I'm badly allergic to cats and dogs. But I LOVE cats. A while back I had a cat and for the year I had him I was taking benadryl and using a flovent inhaler. Which helped, but not 100 percent. So now, I want to get another cat and am interested the allergy shot. Are they effective? How long do they last and are they expensive?
2007-02-01 07:51:28 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Allergies
I am severly allergic to cats and dogs. I started allergy shots about a year ago and at the same time I started another monthly injection called Xolair (which is a new biologic drug used for those with allergies and asthma). I do not know exactly which one is working and my allergist says it is probably a combination of both but a few weeks ago, I spent the night with my sister, who owns a cat. I woke up with the cat next to me in bed... and guess what, NO PROBLEMS!!! I would have ended up in the ER more than a year ago! You might want to talk to your doctor about both injections... The Xolair can be expensive but your insurance may cover it 100 percent like mine did. You have to do a blood test first too, to see if you have bad enough allergies to go on it and also to see what dosage you need. Good luck!
2007-02-01 08:04:17 · answer #1 · answered by lili 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
allergy shots are simply a method used to desensitize you to the allergen. They do not prevent the allergy, they only lessen the allergic response. Getting the shots can last anywhere from a few months to years, depending on your response to them and they are only effective in about fifty percent of the people that get them.
They can be very expensive depending on your insurance coverage. And ordinarily a doctor will not order allergy injections for just one allergen, he will want you tested for all allergies first, and then a combo will be made specifically for you to cover all your allergies. Personally, I would not go thru so much for the sake of a cat, but that is just me.
2007-02-01 07:58:52 · answer #2 · answered by essentiallysolo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Allergy shots are effective (at least for me). However they take two years or more to start working. A series of shots costs about $6000. I was on shots for nine years.
2007-02-01 10:08:12 · answer #3 · answered by pennypincher 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have been taking allergy shot every week and i think they are very effective by stopping my runny nose and all that but some times when i eat i still get sick and i still get skin rashes that itch but with the nose i think it is very god
2007-02-02 05:44:56 · answer #4 · answered by chris m 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋