Monthly Archives: October 2023

Understanding Allergy Shots and Allergy Reactions

Allergy shots are a type of allergy treatment that involves an allergy doctor injecting small amounts of allergens into your body via injection. Depending on your allergies, your doctor will create a customized cocktail of allergens in the shots for you.

The shots are a form of immunotherapy that helps decrease or even stop allergy symptoms.

You develop a tolerance to allergens by exposing your body to tiny amounts in the shots. Then, when you encounter allergens, such as during allergy season, your body does not react as strongly to them.

This treatment necessitates numerous doses, usually weekly, over several years. The doctor gradually increases the amount of allergens in the shot, but you need to have the shots less frequently once you’ve reached the maintenance phase.

Why do allergy reactions come about

A regimen of allergy shots always begins with extremely low doses of the allergens. The idea is to excite your immune system sufficiently for it to recognize allergens while not causing a severe reaction.

However, unpleasant reactions to allergy injections may occur on occasion. The reason for this is that you are being given something that you are already allergic to, which increases the risk of an allergic reaction.

Common allergy shot reactions

Reactions might range from mild swelling at the injection site to life-threatening anaphylaxis. While this is the case, you should know that serious reactions to allergy shots are less common — often less than 1%.

Swelling at the injection site is the most common reaction to allergy injections. This swelling can range from the size of a pea to a golf ball, but it usually goes away within 48 hours. Itching and/or hives may also occur over vast areas of your body.

Less common but more significant reactions may also come about. They include:

  • Breathing difficulties such as chest tightness, wheezing, and/or shortness of breath.
  • A decrease in blood pressure accompanied by dizziness and/or fainting.
  • Hives that appear in other parts of the body apart from the injection site.

How soon do the allergy reactions come about?

If you have a bad reaction, it will most likely occur within 30 minutes of the shot. As a result, you must wait 30 minutes before leaving your doctor’s office.

A clinician will evaluate you for any troubling signs at the end of the 30 minutes.

In extremely rare situations, a delayed reaction to an allergy shot can occur up to a few hours later. These reactions might be moderate to severe.

In extremely rare cases, you will have an allergic reaction the following day.

To combat allergic reactions, doctors prescribe an epinephrine autoinjector (EpiPen®) to persons undergoing allergy immunotherapy.

This injectable device contains epinephrine, which treats severe allergic responses.

Who can develop allergy shot allergies?

Asthmatics are more likely to have an allergic reaction to allergy injections.

If you have asthma, you should stay on your asthma meds and control your asthma before having these shots.

Most doctors recommend a peak flow test before each shot, which measures how quickly air exits your lungs when you exhale. This test determines whether or not your asthma is under control.

If you take beta-blockers or other blood pressure medications, you also may be more susceptible to a response.

While the above two are the most susceptible to the condition, anyone might have an allergic reaction to allergy shots. There’s no way to predict that ahead of time, which is why you should always take precaution before taking the shots.

Ways to avoid allergy shot reactions

Here are some of the measures you can take to reduce your chances of having an allergic reaction to an allergy shot:

Inform your healthcare practitioner if you have asthma. When you go to an allergy clinic, don’t just assume that your doctor will know you have asthma, as they most likely don’t have your records.

Before the doctor administers the shot, let them know about your condition so that they can decide whether it’s a wise idea to go ahead with the shots. Informing them will also help them know the right shots to administer.

In most cases, the doctor will give you a set of medications that you need to take to prevent the reactions from coming about. You should religiously take your meds as directed to keep your asthma under control.

If you have a cold or a respiratory infection, postpone getting your allergy shot until you feel better.

Avoid strenuous activities immediately after receiving an allergy injection. If you work on the farm or any other area where you need to put in a lot of energy, you should take some time off for the shots to wear out.

Follow your doctor’s advice and take an antihistamine before your shot.

As much as you should be cautious when taking the shots, you should note that the risk doesn’t last forever. Your risk of a reaction decreases significantly once you reach the maintenance phase in your course of allergy shots. This means you don’t need to be too cautious when taking the shots.

And, while getting weekly shots for months or years may be annoying, if you stay with the treatment, you should get significant relief from your allergies.

Parting shot

Allergen immunotherapy, often known as allergy shots, treats common allergies to pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and mold spores.

The shots may also be beneficial if you are allergic to the venom of stinging insects such as bees, hornets, wasps, and yellow jackets.

As mentioned, allergy shots might cause several reactions, so you should be ultra-cautious when taking them. As a rule of thumb, ensure that an experienced allergy specialist Manassas VA administers your shots.

If you have an underlying condition such as asthma, always inform the specialist beforehand. You don’t want the reaction to develop. Do you?

Understanding Ragweed Allergies

As the fall season approaches and leaves begin to turn yellow and crimson in many parts of the country to signal the change of seasons, it can be a sign of ragweed allergies. And you should be cautious.

Though many people look forward to the leaf-peeping season and cooler temperatures, if you are one of the 50 million individuals sensitive to ragweed, fall may bring new problems, including frequent visits to an allergy doctor.

Ragweed emits billions of light airborne pollen that swarm the air in mid-August and stays until late November.

Signs and symptoms of ragweed allergy

When you touch ragweed pollen, you may experience various allergy symptoms. These include itchy eyes, sneezing, a stuffy nose, and general misery. Ragweed can also trigger severe asthma attacks in certain people.

Ways to treat the condition

There are plenty of over-the-counter medications that you can use to treat your condition. The most common ones are Fluticasone nasal sprays, a steroid drug, and antihistamine pills available under brand names such as Claritin, Allegra, or Zyrtec.

These come in handy in inhibiting histamine production in your body.

When using the drugs, you should note that they function best as a prophylactic approach before the ragweed pollen count rises.

You can also use them daily throughout the fall allergy season.

Start taking the medications early, like every September, and then be prepared to remain on them until usually around Thanksgiving.

Allergy immunotherapy, often known as allergy shots or allergy drops, are also a great alternative. These work best, especially when you have allergy-related asthma.

Allergy shots entail you receiving injections containing trace amounts of ragweed pollen. The shots help you build tolerance to the allergen and minimize allergy symptoms over time.

Sublingual immunotherapy, often known as allergy drops, is an alternative to injections in which the doctor administers medications in liquid or tablet form beneath your tongue.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology recommends starting these drugs a few months before allergy season.

How to prevent ragweed allergies

Prevention is always better than cure, so to avoid having to cure the condition, you should consider preventing it from developing in the first place. And the good news is that there are plenty of ways to do it. Some of these ways include:

Stay away from seasonal fruits.

Certain fall fruits, such as watermelon, cantaloupe, bananas, or avocados, can induce itching, tingling in the mouth, and lip swelling in persons who are allergic to ragweed.

This is because ragweed pollen contains proteins that resemble proteins found in certain plants and seasonal fruits.

When you eat these fruits, your body gets confused and causes an allergic reaction to the fruits or vegetables. Studies show that about 40% of people with seasonal allergies develop this condition.

If the fruits are processed in any way, they may be less irritating. For example, drinking watermelon juice or eating banana bread may be OK.

Although eating these fruits is unlikely to cause anaphylaxis, it’s estimated that about 2% of persons who acquire oral allergy syndrome will develop anaphylaxis.

Leave the pollen outside.

Ragweed pollen may penetrate every nook and cranny, including your hair and clothes, and follow you everywhere because it travels far and wide with the wind.

To avoid allergies, you should avoid tracking pollen back to your home.

After you’ve been outside for a period of time, change your clothes before you sit on the couch. You also should keep the windows closed so it doesn’t get into the house.

Before entering the house, remove your shoes and leave them outside. Also, think about wearing a helmet.

Minimize your exposure

It is impossible to avoid coming into contact with ragweed. But you can minimize your exposure.

This could make going for a morning workout or walk painful and stressful. However, this does not necessitate a complete cessation of those activities.

Plan to go outside when the pollen count is low, usually later in the day.

Ragweed is usually worse in the morning and gets better in the afternoon. To stay safe, avoid the morning and go out later.

You also should consider wearing a cap outside to preserve your hair and scalp. Sunglasses might assist in keeping pollen out of your eyes, so wear them.

Increase the air quality in the house

There are plenty of ways to increase the air quality in the house.

One of the ways to do this is by installing home air purifiers.

These units help filter the air within your home. This may lessen the quantity of pollen and other allergens you breathe in, providing much-needed respite.

Experts advise choosing one with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. They are intended to capture around 99% of pollen, dust, and other airborne particles.

Furthermore, if you have HVAC, central heating, or air conditioners, consider replacing the filters every three months to avoid recirculating allergen-filled air within your home.

Parting shot

These are the things you need to know about ragweed allergies. Like other seasonal allergies, the condition comes about as a result of pollen during the allergy season.

To avoid being a victim, reduce your contact with the ragweed pollen. This calls for you to spend most of your time indoors and only get outside when necessary.

You also should protect yourself by using over-the-counter medications.

If you are feeling ill even after doing all this, consider seeing an allergy specialist Germantown MD to look into your condition, as you might have other underlying conditions worsening the allergies.

The allergy doctor will also perform tests and recommend the best medications.