Sublingual therapy, also known as allergy drops or tablets, is a long-term solution for treating allergies to certain airborne substances found at Webb Bridge Park in Alpharetta. They’re an alternative to allergy shots that can be taken at home after the first dose. In this post, we review more about how sublingual immunotherapy works.
Types of Sublingual Immunotherapy
As stated above, sublingual immunotherapy can be administered in drop or tablet form.
Allergy Drops
Allergy drops may be used off-label in the U.S., as they are not yet FDA-approved or covered by insurance. However, they’ve been used in Europe for years.
This option treats a broad range of airborne allergens, and the formula can be customized for each patient to treat allergies to:
- Trees
- Grasses
- Weeds, including ragweed
- Cats and dogs
- Molds
- Dust mites
- Feathers
Allergy Tablets
Allergy tablets are FDA-approved to treat certain airborne allergies, including:
- Short ragweed pollen
- Grasses (including sweet vernal, orchard, perennial rye, timothy and Kentucky bluegrass)
- House dust mites
Benefits of Sublingual Immunotherapy
The Mayo Clinic reports, “This treatment has been shown to reduce runny nose, congestion, eye irritation and other symptoms associated with hay fever. It also improves asthma symptoms.”
Administering Sublingual Immunotherapy
With sublingual immunotherapy, the drops or tablets are held under the tongue until dissolved. This is done daily for three to five years. Depending on what you’re allergic to, you may take them year-round or only during allergy season.
The dose is gradually increased over time so that your immune system can build up a tolerance to the offending allergens. This can help reduce the severity of allergy symptoms.
Candidates for Sublingual Immunotherapy
Sublingual immunotherapy is an appropriate treatment for both children and adults who have allergies confirmed by a skin or blood test.
If you’ve already started sublingual immunotherapy prior to getting pregnant, you can continue it. However, it is not recommended that pregnant women start sublingual immunotherapy.
Those with severe asthma and who take beta blockers are also rarely candidates for sublingual immunotherapy.
For more information about sublingual immunotherapy or to schedule an appointment with an expert allergist, call ENT of Georgia North today.
