What Allergy Shots Can Do For You
After a lifetime of taking
over-the-counter medications and having them not give you the results
you need, you may want to consider if allergy shots are right for
you. Granted, monthly shots aren’t the most appealing proposition
in the world, but they could pay off in the long run.
Allergy shots are probably a
good option if you have persistent allergies that don’t respond
well to medications. Overtime, they can even manage allergic reactions
after you’ve stopped the treatments. These allergy shots are
a form of treatment called immunotherapy, meaning the allergy shots
inject a form of allergen into the patient’s body that will,
over time, allow the body to become somewhat immune to the objects.
Generally, a patient has to receive
allergy shots one to three times a week for three to seven months.
The allergen dosage in the shots will increase with each of the
allergy shots which will allow your immune system to grow more sensitized
from the allergens. Once the dosage is up to an effective level,
a maintenance dosage has to be given once a month for three to five
years.
Allergy shots usually work best
for people with seasonal allergies (pollen from grass, weeds or
trees), and those bothered by indoor allergens (pet dander or mold)
and insect stings (bees, wasps and hornets). Also, allergy shots
could be for you if you want to lessen the amount of medication
you’ve been taking for a while, you have allergic reactions
regardless of medication, or you have terrible side effects from
the medication.
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