More than 50 million Americans suffer some form of allergic reactions to external allergens such as dust mites, pollen, certain food, pet dander or molds. Allergic conditions can interrupt a patient’s daily activity and cause discomfort and even pain. Symptoms may vary from patient to patient, ranging from incessant coughing, sneezing, swollen eyes or lips, itch, sweating, outbreak of hives or skin rashes, joint pain to chest congestion. Allergy drops or Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) is among the most popular known treatments in Europe to help patients fight allergy symptoms.
How Allergy Drops Work
SLIT is an allergen extract that is administered under a patient’s tongue in droplet or tablet form. The allergy drops are either swallowed or spat out after they are administered. They help the immune system deal with external allergens that may trigger certain allergic reactions or symptoms when the body comes into contact with them.
Today, SLIT is increasingly used as an alternative to allergy shots, which has been the traditional recommended treatment for allergies approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in past years. Many patients are now opting for allergy drops as they are more convenient and can be administered at home instead of at the doctor’s office.
Even though allergy drops have been manufactured and used by many patients to fight allergy symptoms for more than a decade, the treatment has yet to receive FDA approval. Issues that still need to be addressed before the treatment is approved include the issue about dosage, side effects as well as the treatment’s effect on high risk groups.
Treatment of Allergic Symptoms
Allergy drops can be used to treat allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and to a certain degree, allergic asthma. The treatment is often used to fight allergies to a single allergen source, instead of multiple allergens.
The treatment can be administered to children and adults alike and helps to alleviate allergic symptoms caused by certain external allergens. The treatment is normally taken during or prior to pollen season or it can be taken the whole year round depending on the presence of the allergen source.
Allergy drops are taken orally on daily basis or a few times in a week depending on the nature and degree of allergy the patient suffers from. In our practice, drops are generally administered daily at home.
Possible Side Effects
Allergy drops that are swallowed may cause gastrointestinal side effects such as diarrhea and nausea. Other reported side effects include itchiness, mouth or tongue irritation, swollen eyes, sneezing, congestion, outbreak of hives and abdominal discomfort. To date, no cases of fatal side effects caused by allergy drops have been documented.
Even though no serious side effects have been detected, doctors do not recommend allergy drops for those who are pregnant or those who suffer from acute asthma.