Allergy immunotherapy is a hot topic on the allergy treatment scene. Whether you choose allergy shots or allergy drops, this treatment is a powerful solution that offers long-term relief from allergies. But what are allergy drops, exactly? How do they work? Let’s find out.
Understanding Allergies
To understand allergy drops and how they work, it’s important to have a baseline understanding of allergies themselves. We’ll keep it simple: An allergy is your immune system’s response to an allergen it deems harmful.
Your body manufactures antibodies, which are blood proteins that counteract a specific antigen. They do a great job at keeping you safe, but sometimes, they make mistakes and place a giant red flag on a harmless foreign substance, such as bee venom or pollen.
So, when your body is exposed to that allergen, your immune system rings the warning bell. Those antibodies communicate with cells that release specific chemicals, causing the symptoms you recognize as an allergic reaction.
Allergy Drops: Explained
Allergy drops are a type of allergy immunotherapy (AIT), a treatment that desensitizes your body to a particular allergen. It’s one of two types of allergy immunotherapy, falling under a category called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). This means it’s administered under the tongue, delivering a dose of the allergen to your body by mouth.
Allergy tablets, another type of AIT, also fall into the SLIT category. These tablets serve the same role as allergy drops, administering the dose of the allergen underneath your tongue.
The second category, called subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), is widely used among adults. This treatment is administered under the skin via an injection, delivering the dose of the allergen underneath your skin. It’s less popular among kiddos, as it requires frequent doctor visits and regular injections.
How Do Allergy Drops Work?
Both categories of allergy immunotherapy work in the same way. They help achieve an allergen-specific tolerance by delivering a small, gradually increasing dose of the allergen to your body, either under your skin or tongue.
This dose exposes your body to the allergen, “training” it to become less sensitive to the allergen. It achieves this tolerance by reducing the production of the “blocking” antibodies responsible for the reaction. It essentially gives your immune system the opportunity to build tolerance to whatever allergen you’re sensitive to, whether it’s pet dander or pollen.
This process isn’t fast. Instead, it requires a long-term commitment to the treatment, requiring a few years to deliver the best results. Most folks start to see the first results in the first year, but it usually takes two or three years to see the best results. For some, continuing the treatment indefinitely might be necessary to preserve the effects.
Of course, everyone is different, so the time it takes to see results and the results themselves can vary from person to person. It’s important to be patient and trust the process. After all, it’s not a quick fix!
The Research Behind Allergy Drops
Allergy immunotherapy isn’t anything new. It’s been around for well over a century, and in that time, researchers and healthcare professionals have examined it from every angle. Today, you can find countless studies and trials demonstrating the impressive efficacy of allergy drops.
For example, these research and clinical trials showcase the efficacy of repeated subcutaneous injections (allergy shots) in achieving an allergen-specific tolerance. The trials found that this tolerance persists, offering clinical benefits for years after discontinuing the treatment.
Another study, which examined both allergy drops and allergy shots, found that AIT is highly effective in treating allergic rhinitis. Both treatments offer long-term clinical benefits and immunological changes that are consistent with an allergen-specific tolerance.
These are just a few of many studies and trials on allergy immunotherapy. You can find studies and trials that focus on different allergens, different types of immunotherapy, and more. So, if you want to learn more about the treatment, you’ll have no shortage of reading material.
Final Thoughts
Allergy drops, like other types of immunotherapy, can be an excellent, long-term solution to irritating allergies. This treatment, administered under the tongue, is a great alternative to subcutaneous immunotherapy, as it doesn’t require any injections or frequent doctor visits.
Of course, if you’re considering allergy drops to help your body become less sensitive to an allergen, remember to chat with your doctor first. They can help you choose the best AIT treatment plan for your needs.
