will they work in atopic dermatitis patients

[nebi]

I have just been told my 15 yr old daughter needs allergy shots.  she suffers from asthma, allergic rynitis, atopic dermatitis, and a sheet load of allergies, mostly enviromental, both indoors and out. She has had sinus surgery, been on steroid nasal sprays,  many different types of allergy medicines, none of which seemed to work.  Bendryl helps put makes her extremly sleepy which doesn't work well with school.  Do allergy shots work? Because she has atopic dermatis will they also work or will she be prone to reactions from the shots? Her IGE level is triple what normal is. Nothing else works but I don't want to make her condition worse, if thats possible. She has chronic nasal congestion-runny nose, itchy eyes, rash break outs(atopic derm), post nasal drip, headaches, etc.  The nasal congestion is the worse. Her nose is constanly inflamed and red. I'm not sure what to do. Shots or no shots?  Anyone out there that has possitive or neg. answers pleas help. thanks

[myproblem]

She could try taking Sudafed at the same time as the Benadryl. Sudafed tends to keep a lot of people awake, and for me counteracts the sleepy effect of Benadryl or Chlor-trimeton.I have never tried allergy shots. I have a friend who is much older, and she has given herself allergy shots at home for years, and swears by them.

[mom@homenow]

I've had allergy shots for a few things and yes they did work for me. I have since moved and no longer need them, my allergies aren't that bad where live now. I have a friend who takes them each spring/summer for seasonal allergies and she noticed a huge difference one year when she decided to skip them, so I guess they work well for her for tree & grass pollens. I don't know what effect they'd have on atopic dermatitis, but I have eczema and it didn't bother my skin. I think I remember being allowed to take antihistamines when I got them, to combat some itching I had at the injection site. That stopped happening after while so I don't really remember but I think they even gave me topical cream like hydrocortizone to put at the site right after the injection. If you decide to try the shots, remember she may not see a result for a while because they have to start at a really low dose & work up. It's a real pain to go every week but after a few months it's just once a month once they're up to full strength. Also you're not committed to several years just because you start, you can quit if you want to, just give it enough time to see if it works for her.
Also, dont know if you've tried this, but my young son has chronic nasal problems and is on Nasonex & Zyrtec year round. This time of year even that isn't enough to keep his nose clear & I give him a squirt of saline nose spray once in a while to clear out his nose about 15 min before the Nasonex and it seems to help.

[nebi]

started allergy shots 4 weeks ago, keep you informed how she does.