Experiences with Allergy Shots

[choo_choo]

Hi,

My doctor is (strongly) recommending that I get allergy shots (Rush immunotherapy).  I have allergies and allergic asthma...I sorta take a lot of medication to control both the allergies and asthma.  From the information my doctor gave me, it seems like a good idea...decrease medication usage and symptoms, keep the cat, etc.  I've looked up allergy shots on the Internet and it seems like all I see is how people have had bad reactions to the injections.

I'm wondering if there are any people here who have done Rush immunotherapy and what their experiences were.  What was your Rush day like?  Was it ok?  Did you have bad reactions?  What were the weekly shots like?  Overall did you get the results you expected?  How does your medication usage now compare to before you did Rush immunotherapy?  Was your dose of asthma controller medication reduced?  Do you still take allergy medication?  If you go to other areas are you allergic to new things?  Well, you get the idea...I have a ton of questions.

Any information and/or a description of your experience would be wonderful.  

Gobble Gobble.

[choo_choo]

Thanks for the comment.

I'm glad you had so much success!  It's good to hear that not everyone has bad reactions to the shots.  

I've decided to do the Rush immunotheirapy because I take too much allergy/asthma medication to have to use my rescue inhaler as much as I do.  I'm not close to dead and dying at night anymore, but I still have to use my rescue inhaler 4 nights a week.  There really isn't much more she can give me because I'm pretty much maxed out on what I can take.    

I haven't found anyone who's had Rush immunotherapy.  My doctor gave me some info on it...but what my doctor says and what actually happens might not be the same ;)  They pre-medicate you for Rush day with prednisone (60mg!), xyzal(5mg), zantac(300mg!), singulair(10mg) and give you an epi-pen...for one day before and 2 days after...plus your regular allegy/asthma meds.  She said Rush day might be uncomfortable...lol...you think?  But the success rate is almost 80%.  Very encouraging.

[Tammy2009]

Can't help wit the rush immunotherapy ... my allergist much prefers the long, drawn-out process.  I am VERY happy with the shots.  I have 4 more doses of increasing then I'm on my maintence dose (maybe 5 since I had a recent reaction yesterday).  

I went from miserable with no antihistamines working (and developing asthma) to asthma and allergies mostly undercontrol with strict environmental cleaning/washing cats once a week/using product to help denature dander to allergies almost completely gone!  

My asthma is still flaring up (been the worse ever this week) so I think there is another trigger besides my allergies to dust and cats.  

My reactions to the shots are normally 5-8 hours after and consist of local swelling (about 2-3 inches diameter), and reddness for about 2 days.  I only started getting this local reaction in vial 3 after I skipped 3 weeks in a row for some volunteer work out of the city, otherwise no reaction until then.  My reaction yesterday was tight chest (but I'd had a tight chest for the whole week so not sure if it was the shot or the ventolin wearing off) and massive swelling (I couldn't fit my hand around the whole swelling) that came on within an hour of the shot.  It's controlled now with high dose antihistamine and 24 hours later, it's only a 1/4 of the size.