At Northeast Allergy, we understand that allergies can be inconvenient, uncomfortable, and potentially life-threatening. That’s why we provide allergen immunotherapy to help stop or reduce your allergy symptoms. Allergen immunotherapy is a long-term treatment that decreases symptoms for many people with allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, conjunctivitis, or stinging insect allergy.
How does immunotherapy work?
Immunotherapy treats allergies by administering small, controlled doses of allergens, which slowly increases immunity. The goal of immunotherapy is to reduce symptoms caused by a specific allergen. At Northeast Allergy, we offer both injection immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy.
Injection immunotherapy
Injection immunotherapy, also called allergy shots, are the most common and effective form of allergen immunotherapy. Allergy shots contain a tiny amount of the specific substance or substances that trigger an allergic reaction. The shots are regularly injected over a period of time, generally around three to five years, to stop or reduce allergic reactions.
Sublingual immunotherapy
Unlike injection immunotherapy, sublingual immunotherapy is given as drops under the tongue. Once a patient’s allergies are identified, a custom-mixed vial of drops is prepared. Similar to allergy shots, these drops contain just enough allergens to stimulate the immune system, but not enough to cause an allergic reaction. The patient will take these drops under the tongue daily.
How long does treatment last?
In the beginning, you will receive the treatment once a week as you work your way to what is known as a maintenance dose. Once the maintenance dose is reached, your treatment will move to once a month. After 1-3 years of immunotherapy, we will have greatly reduced or eliminated your allergy symptoms.
