Immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis

Subcutaneous injection vs. Sublingual therapy

If the doctor concludes you could benefit from allergy shots, you can start a personalized program designed to decrease your reaction to allergic triggers. This is done by giving a series of injections over a period of time. Allergy shots can be very effective at controlling symptoms of allergic rhinitis, however the weekly injection schedule can be difficult to maintain, and local reactions at the injection site can cause swelling and itchiness.

Sublingual drops therapy is convenient and effective method to treat your allergy symptoms. Instead of weekly needle injection, you will place the allergy serum drops under the tongue every day. This can save your time and effort to visit physician’s office every week for subcutaneous injection. After the allergy testing, the physician will discuss the treatment options with you.

Another form of allergy immunotherapy was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) allergy tablets. Instead of shots, allergy tablets can be placed under the tongue. Three tablets have been approved. Two are for different kinds of grass pollen and one is for short ragweed. The tablets are for specific allergens, so they only work for people with allergic reactions to northern grass, timothy grass, or short ragweed. The recommended therapy period is 3 years.