What is the Success Rate of Allergy Immunotherapy?

Allergy immunotherapy are shots that help the body get used to certain allergens that you may be allergic to. Immunotherapy is not to be confused, as it is not a cure, but a solution to help your symptoms be milder and not happen as often.

Many of our patients consider getting allergy immunotherapy shots as they often suffer from symptoms from their allergies for more than three months of the year, and their medications are no longer providing them with much relief.

Allergy immunotherapy often works well for patients who are dealing with allergies from bee stings, pollen, dust mites, mold, and pet dander.

For allergy immunotherapy, your doctor may ask that you visit at least twice a week for the next few months to get a shot in your upper arm. This allergy shot contains small dosages of the substance to which you are allergic too, including pet dander, pollen, mold, dust mites, bee venom, and others.

Gradually, your doctor will up the dosage until you reach what is called a maintenance dose. Once you reach the maintenance dose level, you will then get a maintenance shot once every 2 to 4 weeks for the next 4 to 5 months. From there, your doctor will slowly and gradually increase the time frame between your allergy shots so that you are then getting them once a month for the next three to five years.

Over this time span, you may begin to notice that your allergy symptoms will become better and others may even notice their allergies go away altogether.

However, if your symptoms do not improve after a minimum of one year of allergy shots, you will need to bring this up with your doctor, as other treatment options may be recommended.

At Piniella Asthma and Allergy, we have noticed our patients receive on average about 80% to 90% effective success rate from allergy immunotherapy. It is considered a long-term process, which many cannot fathom; however, if you are able to stick it out, it does provide incredible benefits and a high success rate.

Our doctors often recommend getting allergy immunotherapy (allergy shots) for patients who:

• Medications are not able to control your symptoms, and the patients cannot avoid the things that are often causing the allergic reactions to occur
• Allergy medications are interacting with the other medications that they must take
• Patients want to reduce their long-term use of allergy medications
• Patients are allergic to bee stings and other insect stings or bites

Allergy immunotherapy (allergy shots) is able to control the many symptoms that are triggered by:

• Seasonal allergies
• Indoor allergens
• Insect stings/bites

Allergic symptoms do not stop happening overnight. They will begin to improve during the first year of treatment, with the most noticeable improvements occurring during the second year of allergy immunotherapy. Finally, by the third year, most patients start to notice desensitization occur to the allergens that are contained within the allergy shots.

Allergy immunotherapy works just like vaccinations, much in the sense that each allergy shot contains a small dosage of the allergen to which you are allergic too and triggers the allergic reactions. The build-up phase which normally lasts between three to six months will increase your allergen tolerance and will provide safe and effective tolerance ability.

Once you enter the maintenance stage, the dosage that is done through a shot will be not as often, this maintenance stage will last around three to five years, all depending on your immune system’s needs.

In the long term, allergies can be chronic and even incurable; however, allergy immunotherapy can provide a high level of allergic symptom relief, which for many of our patients, comes very close to a cure. Even if you may feel symptom-free once you have completed the maintenance phase of the allergy immunotherapy program, you may need to continue treatment to manage your allergic symptoms. We serve patients from Coral Gables FL, Palmetto Bay FL, Westchester FL, Brownsville FL, Kendall FL, Pinecrest FL, Richmond West FL, and Goulds FL.