Allergy Shots

[worththewords]

I have a ton of environmental allergies such as pollen, dust, just about every single thing that blooms, etc. and I live in Florida so they drive me crazy year around. Despite taking antihistamines, I am still battling with my allergies.

I can't take Benadryl, it doesn't agree with my POTS. I also can't take anything with a decongestants because that aggravates my POTS as well. Claritin never helped. I take Zyrtec but it just isn't doing what it should be doing at this point. I tried switching to Clarinex but had a bad reaction.

I spoke with my allergist and he has suggested allergy shots. He doesn't think they will bother my POTS and if anything, give me once less thing to deal with once the shots start to work. My allergist doesn't believe it will cause any trouble but you never know with POTS.......

Just curious if anyone else gets them and what your experience has been!

Thanks in advance.

[DSM3KIDZ]

My allergiest said because of my autonomic problems he highly recommends me to stay away from the allergy shots. I'm not sure why I just trust his advise.

Hope someone else has better answers for you.

Dayna

[wareagle]

Have you tried nasal sprays like Nasonex or Flonase?

I use Nasonex year round to prevent congestion and it's been working really well for me...only draw back is that it can get expensive..but for me it's definately worth it!!

I hope you find some relief soon.

[shannon]

Hi,

I did allergy shots, and they have helped those symptoms. The only confusing part is that my POTS onset came shortly after I started the shots. My doctors don't seem interested in whether or not the two are correlated, so I don't really know. Regardless, I chose to stop the shots when I got sick with POTS.

Do you have an autonomic doctor or any other doctor who understands the complexity of POTS? It may be a good idea to consult with him or her since your Allergist may not completely understand POTS.

Good luck!

[futurehope]

I get allergy shots, even though I have POTS and I have myathenia gravis.

The only bad thing I notice is that on the day of the shots, I may feel a bit like I'm fighting a virus or a cold, a little bit less stamina.

I choose to continue with the shots, though, as I've convinced myself that they help keep me from getting colds and sinusitis and they help with the allergies, though not 100%. I also live with cats and a dog and the allergist puts that in my serum.

I take zyrtec (at night) on occasion, but I'm more tired the next day from it. I cannot tolerate any nasal sprays. They irritate the lining of my nose and eventually my nose becomes more stuffed from the irritation.

Good luck with your choice.

I wonder why the allergist thought there was any correlation with autonomic problems? Unless he realizes some people with ANS problems are on beta blockers, and they will not give allergy injections to people with beta blockers (in case they have a bad reaction to the shot and need epinephrine, which does not work as well with BB's).

I checked with my neurologist before getting my allergy injections, and he said it was okay.

Let us know what you decide to do.

[Guest Mary from OH]

I took allergy shots for OVER 25 years!! I have very severe allergies, many of which are anaphylactic. They have changed dramatically over time. I have exchanged old ones for new ones. Life is ever so exciting!! Allergy shots can be very beneficial, especially during peak times of the year.

Also, as someone mentioned nasal sprays (prescribed by a dr, NOT OTC) are very helpful.

Allergies STINK!!

Zyrtec is unfortunately, the best antihistamine out there. And I totally know what you mean about decongestants. It's a POTS thing!! Hang in there and try a Nasal Spray like, Nasonex and perhaps the allergy shots. It's worth a shot, no pun intended!!

[worththewords]

Thanks for all the replies.

I do use Nasonex but I can't use it year around. I have to take a break from it from time to time because it does irritate my nose. I don't think Nasonex alone though could control my allergies and I see to be way too immune to Zyrtec it seems.

I am going to make an appointment and probably give the shots a try, as soon as I get the a-okay from my cardiologist who handles my POTS.

[jenwic]

I have been taking allergy shots for almost two years. They don't bother me except for the swelling and itching at the injection site. I can't seem to bump the dose up and make much progress weekly (due to big reactions at the injection site), but that's probably just me.

The thing that concerns me is that if I ever have a bad reaction and need the epinephrine I don't know how I'd react. All I know is that I have bad tachycardia if I use Albuterol (for asthma) or from the numbing medication in dental injections. I'm afraid the epinephrine would do me in. I'm considering stopping the shots for that reason.

[ellen]

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The thing that concerns me is that if I ever have a bad reaction and need the epinephrine I don't know how I'd react. All I know is that I have bad tachycardia if I use Albuterol (for asthma) epinephrine would do me in.

I had shots for 5 years, and was greatly improved. I now only take Clarinex occasionally (for more that six years). I did (still do) have the same 'tachy' reaction to Albuterol. I only reacted to the shots once- I started sneezing in the waiting room ten minutes after the shots and they called me back in and gave me a shot of epinephrine Definitely unpleasant tachycardia and shakes, it took me a day to recover from the fatigue. But that only happened once and the benefit of being semi-cured of allergies outweighs that one episode. I did request to be seated for the shots each time, since I have a history of fainting, and the nurses were very happy to accomodate me.