Treatment Overview
Immunotherapy is a series of allergy shots
given to reduce your sensitivity to
that cause an allergic reaction. Small doses
of allergens are injected under the skin. Over time, allergy shots can decrease
the severity of your reaction to allergens. To treat
, very small amounts of the
venom of the insect or insects are used. The treatment also is sometimes called
venom immunotherapy (VIT).
Immunotherapy is available to treat
allergies to stings from:
- Honeybees.
- Yellow
jackets.
- Hornets.
- Paper wasps.
- Fire
ants.
A solution of dilute saline containing a very small amount
of the insect venom is injected under the skin. At first, you get one or more
shots about once a week. The amount of allergen injected is slightly increased
each time, unless you have a reaction to the shot.
After about 4
to 6 months of weekly shots, you are usually getting an optimal amount of
allergen in the shot—this is called the maintenance dose. After you reach
maintenance level, you get the same dose in shots every 4 weeks for another 4
to 6 months.
After the first year of shots, you will have
maintenance shots every 6 to 8 weeks over the next 3 to 5 years.1
Depending on your situation, your doctor may recommend
rush immunotherapy. Several shots are given over a
period of days to weeks. This type of treatment can provide faster protection
in the short term. But you will still need to have regular shots over the long
term.
What To Expect After Treatment
Allergy shots are usually given in a
doctor's office. It is normal to remain in the doctor's office for a short time
after getting an allergy shot to be watched for possible serious reactions to
the injected insect venom.
Redness and warmth at the shot site are
common but go away after a short time.
Why It Is Done
Immunotherapy can prevent
life-threatening reactions and also reduce anxiety associated with insect
stings.
An allergic reaction that spreads far from the sting or
that affects the entire body is called a systemic reaction. Systemic reactions
are not common but can be life-threatening. Allergy shots are usually
recommended if an adult or child has had a severe systemic reaction, especially
. Immunotherapy reduces the risk of another
severe systemic reaction.