Oral Immunotherapy Treatment

Food allergy is a significant public health issue and can be stressful for you, your family, and your friends. It can affect how you socialize or cause people to bully you for your condition, and many people resort to avoidance and staying ready for emergencies. Oral immunotherapy treatment can improve the quality of life for many people who suffer from allergies. It can save them from seeking emergency help, using epinephrine frequently, or avoiding the allergen.

What is Oral Immunotherapy Treatment?

Oral immunotherapy refers to feeding an allergic individual with an increasing amount of the food they are allergic to, increasing the trigger threshold. This treatment can be effective in treating food allergies like;

• Tree nut
• Shrimp
• Peanut
• Soya
• Egg
• Wheat

This food allergy treatment retrains your immune system to respond to the allergen differently. Although this treatment is not a cure, it gives you peace of mind knowing you can enjoy food without worrying about the contents or contamination.

Food Allergy Diagnosis

To diagnose food allergy, your doctor will consider many factors, including;

• Your symptoms
• Family history
• Physical examination
• Blood test results to measure immune system response to specific allergens
• A skin test
• Elimination test

How it’s Done

Before starting oral immunotherapy treatment, the doctor will ensure you are a good candidate. You are a good candidate if;

• The doctor can find the right safe starting dose and has your assurance you will take your dose daily.
• You can visit the clinic every two weeks for over six months or longer.

Initial Dosing

It is an active treatment phase where your doctor increases the dosage under supervision every week or every two weeks.

Up-dosing will go on for about 13 weeks before you reach the maintenance dose.

Increased Dosing or Up-Dosing

We are committed to providing comprehensive care for our patients at Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. That includes metal allergy treatment. If you suspect a metal allergy, call us today for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment, such as medications or immunotherapy. To make an appointment, please call us on 850.969.2340.

Maintenance Dose

The therapy aims at helping you reach the maintenance dose. When you reach the full dose safely, you will continue with the daily dosing to continue desensitizing. By the time you reach the maintenance dose, you will be eating actual food, not powders. Doing this for a long time helps you achieve life-changing levels of protection.

Risks of Oral Immunotherapy Treatment

You may experience severe allergic reactions during this therapy, necessitating stopping the treatment. Side effects you may experience include;

• Mouth itching
• Throat itching
• Mild abdominal cramps
• Mild rash

In severe cases, you may experience;

• Vomiting
• Severe abdominal pain
• Wheezing
• Difficulty breathing

Always carry your EpiPen auto injector when using this treatment in case you experience an allergic reaction. There is a risk of having an inflammation of the esophagus. The treatment may not be effective if you have a phobia of ingesting the allergen or have conditions like asthma that are not under control.

Benefits of Oral Immunotherapy Treatment

The goal of oral immunotherapy treatment is to reach the maintenance dose and continue ingesting the allergen daily for at least one year. Benefits of oral immunotherapy include;

• It desensitizes you to allergens and prevents allergic reactions after accidental exposures or cross-contamination.
• It lowers the risk of life-threatening allergic reactions
• It improves your quality of life

Final Thoughts

Oral immune therapy requires the help of a certified allergist or immunotherapist. It would be best to talk to your doctor before stopping treatment, as it can be dangerous. Informing your doctor will help them control the dosage properly to avoid reactions. Please contact us if you need more information about oral immunotherapy.