4 Populations Who Benefit from Allergy Drop Treatment

Immunotherapy is the only disease-modifying treatment for allergies, and while there are a few different options, allergy shots and allergy drops seem to be the most popular. Both options treat the cause of the allergy, but there are some key differences that may make allergy drops more safe and accessible for different groups.

Allergy shot doses are based on standardized build-up of doses for each patient’s offending allergies, whereas allergy drops following The La Crosse Method™ Protocol are also custom to each patient’s offending allergens, but they’re also dosed based on the patient’s specific level of sensitivity. For highly reactive patients, the dose is lower; for those with less severe allergies, dosing can be higher based on that patient’s tolerance. Because of this additional personalization, the safety profile is extremely high – life-threatening reactions have not been reported with this protocol.

For that reason, amongst others, there are four populations that may benefit more from allergy drops, as they’re typically not candidates for allergy shot treatment.

1. Highly Sensitive

Patients with severe allergies and other health complications are often excluded from allergy shot treatment because of the risk of life-threatening reaction after being injected with even a small amount of their allergen.

The severity of allergies is determined through allergy testing – either a skin or blood test – and those that chart high for sensitivity are typically not offered shots. But since allergy drops can start at doses much lower than those in shots, even the extremely sensitive can seek treatment.

2. Infants and Children

Most allergy providers wait until patients reach age five to begin allergy shots since it can be difficult to gauge if those patients are experiencing reactions, among other limitations.

Providers at AAOL can safely treat children as young as infants, and they see immense benefit in doing so, as it can halt the atopic march - the progression of allergies over time.  Treating the child when the immune system is still developing can help change the path toward the development of worsening allergies and related conditions.

3. Asthmatics

Those with allergies and uncontrolled asthma are excluded from allergy shot treatment because of the risk of serious asthmatic reactions. There’s a link between asthma and allergies, where being exposed to problem allergens can also cause asthma symptoms. The double whammy of potential life-threatening reactions from both allergy and asthma can make it riskier for allergy shots.

With allergy drops, triggering asthmatic reactions is not typical. Research also supports that treating a child early could prevent the development of asthma later in life.

4. Food Allergic

Allergy shots are  not used to treat food allergies, but AAOL has safely treated food allergies for 50+ years with allergy drops. This is another example of starting with very low doses of the problematic allergen, and slowly and safely increasing the dose. The mechanism of allergy drops – using drops under the tongue where the body’s largest amount of  specialized tolerance building cells reside, rather than through a shot, is known for being a safer route to introduce allergens to the body.

Many people can add their once problematic foods back into their diet, while others build enough tolerance so a life-threatening reaction doesn’t happen in case a food is accidentally ingested. Talk with an AAOL provider to discuss goals and what might be the best approach based on a specific patient circumstance.

Know someone who could benefit from allergy drops?

Contact AAOL to schedule a consult and get to the bottom of pesky allergies.