Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Results
By Mayo Clinic staffAllergy symptoms won't stop overnight. They usually improve during the first year of treatment, but the most noticeable improvement often happens during the second year. By the third year, most people are desensitized to the allergens contained in the shots — and no longer have significant allergic reactions to those substances.
After a few years of successful treatment, some people don't have these significant allergy problems even after allergy shots are stopped. Other people need ongoing shots to keep symptoms under control.
References
- Tips to remember: Allergy shots. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/at-a-glance/allergy-shots.aspx. Accessed Dec. 15, 2011.
- Nelson HS. Subcutaneous immunotherapy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2011;128:907.
- Allergen immunotherapy: A practice parameter third update. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2011;127 (Suppl):S1.
- Hamilton RG. Clinical laboratory assessment of immediate-type hypersensitivity. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2010;125(Suppl):S284.
- Eifan AO, et al. Long-term clinical and immunological effects of allergen immunotherapy. Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2011;11:586.
Find Mayo Clinic on