Knowing what you are allergic to allows you the best chance of avoiding the triggers for your symptoms. Sometimes simple changes in lifestyle can pay big dividends in improved control of your allergy and asthma symptoms. Our physicians can collaborate with you to help you know what measures to implement that have the best chance of making the greatest impact in improving your quality of life.

As you are probably aware, there are myriad medications available for the treatment of allergies. Knowing what to use when and in which patient is part of the art of specialized allergy & asthma care. Medication regimens formulated for you, your symptoms, and your lifestyle provide the best opportunity for symptom control.

See the Allergy Shot FAQ under the “Allergy Info” button for more detailed information.

Traditionally, allergy shots are given twice weekly in the beginning followed by once weekly. This is how the dose is slowly escalated to re-train your immune system to not react to the components in the allergy serum. Over time, your dose “builds up” to a target dose shown in research to be effective in producing long-term improvement in the majority of patients. This type of regimen is very effective in the treatment of allergies but it may take several months after starting shots in order to reach doses that provide noticeable improvement.

Biologics are newer classes of medications given by injection or infusion. In many cases, these are used when the usual treatments for allergies, asthma, eczema or hives are not adequate to control symptoms or are not well-tolerated.  Choosing the right therapy for a given patient requires taking many different factors into account and carefule selection can result in highly targeted, powerful treatment. These medications are often used in conjunction with traditional medications and/or allergy shots for maximum effect. Options can be discussed at your visit.

Sometimes you need a medication even though you are allergic to it. If no reasonable alternative exists, in many cases, we have techniques that allow us to slowly introduce the needed medication into your body so that you can tolerate it for as long as you need it. This can be life-saving in the event that a patient has an infection and needs an antibiotic to which they have had an allergic reaction in the past. There are many other examples of situations in which desensitization can make a dramatic impact on treatment options available. The procedures are very specialized and are available only from a few physicians in the community.