I’m not sure I’d ever heard of these before. I’ve done allergy shots at various points in my life, and the payback has been worth it (I suffer FAR less than Typo Knig and the kids do).
So: Has anyone heard of these and whether they’re bogus or for real?
I use a product from Wild Oats that is a homeopathic allergy spray (also available in drops) called Las Vegas Mix. At this moment, I cannot find where I put my bottle so I have no idea who makes it.
It has works fairly well for me in combating the month or so when my allergies go haywire from pollen overproduction of hateful plants like mulberry trees, pine, oleander and olive trees.
When I lived in Nebraska I had found the allergy pills that were great- Albertson’s generic allergy tablets. I moved to Nevada they didn’t work for me on the mix of pollen producers here. I spent a few years trying different things to see what worked. I found that the homeopathic stuff worked as well, if not better than OTC or Rx pills (without the wonky side effects).
I see that the website is for food allergies, I would assume that they work the same way. I discussed my homeopathic spray with my doctor and he didn’t blow it off trying to say a pill was better. Try talking to your doctor (see next paragraph) and say that you would like try something different for your allergy management ( “I am concerned about the long term use of these weird chemicals in allergy shots/pills” or whatnot)
I say unless you are on medications that might interact with the drops, try them out and see if they work for you. I will say that it takes a week or so to see any improvement, it isn’t instantaneous.
Well, here this from your link "While the safety and efficacy of allergy drops for immunotherapy has already been proven in Europe, the FDA has yet to approve it in the United States. "
Thus, stay away until the FDA does approve it. There are other, safer solutions, which work- including Nasal sprays (script and OTC, but the OTC spray- Nasalcrom- is very weak) pills and shots.
And, homeopathic (to counter LVgeogeek), although certainly safe- doesn’t work. It is pure (very very very pure ) snakeoil. All it does is drain your wallet- in a fairly safe way.
However, I have found some cites on Sublingual immunotherapy"
In conclusion, high-dose specific sublingual immunotherapy appears to be safe and effective in improving mild seasonal asthma and conjunctivitis linked to olive-pollen sensitization.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1034/j.1398-9995.1999.00916.x/abs/ A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was carried out in 85 patients with a well-documented history of perennial asthma caused by house-dust mites. Patients received either placebo or sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with a standardized Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP)–D. farinae (DF) 50/50 extract… This study shows that SLIT in house-dust-mite-related asthma has a good safety profile and improves respiratory function, bronchial hyperreactivity, and QoL.
CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that this sublingual-swallow immunotherapy administered through a rush schedule is clinically effective and safe and that it decreases the immune-mediated inflammatory responses to the allergen.
Thanks, DrDeth, the links are very informative. The original site did not have a lot of detail at all. It sounds like, at the least, this treatment method is not likely to be useful for someone with multiple allergies (like, oh, nearly EVERYONE!!).
I was interested in this as a possible option for my kids, both of whom are on nonstop allergy meds; will certainly discuss with the allergist just out of curiosity but it doesn’t look appropriate for us even if it makes it through FDA approval.
If any Dopers have tried this method, I’d certainly be interested in stories about whether you found it to be effective.
This is really strange. The website says this is brand new, but I swear my brother used something similar when we were kids (30+ years ago). He never got shots - he had some thing that he’d put under his tongue - he had one for early pollen for spring, and for late pollen for fall - he had a lot of trouble with allergies as a kid - I’ll call my mom and ask her in a little while - it’s too early in Arizona yet.
My daughter used sublingual drops under the advice and care of a board certified pediatric allergologist when she was 9. The results were positive, and seem to be lasting 4 years later.
Not that you asked, but a sustained course of Singulair also seems to have had a somewhat permanently abating effect on seasonal airborne allergies. Of course, this is not medical advice, I’m not a doctor, gee your hair smells terrific, etc.
) snakeoil. All it does is drain your wallet- in a fairly safe way.