Do You Have to Take Allergy Drops Forever?

For most patients, you should not have to take allergy drops forever.

Personalized allergy drop immunotherapy following the La Crosse Method^™ Protocol is meant to be a short-term therapy with long-lasting effects. What does that mean?

Allergy drop immunotherapy is a custom treatment that contains precise amounts of the allergens that you’re allergic to. Over time, the amount of the allergen in each dose is increased, so that your body learns to tolerate more and more of the allergen throughout the length of treatment.

This specific and safe increase typically happens over three to five years but can vary based on the identified allergens, the severity of the allergy, and patient compliance.

Building tolerance to moderate environmental allergens may take three to five years. On the other hand, building a level of tolerance to prevent life threatening reactions with exposure to a food allergen may take longer. For some people with severe or life-threatening food allergies, long-term use may be needed to help avoid reactions from accidental exposures.

It’s important for patients to stick through all three phases of treatment, even when they start to feel better. Your clinician will monitor symptoms and may do occasional allergy testing throughout treatment to determine when a level of tolerance is built — and therefore, advise when patients can stop taking treatment.

Finishing treatment, and taking all recommended daily doses, is key to training your body to stay symptom-free long after treatment is done.

You can find a provider near you that offers this personalized therapy following the La Crosse Method to get on track to allergic tolerance.