Kenalog

[Cinni]

I've been taking immunotherapy injections for about 4 years now for allergies: cat, dog, dust mites, trees, weeds. I still have symptoms and  recently heard about an injection called Kenalog. Wondering how readily available these injections are, their effectiveness, if insurance will pay for them, and how receptive most allergists are to this treatment for allergies. Also wondering what side effects are possible and would it interfere with being a diabetic.

[National Jewish]

Kenalog® (triamcinolone acetonide) is an injected steroid that is readily available.  Steroids are cheap, but check with your insurance company for sure about payment.  Injected Kenalog® (triamcinolone acetonide) affects the whole body and lasts for a long time so it is effective for treating allergies.  However the entire time that the steroids are working in your body to help your allergies they can also cause side effects.  Treating allergies with injected Kenalog® (triamcinolone acetonide) is like killing a mosquito with a cannon.  So you may run into some difficulty finding an allergist who is receptive to this treatment for your allergies.  Some of the possible side effects are cataracts, diabetes, glaucoma, and osteoporosis.  For people like yourself who already have diabetes, it could be difficult to keep your blood sugar under control.  Please read our Corticosteroid MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/corticosteroid.html for further information about the side effects and their prevention.  In your situation the best way of preventing the side effects would be to avoid the steroids altogether in the treatment of your allergies.

Immunotherapy is helpful for some people, but not for everyone.  Please read our Allergy MedFacts at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/medfacts.html for other allergy treatment options.