4. GET ALLERGY SHOTS

Allergen immunotherapy, otherwise known as "allergy shots," is the last word in hay fever treatment. It's the closest thing to a "cure" there is. So why doesn't everybody do it? Because it consists of getting stuck with a needle hundreds of times over the course of several years. It can also be quite expensive (each shot costs about $25). A recent study in The New England Journal reported that grass-pollen allergy sufferers experienced "prolonged clinical benefits" for at least three years after their immunotherapy treatment ended. However, despite the established effectiveness of allergy shots, the time-consuming and prickly process of going through it all means that it is usually recommended only for those whose allergy symptoms are pretty bad, suffer from an especially long allergy season, and do not respond well to medication. Here's what you're in for:

  • What does immunotherapy involve?

    1. First you'll get an allergy test: they'll prick you and introduce a little bit of a variety of allergens under your skin to see what the reaction is like.

    2. You'll get a lovely little red bump on your skin when the reaction is allergic.

    3. If you have eczema or if you're on medication that might interfere with the results of skin test, they'll give you the RAST (radioallergosorbent blood test) instead.

    4. Once your particular allergens are identified, they'll begin to inoculate you against them. What that means is that small doses of the allergen are shot into your bloodstream, so that you body can slowly begin to develop a resistance to them.

    5. Over time, the dosages are increased as you become more and more desensitized to the allergen.

    6. Most patients experience a significant reduction in their hay fever within twelve months.

  • How long does it last? Treatment varies, but in general, you get a shot once a week for the first 30 weeks or so. They keep you in the doctor's office for at least 20 minutes following a shot to monitor you for a possible adverse reaction. After the initial period, you may get shots only once every 2 or 3 weeks, and towards the end, once a month. Treatment usually lasts a minimum of 2 years up to a maximum of 5 years. Immunotherapy works, but obviously the time and trouble involved means it's not for everyone. Once you start, it's very important that you continue with the treatment on a regular basis.

  • What are the possible side effects? The reason they keep you in the office after a shot is to watch for a possible allergic reaction to the shot. Rarely, a patient might experience an asthma attack or even anaphylactic shock. Other reactions might include wheezing, tightness in the chest, nausea, itchy eyes, watery nasal discharge, swelling in the throat, or dizziness. None of these reactions is particularly pleasant, and that's why the monitoring period is so important.

The important thing to realize is that you do have options. Armed with these helpful tips, the world you see through those bleary, itchy eyes won't seem quite so bleak. Now you can spend your time reading traumatic bedtime stories to children. But we must warn you: mental therapy is MUCH more expensive than immunotherapy . . .