Are Your Allergies Getting You Down?
We now offer allergy testing and sublingual allergy drops!
There are many great reasons to live in Central Texas, but unfortunately, allergies are not one of them! We live in a climate where there is almost always something blooming or growing that triggers allergy symptoms.
Besides taking simple precautions to avoid airborne allergens, there are many good medications that can help alleviate the symptoms of allergy. Most of these medicines are available over the counter.
Nasal steroid sprays like Flonase and Nasacort are probably the best over-the-counter option for treating and preventing allergy symptoms. These sprays are meant to be used on a consistent basis every day to prevent symptoms from starting.
Another good over the counter option for less frequent allergy symptoms are antihistamines such as Claritin, Zyrtec, or Allegra. These medicines can be used on an as-needed basis and do not need to be taken every day (though they can be taken every day if you want).
For bad allergy symptoms that do not improve sufficiently with medications, allergy testing and treatment (allergy shots or sublingual allergy drops) can be an excellent way to control the underlying allergies.
Dr. Evans and Texan ENT Specialists are now offering allergy testing and sublingual allergy drops to our patients. Allergy tests are done in our main office in Kyle, and typically take around 1.5 to 2 hours to complete.
We test for 60 different allergens – weeds, grasses, trees, dust mites, molds, and animals. We do a combination of 2 different types of test. A prick puncture technique (applied on the upper back) and intradermal dilutional testing (applied on the upper arms). The testing takes approximately 2 hours, and a lot of this time is utilized in educating you about your allergies. We will go over in detail what you can do to decrease environmental allergen exposure.
Depending on the results of your allergy test, you may be offered sublingual allergy drops to treat your allergies. Allergy drops (also called sublingual immunotherapy, or SLIT) are individualized to every patient’s specific allergies. Each vial of drops contains small amounts of the various substances to which you are allergic. As you use the drops each day under your tongue, your body slowly learns to stop reacting to the allergens in the drops.
Allergy sublingual immunotherapy improves symptoms in 85-90% of patients. It might take 6-12 months before you see any improvement from the drops, though many times the benefit occurs sooner. If the drops help you, it is recommended that you remain on the treatment every day for a minimum of 3-5 years with the understanding that when you stop your treatment, you will expect to see benefit for another 5-7 years. Allergies are not curable so there is a chance that your symptoms could return and might need to be retested and go back on treatment.
Preraration for Allergy Testing
You will be given a preparation for allergy testing sheet as well as a history form which needs to be completed and returned on the day of testing. Once testing is completed, you may resume taking your antihistamines and any other stopped medications. The goal of allergy drops is to decrease the amount of daily medications you are currently taking. Some patients start to notice improvement in symptoms within 2-3 months of starting the drops.
Allergy Benefits with your Insurance
Someone in our office will verify allergy benefits with your insurance company. We will attempt to give you an estimate of the approximate out of pocket expense for allergy testing and drops. This is not a guarantee of payment by your insurance company. We encourage all patients to verify benefits also. Once these benefits are obtained, someone from our office will call to answer any questions and schedule an appointment for allergy testing.
Many people who suffer from bad nasal allergies also have significant underlying structural problems within their nose (like blocked sinuses, enlarged turbinates, or a deviated septum), or they have co-existing issues such as chronic sinusitis.
For this reason, it is an efficient use of time to see an ENT doctor, who can diagnose structural problems with the nose and sinuses during the same office visit as allergy testing. Patients can feel secure knowing the exact causes of their nasal and sinus problems, all in one office visit.
ENT evaluation by Dr. Evans and treatment of the underlying anatomic issues in the nose can result in quick improvement. Most of these problems can be addressed with short in-office procedures like balloon sinuplasty or turbinate reduction. Generally, significant improvement is seen within 1-2 weeks after having these procedures.
Allergy treatment with sublingual drops is very effective as well (many studies show 80-90% of patients benefit). Typically allergy treatment takes at least a few months, and possibly up to 1 year before seeing improvement in symptoms.
Allergy treatment and ENT treatment are both helpful at improving nasal allergy and sinus symptoms, but each attacks the problem from a different angle. Most nasal allergy and sinusitis patients benefit from checking both sides of the problem: the structural/plumbing issues and also the underlying inflammation caused by allergy.
Please call 512-550-0321 today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Seth Evans at Texan ENT Specialists to get to the bottom of your nasal symptoms.