3 Responses

1. Judie

   July 8th, 2010 at 8:11 pm

   1

   Allergy shots could really help you,it is better than being so miserable all the time but I do understand your concerns.I take 4 shots a week,2 enviromental and 2 food,the needles are so short and so thin that you rarely ever feel the shots,I give mine myself and my husbands and I wouldn’t have it any other way,my life has been changed so much by these shots.Most allergists start out with 2 shots a week for awhile and then go down to 1 a week and eventually you may be able to get off of them completely but your allergist will have to determine that.I have had no side effects at all and have been on them for 3 years.Good luck.

2. tumbles77

   July 8th, 2010 at 8:11 pm

   2

   Hey there. If your doctor thinks that shots will work well for you and your family can afford them with insurance I’d do it. Your doctor will do a skin test and then create a formula just for you. The routine differs from doctor to doctor, but generally it goes something like this.

   you’ll go 2x a week for maybe about 4 months. You’ll get 2 shots each time. Then you’ll progress to once a week and then every other week and then once a month. They will start you on a low dose and slowly build your tolerance up.

   Common side effects are a small red itchy area at the injection site. Sometimes at larger doses your arm might get a bit swollen. Ice and some benadryl cream works wonders. Not so common but serious side effects is an anaphylactic reaction… for this reason, doctors will require you to stay 20 minutes after injection in their office each time.. they’ll check your arms and then send you home. some may give you an epipen to carry in the car with you just in case.

   As for the needles… they are SO tiny and they are injected in the backs of your arms where the most fat is and not into the muscle like flu shots or others. i used to be scared of needles too until i started getting allergy shots.. they don’t hurt and they don’t leave your arms sore like others do. Now, even getting vacinations don’t even bother me and I used to be the one that screamed and kicked and bit the nurses.

3. pennypincher

   July 8th, 2010 at 8:11 pm

   3

   Allergy shots really do work. The needles are very small so they don’t hurt like getting immunizations. I had three shots per week for five years, then three shots every other week for a couple of years, and finally three shots once per month for a couple of years.