effect. Once you start taking these medications, don’t stop taking them until at least the end of January or after the daily pollen charts no longer list cedar or juniper.

Choose the medication that works for you. They can come with side effects such as being sedating or drying out the nose and mouth too much. Sometimes you might have to try a medication for a few weeks before you know if it is working, Overstreet said. Check with your doctor if you don’t know what to try or are concerned about side effects or interactions with other medications.

There are other treatments available from an allergy doctor. After getting tested to see what you’re allergic to, you can start doing weekly allergy shots or taking daily allergy drops. Those treatments usually take three to five years before they are at their most effective and a patient can stop taking them.

A new treatment is a series of three shots given a month apart that are injected into the lymph nodes between the stomach and the thigh. That series takes about two months to finish. It is possible to start the ExACT Immunoplasty treatments now and get some benefit for this season, but most likely, you would not feel the full effects until next season.

How Do Allergy Shots Help

Allergy shots help the body build immunity to specific allergens, so it’s not as bothered by them. Allergy shots also can help kids who have allergies andasthma have fewer asthma flare-ups.

Allergy shots contain a tiny amount of a purified form of the allergen causing problems. Doctors increase the dose slowly over the first 36 months. This lets the immune system safely adjust and build immunity to the allergens. This is called the buildup phase.

The highest effective safe dose becomes a child’s monthly maintenance dose. Health care providers give this to the child for about 3 to 5 years. Most kids will need fewer shots over time.

Some kids’ allergy symptoms ease during the buildup phase. Others don’t feel better until they’re into the maintenance phase. After years of getting allergy shots, some may have lasting relief from symptoms.

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Should I Worry About Myocarditis

Myocarditis and pericarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, is an uncommon side effect linked to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and is mostly seen in adolescent males and men under 30. After looking at data and weighing the risks of vaccination and benefits of protection from COVID-19, the CDC still recommends everyone, including children as young as 5, get vaccinated.

Prior to the CDC’s official recommendation, experts that give guidance to the agency and vote on whether to recommend vaccines discussed the risks versus benefits for children as young as 5 years old. Although they do not have data to show the absolute risk of myocarditis for kids ages 5 to 11 , experts noted that baseline myocarditis is much lower in kids ages 5 to 11 than other groups. By contrast, they have a much higher risk of MIS-C, a potentially serious complication of COVID-19.

“The bottom line is that getting COVID is much riskier to the heart than anything in this vaccine, no matter what age or sex you have,” Dr. Matthew Oster said after a presentation on myocarditis prior to the CDC’s recommendation.

Side effects in kids ages 5 to 11 were mostly mild and similar to the side effects adults may experience after vaccination, according to the CDC.

They Contain Allergens So Reactions Can Happen

Allergy shots work by exposing patients to tiny amounts of whatever it is they’re allergic to. The amount of allergen in each injection increases gradually over time so the body can build up a tolerance.

“It changes the person’s immune system from having a bad reaction to pretty much ignoring the allergen,” says Dr. Dziadzio. “For some people, it decreases their allergies enough so they can come off medicine entirely, and for some it helps their medicines be more effective.”

But because allergens are involved, reactions to the shots themselves are possible. These can range from swelling and itching at the injection site to sneezing and a runny nose, to, in rare cases, anaphylactic shock. That’s why it’s recommended that patients stay at their doctor’s office for 30 minutes after each shot so they can be monitored and treated for reactions if they do occur.

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When Should A Child Be Tested For Allergies

Before going into the best age to begin allergy shots, it’s important to talk about when to have your child tested for allergies, as this step comes first. Parents often believe that allergy testing for children has to wait until a child is a certain age, for example, school age. This is not true, and allergy testing can be done for children even one month of age. The best time to test is when you believe knowing the source of your child’s symptoms outweighs the discomfort of the procedure, and this age will be different for every child. Your best bet is to talk to your pediatrician or allergist in order to have her help you weigh these factors.

How Do Allergy Shots Work

Allergy shots work by gradually exposing your immune system to the specific substances youre allergic to, therefore, training it not to react or cause symptoms. If you start immunotherapy, youll go into your allergist office for treatment over several years.

During the appointments, you receive an injection filled with your specific allergen. Your allergist uses a very limited dose of the allergen at first, then increases it slowly over time. The goal of the treatment is to create an immunity or desensitization to the allergen.

When immunotherapy first begins, youll see your allergist once or twice weekly. This is called the build-up phase because youre building up the amount of the allergen in your system. You will eventually reach a maintenance dose, which is the maximum dose and concentration for your allergens that is considered optimal for therapeutic response.

Once youre on the maintenance dose, your allergist visits for injections will decrease in frequency in a sequential pattern over time until eventually you will reduce to just monthly appointments. This maintenance phase usually lasts for three to five years for the best therapeutic benefit and long-term relief of your symptoms.

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They Can Make Asthma And Eczema Better

When people think of allergy symptoms, they generally think of itchy eyes and a stuffy or runny nose, or, in worse-case scenarios, anaphylactic shock. And while allergy shots can help prevent all of those, they can also help with related conditions, as well.

If you have asthma, getting your allergies under control may also help reduce flare-ups, improve your breathing, and reduce your need for medications. Eczema, an inflammatory skin condition, is often associated with environmental allergies.

How Allergy Shots Are Administered

Your child’s first injection consists of a small amount of the least concentrated extract of their allergen. Each week, the dose is gradually increased until the maintenance dose is reached. There are about 24 injections that are needed the maintenance dose is generally reached in about 24 weeks.

Once your child is receiving the maintenance dose, allergy visits are then spaced out so they receive the maintenance dose every two weeks, then every three weeks, and finally every four weeks. Our team recommends continuing monthly injections for 3-5 years. If your child is receiving allergen immunotherapy due to an insect allergy, these shots may need to continue longer.

Allergen immunotherapy injections should be given under the direct supervision of a physician. At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, we will give your child the initial injections of each vial in our office. Subsequent injections may be given at the hospital or at your child’s pediatrician’s office whichever is more convenient for your family. Division staff will continue to closely monitor your child’s progress and prescribe refills as needed.

There are shortened schedules for allergen immunotherapy where your child can build up to the maintenance dose faster. This is not appropriate for all children and may carry an increased risk of adverse reactions. Speak to your child’s allergist to see if this option in right for your child.

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Allergy Shots: Could They Help Your Allergies

Another name for allergy shots is allergen immunotherapy. It is a type of treatment that relieves symptoms for people who have chronic allergies. Allergy shots contain small amounts of the thing you are allergic to, called an allergen. The first shot you get has a low amount of the allergen. The dose increases with each shot. Over time, this process helps your body fight the allergen. Your immune system creates antibodies to block its effect. The result is your allergy symptoms become less severe.

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They’re A Big Time Commitment

Allergy shots are given in two phases. In the “build-up” phase, you’ll need a shot once or twice a week for about three to six months. After that, you’ll enter the “maintenance” phase and receive them less oftenabout once or twice a month, for several years.

Sticking to this schedule is important, for the shots’ effectiveness and to reduce your chances of having a bad reaction. “For some people it’s absolutely worth it, but some people just don’t have that time to spare,” says Dr. Dziadzio. And while the shots themselves only take a minute, you probably will have to wait those 30 minutes in your doctor’s office after each one.

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Why Might Your Doctor Not Recommend Allergy Shots

• You have another health problem, such as coronary artery disease , that puts you at increased risk for a severe reaction to the shots.
• Your child with allergies is younger than 5.
• You are pregnant. Pregnant women who are already getting allergy shots may keep getting them. But doctors don’t recommend starting allergy shots during pregnancy.

Other Tips To Help You Through Cedar Fever Season

Watch the allergy counts and plan outdoor activities for days when the pollen counts are lower.

Do a daily nasal rinse using distilled water in a neti pot or a squeeze bottle. This helps flush the pollen from the nose.

Wear long sleeves, long pants and hats to keep pollen off the skin and out of the eyes when working or playing outside. Then remove those clothes and hat when you come inside and put on fresh clothes.

Shower after an outdoor activity and at night. This helps keep pollen in your hair and on your skin off your pillow when you sleep.

Wear a mask outside. It’s great for keeping out viruses as well as pollen.

Keep windows and doors closed during cedar fever season.

Change air filters in your home if they haven’t been changed recently.

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Where Should I Go To Get My Child Vaccinated

The COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 12 will be free, just like it is for adults, and will be available in pediatrician’ss offices, doctor’s offices, public health clinics and places accessible to children. A good place to start would be calling your pediatrician or local health clinic for a recommendation on where to go.

Parents may also use this vaccine-finder link to find a clinic that has the child vaccine available.

Key Points To Remember

• There is no cure for allergic rhinitis or allergic asthma. But allergy shots may provide long-term relief of symptoms.
• Allergy shots will probably help you. They are effective for most people and can reduce symptoms if you are allergic to pollens, animal dander, dust mites, mould, or cockroaches.footnote 1 Allergy shots may prevent children with allergic rhinitis from getting asthma.footnote 1
• You need to take allergy shots for 3 to 5 years.
• You cannot be sure how long the shots will be effective after you stop getting them. For allergies to some grasses, shots have been effective for 3 or 4 years.footnote 1
• If you have coronary artery disease, are using beta-blockers, are pregnant, are not able to communicate how the shots are working, or have an impaired immune system, allergy shots may not be recommended.
• Children may use allergy shots if they have persistent asthma made worse by allergens.
• Children younger than 2 should not have allergy shots.
• Children ages 3 to 4 may find it hard to have to get many shots over a long period of time. Talk with your doctor.
• Your child’s asthma needs to be well controlled before he or she gets allergy shots.

• The shots usually work to relieve allergy symptoms.

• You can take medicine to control allergy or asthma symptoms, and you can try to avoid the allergen.

• You will avoid having shots.
• You won’t have to spend the money on a long series of shots.
• You won’t have to travel to a clinic for regular shots.

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Do Young Kids Even Need A Covid Vaccine

Children remain at low risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death compared with the adult population. But children can experience complications from COVID-19, including long COVID and multisystem inflammatory syndrome.

Kids ages 5 to 11 are also at least as likely to be infected with COVID-19 as adults are, according to data — more than 1.9 million children in that age group have been infected since the beginning of the pandemic. According to CDC data from Nov. 16, 192 children ages 5 to 11 have died from COVID-19 in the US.

There are also racial disparities in how sick children get from COVID-19. Children ages 5 to 11 who are Black, Native American or Hispanic are three times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than white children, according to the presentation. Of children ages 5 to 11 hospitalized with COVID-19, about one in three will require an ICU admission.

The pandemic has had other effects on children, including mental and emotional tolls. In mid-October, the AAP, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health, with children from communities of color being disproportionately affected. Given the role that in-person learning plays in a child’s development, the CDC prioritized in-person learning for students this fall, and it has guidance on prevention strategies schools should use to keep students and staff safe.

Do Allergy Shots Work For Seniors

However, research has now shown allergy shots are not only appropriate for many Baby Boomers with allergy symptoms, they can also offer dramatic relief. One study found allergy shots reduced symptoms in older people by over half after three years of therapy. Whats more, Baby Boomers treated with immunotherapy were able to decrease the amount of medication needed to relieve symptoms of seasonal allergies by 64 percent.

“It’s important that allergy treatment methods commonly used in young people are also investigated for use in older patients,” said Gailen Marshall, MD, PhD, who heads the division of clinical immunology and allergy at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “More and more allergists are expanding the age limit for allergy shots as the Baby Boomer generation enters their senior years.”

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Can Children Receive Treatment

Yes, allergy shots are safe for kids. In fact, immunotherapy may help kids avoid developing other allergies or asthma as they get older.

Immunotherapy is safe for children 5 years of age or older. They may be administered even earlier if a board-certified allergist or immunologist determines its appropriate.

What Is Rush Immunotherapy

Itâs a faster way to get to a maintenance dose, but itâs also riskier.

During the first part of the treatment, you get doses of the allergen every day instead of every few days. Your doctor will check on you closely, in case you have a bad reaction. In some cases, you may get medicine before you get the dose of the allergen, to help prevent a reaction.

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How Do Allergy Shots For Dogs Work

With allergy shots, your vet will test your dog first to find out what shes allergic to, then create a serum based on her allergies thats injected periodically so your dog is desensitized and ideally no longer allergic to the allergen.

Allergen-specific immunotherapy works by giving the patient small doses of what he/she is allergic to, Dr. Harbour said. Over time, the immune system starts to change how it responds to the allergen and develops tolerance.

Immunotherapy is a great option for many dog parents, because its the only thing that can actually change your pets immune response permanently. Any other method of treatment for pet allergies will only cover up symptoms, but wont fix your dogs underlying allergies.

Once the medications are stopped, signs will return, Dr. Harbour said.