However, despite the established effectiveness of allergy shots, the time-consuming and prickly process of going through it all means that it is usually recommended only for those whose allergy symptoms are pretty bad, suffer from an especially long allergy season, and do not respond well to medication. You'll get a lovely little red bump on your skin when the reaction is allergic. Once your particular allergens are identified, they'll begin to inoculate you against them. What that means is that small doses of the allergen are shot into your bloodstream, so that you body can slowly begin to develop a resistance to them. Over time, the dosages are increased as you become more and more desensitized to the allergen.
Most patients experience a significant reduction in their hay fever within twelve months.
Treatment varies, but in general, you get a shot once a week for the first 30 weeks or so. They keep you in the doctor's office for at least 20 minutes following a shot to monitor you for a possible adverse reaction. After the initial period, you may get shots only once every 2 or 3 weeks, and towards the end, once a month. Treatment usually lasts a minimum of 2 years up to a maximum of 5 years. Immunotherapy works, but obviously the time and trouble involved means it's not for everyone.