Sublingual Immunotherapy: How It Works and What to Expect

To fight off disease, infection, and other dangers to the body, your immune system uses blood cells, organs, and other tissues to eliminate bacteria, viruses, fungi, and anything else that poses a threat. When your body identifies something dangerous to your health, this system goes to work and identifies, attacks, and destroys it.

However, this can also lead to misinterpreting particles and other foreign substances as dangerous, which can lead to allergic reactions. These particles are known as allergens, which can be tricky to identify, but once we know what causes them, treatments like sublingual immunotherapy can help relieve the symptoms of allergies. During Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, let’s go over the benefits of this treatment and what to expect from it.

Residents of the Lake Oswego area who have allergies can seek help from the team of physicians at Lake Grove ENT.

Facts about allergies and asthma

The overreactions your body undergoes during an allergic reaction, like wheezing, coughing, nasal congestion, hives, itching, and watery eyes, happen because antibodies from your immune system mistakenly attack the allergens. You can become allergic to many things, including pet dander (dead skin cells from animals), mold, dust mites, insect bites, pollen, ragweed, medications, and foods.

Asthma is a form of lung disease caused by allergic reactions. These reactions can cause trouble breathing by constricting and swelling the airway and producing mucus that blocks it. The more severe the reaction to an allergen, the greater the risk of anaphylaxis, which causes trouble breathing, wheezing, and problems swallowing and can be fatal without proper treatment.

What sublingual immunotherapy does to help

Often abbreviated as SLIT or called allergy drops, sublingual immunotherapy is a form of repeated and controlled exposure to allergens to reduce your sensitivity to them and relieve the symptoms associated with a reaction. This method is an alternative to allergy shots, or subcutaneous immunotherapy, and the FDA has approved its use for treating allergies from dust mites and several forms of grass. It’s a good choice for managing allergic rhinitis (hay fever); the relief can last several years.

Administering the drops is simple. They come in tablet or liquid form; the first treatment happens in the office. The tablet or liquid is placed under the tongue until it dissolves, and for half an hour afterward, you’re monitored for a reaction. Avoid swallowing for a minute after you’ve gotten the medication, and don’t eat or drink for at least five minutes afterward to allow the medication to take effect.

If you’re trying to cope with allergies and nothing has helped so far, make an appointment with the team at Lake Grove ENT to get the help you need.