How long do you have to have allergy shots?

 

For those of you that have allergies, it can be a real pain. My college-aged son and teenage son and daughter are allergic to everything. 

 

Literally. 

 

Grass, trees, flowers, bushes, animals, dust and mold. You name it, they're allergic to it.

There comes a time when no matter how much medicine you take, you are still miserable. My kids would take Singulair, Zyrtec, and Flonase and still have terrible allergies.

 

They would sneeze and wheeze, their eyes and throat would itch, and their nose would be congested. 

 

They were suffering for months on end.  

 

Asthma Doc told them to shower every night before bed (to wash all the pollen off their skin and hair.) That didn't helped - a little. 

 

But daughter Kitty would sneeze all night long and wake us up. Then she would get a bloody nose. 

 

Fun times!

So all three of our kids had allergy shots (immunotherapy) 

It's a long process, it usually takes 3 to 5 years. And it takes A LOT of time during the week 

 

When you start allergy shots, you go to the doctor's office twice a week. Have shot(s) in each arm, then wait 20 minutes to watch for anaphylaxis, then leave. 

 

After a while, you can go once a week, then every other week, then every 3rd week - you get the picture. 

 

It was hard for me to find time every week to take my kids to allergy shots. My two sons have already completed their 5 year's worth of allergy shots. 

 

But Kitty is on year 4. I just read an article in the Winter edition of Coping with Allergies and Asthma Magazine.   

The article quoted a study from the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It says:  

"Our research shows that three years is adequate duration for the treatment of childhood asthma associated with dust mites. An additional two years adds no clinical benefit." 

Unfortunately, some people can't complete their allergy shots in 3 years. 

My kids would have massive hot welts on their arms after shots. That meant they couldn't go up to the next step during their next appointment.  

 They would often have to repeat the same dosing because their reactions were so severe. That meant it took my kids 5 years to finish their allergy shots.  

Yes, 5. For each of my kids. 

 That meant we were there weekly for over 10 years (because none of my kids could be on the same schedule.) 

They all started different years, which meant Son #1 might be on every other week for shots, while daughter was on twice weekly shots, and Son #2 was just finishing shots.  

What have you experienced?

Did it take you 3 years? 4 years? 5 years? 

Leave a comment