Has anyone tried allergy immunotherapy?

Ben84

I'm considering this for a dust mite allergy. It's a bad allergy and so far controlling it has been hard work. For years I have done huge amounts of cleaning each week, avoided many places, and take multiple allergy medicines. I can control it fairly well if I do everything perfectly every single day, but the cost in effort is huge, and it only takes one unlucky encounter with someone wearing a dusty old coat and everything is undone. Anyway, I've been reading a lot about immunotherapy and I think it's the only thing I know about that's left to try[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][/FONT], but actual patient experiences are harder to find for some reason. Places that offer it have testimonials, but I'm hoping for something from an independent source and wonder if anyone here has any experience with it?

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Nile

Ben84 wrote: »

I'm considering this for a dust mite allergy. It's a bad allergy and so far controlling it has been hard work. For years I have done huge amounts of cleaning each week, avoided many places, and take multiple allergy medicines. I can control it fairly well if I do everything perfectly every single day, but the cost in effort is huge, and it only takes one unlucky encounter with someone wearing a dusty old coat and everything is undone. Anyway, I've been reading a lot about immunotherapy and I think it's the only thing I know about that's left to try, but actual patient experiences are harder to find for some reason. Places that offer it have testimonials, but I'm hoping for something from an independent source and wonder if anyone here has any experience with it?

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Hi Ben84


Yes, I have had allergy immunotherapy. Mine wasn't for dust mite, so I can't help with that.


My allergy immunotherapy was for a severe allergy to Timothy grass pollen.........hayfever.;) My hayfever was so bad that I wasn't fast enough to get a tissue out of my pocket and reach my nose, before my nose flooded like water from a tap and I dripped on the floor.:o


Hayfever is similar to a cold in the way that you get little sympathy but unlike a cold............hayfever lasts for months.


Being unable to sleep, having sore eyes, itchy and a very runny nose constantly for weeks on end is miserable. Taking medications (prescribed and over the counter items) had little effect.


I was referred by my GP (after a blood test confirmed my allergy) to see a consultant immunologist at the hospital. I had skin prik (swear filter won't allow correct spelling) testing for allergens, lung function testing and further blood tests.


These confirmed my severe allergy and I was accepted for immunotherapy.


It is a long process, it takes years from initial GP referral to finishing the course of immunotherapy treatment. I'm delighted to report that it worked for me. It was all on the NHS, so free treatment.


On high pollen days, I might need to take 1 acrivastine capsule (in 24 hours) but I haven't needed to use a nasal spray or eye drops since treatment. My life is transformed.


I do empathise with you Ben84. I suggest you see your GP and see if you can get a referral to see a consultant immunologist.


Regards


Nile

Ben84

Hi Nile, thank you for your detailed reply. You're right, it is a big undertaking, but hearing that it has worked for someone adds something more to help me consider the options.

FBaby

I looked into it when I couldn't control my dustmite allergies any longer, but every I read suggested that the results were not as good for dustmite allergies.

My GP recommended a steroid nasal spray which I had always refused to try before I didn't want to go the steroid route. He did however reassure me that these didn't enter the blood stream and therefore had no side effects. It took a few weeks but the relief now is amazing. I wouldn't know I had allergies any longer (after more than 20 years battling with them)...until I stop the medication!

I don't do anything in the home at all to reduce dust mite level, I never found that it really help. The only trend I've noticed is that it gets worse in rainy seasons.

Ben84

Hi FBaby, thank you for this. I will talk to my GP about nasal sprays. I had one many years ago and it made my nose very dry, so lots of nosebleeds, but that was just one product so I feel open to trying again with another. I do already take steroids (inhaled) for my asthma however, which does help clear my nose a bit as well. I'm a bit lucky with my allergy - it has never really affected my eyes unless the dust is very extreme.

I think you're right about environmental control not always working, it's an ongoing battle with dust mites as they just get in to everything it seems. I had to clean a lot for some time before it showed any signs of improving. I have had success though, so I think it can work. A big thing that helped me was fully encapsulating dust mite covers for the mattress, duvet and pillows. That one thing significantly cleared my nose. Using a vacuum cleaner with a paper bag helps a lot too as it makes emptying it much less dusty. I also spray the carpets and furnishings with flea spray (it claims to kill dust mites too on some cans), a couple of times a year, which doesn't pay off right away, but over time it seems to help quite a bit. My house is pretty hostile to dust mites, with all the poison and vacuum cleaning going on, it would really help me and them if they just all moved out :rotfl:. Oh, and although I can't explain it, keeping all my clothes in drawers rather than a wardrobe seems to help a lot too.

I also notice it's worse in wet weather, but have always thought it's my mould allergy, because mould spores tend to be released when it's humid. I don't know that for sure though, it's a guess.

Anyway, I think the main thing I'm thinking now is perhaps I can find something else that works. Immunotherapy sounds great, but also a lot of work, and expensive.

Andypandyboy

Where do you get the covers from? I am suffering with constant sinus issues made worse by both pollen and dust and unless I sleep virtually upright it affects my hearing. I feel disorientated when my hearing is affected which I hate.

We have anti allergic covers on our down pillows but I find that when I use other pillows I don't have the same severity of symptom, but I can't sleep the same as they are not as comfortable. Catch 22.

Ben84

Hi Andypandyboy,

The allergy covers are called astec pristine, which I bought from here:

http://www.astexallergybedding.co.uk/pristine.html

Not cheap, but they have lasted so the cost per year is reducing with time. I really wanted to sleep better when I bought them, and for me they did help a lot. I was under the impression however that the covers contain everything, so the contents shouldn't matter? Maybe your current allergy covers aren't effective enough? Or perhaps placing the pillow inside a cover is enough to put allergens on the outside of it? Down pillows are very bad for me, I wouldn't be surprised if just rubbing the outside of the case on one would affect me when sleeping on it.

I have a dunlopillo - the 100% latex foam type. Even before the allergy covers it was pretty good, and although also expensive it has lasted a very long time without going flat. I find it very comfortable, although not like down. Different, but for me it's good too.

Andypandyboy

We have more pillows than a shop!

I love the softness of down but can't take the allergens. I have never been able to replicate the softness so got the anti allergy covers but I don't think they are working. My head feels much clearer when I have "slept" on cheaper pillows but I don't sleep as well and my neck aches.....can't win really.

FBaby

I will talk to my GP about nasal sprays. I had one many years ago and it made my nose very dry, so lots of nosebleeds, but that was just one product so I feel open to trying again with another

I started with two puffs a day in each nostril, took about 3 weeks to really start to work, then after about 2 months went down to one puff and now only do one puff every 3 days or so, which is when it start getting stuffy. No dryness of nosebleed.

I too have found that it doesn't impact on my eyes, however, 15 years + of taking antihistamines daily has dried them up which means that I struggle to wear contacts daily and any bit of wind will get me in unstoppable drip. Still will take this over the impact of allergy, especially the fatigue that comes with it.

It might indeed very well be that the worsening of my symptoms in rainy season is due to mould allergy rather than dustmite, but I think the two are often linked, so likely to suffer from both. I can't remember if that was the case when I had to !!!!! test. What did come as a surprise is that all those years of uncontrollable symptoms (before Zirtek came on the market), I though I had hayfever, never once considered it could be dustmite!

A.Penny.Saved

It's all caused by a bacteria! Wait for the discovery and elimination of the cause is my advice. That is unless the drug companies attempt to cover it up or risk loosing an enormous amount of profit. They have done it before! I have noticed how references to the effects of high dose B12 and it's effects on IgE allergic antibodies got removed from wikipedia Vitamin B12 page recently. I have been using that for a long time after seeing it on wikipedia to reduce my allergies. It's not without some risks but for me far better than the alternatives. Research does indicate that it may raise the risk of circulatory disease, at least in diabetics anyway. That was using over 1mg per day. I take 30mg/day! Tiredness and exhaustion significantly down, eating much more normally which I have not been able to do in 20 years without spending days asleep.

Your digestive systems are hyper permeable which is causing increased histamine levels which triggers the problems you are encountering. It's a very widespread infection as well. Every person with an autoimmune illness has it. I goes far deeper than this........ But for that you will have to wait for the research.

Ben84

FBaby wrote: »

I too have found that it doesn't impact on my eyes, however, 15 years + of taking antihistamines daily has dried them up which means that I struggle to wear contacts daily and any bit of wind will get me in unstoppable drip. Still will take this over the impact of allergy, especially the fatigue that comes with it.

Interesting you mention fatigue, because only very recently - past few days actually, have I started to realise allergies can make people tired. I've often felt very tired without explanation, so maybe there's some hope to clear that too.

As for antihistamine tablets, they work great, but only for a couple of days, then they don't seem to work any more. So I save them for occasional use. Taking a gap between seems to make them work again. I also think the montelukast I've been taking has stopped working over time too, although that took some months. I'm not sure what processes might be at work, but my experience is that allergy medicines consistently stop working.

Anyway, I've learnt a bit about dry eyes that might be interesting. Omega-3 supplements have been shown to improve it for a lot of people who took them. I tried it, and after a few weeks the dryness was completely gone. That was a few years ago. I kept taking the omega-3 and the dryness has never come back.