Allergy Shots for 7 Yr. Old Son?

Oh boy have we been down that same road. I swear we tried every allergy med out there: singulair, flonase, claritin, zyterc. All to no avail. My son is now 5 and he takes no Rx meds anymore. We used 2 non-invasive alternative methods that worked like a charm. NAET and homeopathic drops/tablets from bioAllers. My son too, was allergic to dogs, tree pollens, ragweed, dust, etc., etc.

We started the NAET last year and after a few Tx he was fine. Occaisonally he has a minor flare that we treat with the bioAllers drops *available at drugstore.com*, and he's fine

Best Wishes.

1 mom found this helpful

Hey T.,
I also had the allergy shots when I was a kid (every Tuesday at 5, lol) It did take a while to see results, but they do eventually work. I also had them for about three years. The only pain is that you have to sit in the office an additional 20 minutes after the shot to make sure you don't have a reaction, since they are essentially injecting you with what you are allergic to. If you have a good doc like the one I had, you can arrange it so you go in immediately when you arrive, so you don't wait beforehand too. Good luck.

T.,

I personally had allergy shots when I was a kid and they really helped. I also have a lot of indoor/outdoor allergies. I got them for about 3 years and gradually they were able to wean me off. I still take the Zyrtec, however, don't get the shots.

Good luck with your decision!

have they tried other medications? flonase as a spray? singular?

T.-
As an adult with allergies. I have had them since I was a small child. My allergies sound similar to your son's. My best advice is enviroment control. If you have central air. Run it as much as possible. Change your furnace filter every 30 days. Change your vacumn cleaner bag every other week. You can try to keep the dog out of your son's bedroom and main play area so that your son can try to have some allergy-free zones. Also, try encasing his bed in plastic to limit dust mites also cover the pillows with pillow protectors. Washing the sheets once week and drying them well helps. I also notice a difference when I have neglected the dusting. I hate to clean but my allergies are better if I keep things up, especially the bathrooms (mold allergies-also). Good Luck.

Both of my children had lots of allegies & asthma. The first one received weekly allergy shots; the second one, born five years later, received none. ( I just decided to try to manage without them). There was no difference in the final outcome. Both outgrew their asthma around adolescence. I read recently that allergies occur more frequently in children now. The theory was that we have made our environment "too" clean. In any case, allergy shots did no harm to my son. I just don't know if they helped him. Ask you doctor to share the research with you before you decide what to do. Best regards with this problem.

...had good results no side effects with my stepdaughter's shots... she was eventually able to wean off them completely. I think it's a good idea, b/c they're introducing the allergens into the child's system, so they can naturally build an immunity.

oh, an fyi for you, unless the doc has already told you: if the dog is mostly indoors, it's good - if the dog is outdoors most of the time, say all day, but then comes in at nite, he's bringing in a ton of pollen! Even on days my son doesn't get sweaty at recess and doesn't really "need" a shower, he still has to take one to get the pollen off his skin & hair.

good luck!

I've been reading these responses, and several people seem to be against allergy shots because they're not "natural". They are the most natural form of defense you can find as the serum is derived from the allergens themselves. The only side effect I ever had receiving shots was an oversensitivity from time to time, and the area where I received the shot became swollen and red, like a big mosquito bite. If that happened, my doctor would adjust the concentration of the serum. That is why, at least in the beginning, the doctor usually has you wait about 15 minutes before leaving to make sure there's no local reaction. I have read about the potential of more severe reactions in the case of getting way too much of the allergen, which can cause wheezing and an anaphylactic type reaction, but I personally never experienced anything that severe and don't know anyone who has. My son (6)is also allergic to everything after being tested last year, but so far has responded well to just meds and nasal spray. In the event that stops working, I have no problem initiating shots. Good luck!

Have you had your son allergy tested, I am assuming you did. My son is severe asthmatic and allergic. We are trying allergy shots again, we tried them when he was @5 - he is now 14. Does he have asthma or asthma like symptoms? If so, you could take him to the pulmonary Dr. Have you started the shots yet? It can take up to 4-5 years to see a significant difference.

You can email me if you would like to talk more about this :o)

My son has been taking these same allergy shots for 4 years, he's now 12. Simply he got used to this routine, and it doesn't bother him. But, for the beginning of this new experience, you could try offering extra love and attention, like telling each other jokes along the way to the dr's, get an icecream cone, better yet, let him pick out what he wants to wear to go get his shot. Mismatching clothes, pajamas, costume, etc.

Hi T.,
My son (now almost 5) was on Zyrtec, Pulmicort and Albuterol via a nebulizer since he was quite small. My husband and I were concerned about side effects from this drug "cocktail" that his allergist put him on. A friend recommended a natural way to treat asthma/allergies. She suggested giving him 1 tsp of liquid fish oil a day. (We gave it about a month to work and slowly weaned him off all other medications.)
My son now takes only the fish oil and is off all prescription medications. His allergies have cleared up entirely and he no longer wheezes. He used the nebulizer only one time last winter due to a bad cold. It's been wonderful. We buy liquid fish oil from the Vitamin Shoppe.
Hope this helps.
-L.

When I was your son's age I received allergy shots. I don't remember any bad side effects, and this way I didn't hve to get rid of my stuffed animals and the family dog. It stinks to watch your kid get shots every week, but I really think it helped me (although I wish I were still allergic to dust so that I could get out of at least household chore!).