Sublingual Immunotherapy Allergy Drops

There is just one treatment that has been shown to improve allergic disease: allergy immunotherapy. Other treatments may help with symptoms, but they don’t affect the root of the problems. Allergy immunotherapy used to be available only through allergy shots, but shots weren’t a good treatment option for everyone. Shots are painful and also time consuming since they must be administered in a medical clinic-often twice per week. Shots also pose a risk of an anaphylactic reaction.

In the 1980s, doctors began prescribing another form of allergy immunotherapy known as sublingual (under-the-tongue) immunotherapy. With sublingual immunotherapy, antigen is dispensed under the tongue (rather than injected into the skin). Once under the tongue, it is absorbed into the blood flow through cells in the mouth. These allergy drops offer the benefits of allergy immunotherapy without the hassle of shots. They are also safer than shots with a markedly decreased risk of anaphylactic reaction, allowing for home administration. This increased safety record allows allergy drops to be prescribed to kids too young to be eligible for shots.

Another advantage is that doctors can prescribe sublingual immunotherapy for food allergies (something allergy shots don’t treat). Allergy drops have shown to be effective in safely treating food allergies to milk, eggs, certain nuts, wheat, fruit, rice, soy, etc. The allergy drops also work for cat and dog allergies as well as pollen, mold, and dust allergies.

For the allergy treatment program to be fully effective, allergy drops must be taken daily with consistency. The allergy drops contain natural extracts of the most common allergens. As patients take the drops, the body learns to “make peace” with these allergens and stop overreacting to them. In essence, the body develops an immunity to the offending allergens.