Allergy Shots

[Suzan]

I took dd8 for her first allergy shots on Monday. If you remember, she was not well last week but between the allergy medicine we started and the yeast meds, she was starting to do much better and I was seeing some really good improvement. After the allergy shots on Monday, she had very itchy eyes and skin and she said her feet hurt. Next night, she said her feet hurt and she was pretty emotional and tired. Tonight, we had a marathon homework session where she was unreasonable and impatient and most of the evening she was running around after me asking if I'm mad for any little reason. This morning she had a hard time getting ready for school but said she had a good day at school.

 

These allergy shots, I just don't know. In theory it seems like a good idea, calm down the allergies and they won't trigger the episodes. But I'm worried about what they might do to her now. I don't know how I'll know whether to continue or not. I guess I'll do next Monday and just see how it goes but I really don't know if I've made the right decision by trying this.

 

Susan

[P_Mom]

Allergy shots stimulate the immune system....I would be very leary of them for a PANDAS child.

[Pandamom777]

I had allergy shots as a teenager. This was a few years ago, so they may have changed how they're done, but I remember they were very hard on my body. I left each time with a huge lump on my arm and it never improved my allegies.

 

As an adult, my daughter and I went to a progressive allergy clinic that does subligual drops instead of shots. It was much easier on my body and, of course, easier than getting shots. We had insurance coverage for testing, but paid out-of-pocket for the drops. They mailed them so we only had to go once a year for a check up.

 

Sharon

[coco]

I agree with PMom. Dr. B said no allergy shots until pandas is a distant memory...her immune system is already so compromised. I would be very careful.

[faith]

susan,

what are the shots for, what kind of allergies? environmental? are the allergies real allergies? are they that bad that she needs to be treated with the allergy shots?

 

Did you ever look into a natural product called D-Hist? its basically quercetin and some other supplements that naturally work for allergies. a few peeps on the other side of the board have tried this and liked it very much and felt it really helped. you could google it.

 

Faith

[momto2pandas]

Please keep us posted. My PANDAS sons and I are all highly allergic, and our allergists keep recommending allergy shots but I'm too chicken and really haven't figured out what's likely to be best in the long run. I know that the allergies contribute to more respiratory infections, which is bad, and both of my ds's have had histories of emotions/behavior reactions due just to allergies (food/dye allergies discovered as babies/tots), not to mention asthma, eczema, congestion, etc. For food allergies we have been able just to use avoidance, of course. But it would be lovely to "cure" allergies with shots.

 

My one and only MAJOR panic attack took place during the scratch testing process of all things! I had the scratches and was waiting in the allergist's office, and then BOOM! The office was in a hospital so they rushed me over to the ER and it took forever for my heart to stop pounding, etc. Made me understand how scary that is for people who get them regularly. I'm afraid that actual shots would really mess me up.

 

 

I took dd8 for her first allergy shots on Monday. If you remember, she was not well last week but between the allergy medicine we started and the yeast meds, she was starting to do much better and I was seeing some really good improvement. After the allergy shots on Monday, she had very itchy eyes and skin and she said her feet hurt. Next night, she said her feet hurt and she was pretty emotional and tired. Tonight, we had a marathon homework session where she was unreasonable and impatient and most of the evening she was running around after me asking if I'm mad for any little reason. This morning she had a hard time getting ready for school but said she had a good day at school.

 

These allergy shots, I just don't know. In theory it seems like a good idea, calm down the allergies and they won't trigger the episodes. But I'm worried about what they might do to her now. I don't know how I'll know whether to continue or not. I guess I'll do next Monday and just see how it goes but I really don't know if I've made the right decision by trying this.

 

Susan

[memom]

I took dd8 for her first allergy shots on Monday. If you remember, she was not well last week but between the allergy medicine we started and the yeast meds, she was starting to do much better and I was seeing some really good improvement. After the allergy shots on Monday, she had very itchy eyes and skin and she said her feet hurt. Next night, she said her feet hurt and she was pretty emotional and tired. Tonight, we had a marathon homework session where she was unreasonable and impatient and most of the evening she was running around after me asking if I'm mad for any little reason. This morning she had a hard time getting ready for school but said she had a good day at school.

 

These allergy shots, I just don't know. In theory it seems like a good idea, calm down the allergies and they won't trigger the episodes. But I'm worried about what they might do to her now. I don't know how I'll know whether to continue or not. I guess I'll do next Monday and just see how it goes but I really don't know if I've made the right decision by trying this.

 

Susan

 

 

Dr. B. also suggested this for my dd17Pandas. It is his feeling that until we calm her immune system with allergy shots, IVIG may not last and she is more at risk of relapse as when her allergies are kicked up (and that is often), it does seem to make her OCD worse. She has had allergies since a baby and we've controlled her environment and used antihistamines to control them. When I asked the timeline for seeing results, he said 6 months. My heart sank with the idea of waiting another 6 months before considering IVIG, but on the other hand, the prospect of loosing the benefit of the IVIG (especially if we have to pay out of pocket for treatments) because of allergies is also not great. He did agree that if she started flaring with worsening OCD, he would not continue.

 

There was another parent on this forum that also went down this path and found it worsened her childs Pandas symptoms, but I don't think anyone has mentioned it helping or a neutral effect.

 

Please keep me updated as I have a vested interest as well.

 

memom

Ellie

[Suzan]

Hmmmm, we have one poster here who has Dr. B saying no allergy shots and another who he recommended allergy shots. I wonder if he has changed his stance or if it is a different recommendation per child??

 

Dr. T originally said no shots but then changed his thought and said to let my immunologist call the shots on that one since it was not his area of expertise.

 

Memom - My immunologist said the same thing as Dr. B, calm the immune system. But I heard also that IVIG takes care of allergies? Have you ever heard that? I had not heard that the IVIG would not be effective if allergies were too bad.

 

She has been skin tested and is highly allergic to dust, cats, most trees, grass, weeds, some molds, mildly allergic to dogs, and probably other stuff I've forgotten. She falls apart when not on the nasal steriods.

 

Faith, we've tried all kinds of things but I have not tried this product you mention, I will look it up but I am suspecting it won't help.

 

I appreciate the conversations about it. I agree, I am highly suspect too, but I guess I'm feeling like we need to do something and so far, this is the only other thing that seems like a possibility. But I won't continue if it causes too many issues.

 

I do wonder though, do they do immune therapy for others with other autoimmune conditions? I'll need to look that up and see what the stance is.

 

Susan

[memom]

Memom - My immunologist said the same thing as Dr. B, calm the immune system. But I heard also that IVIG takes care of allergies? Have you ever heard that? I had not heard that the IVIG would not be effective if allergies were too bad.

 

One of the other families on this forum stated that IVIG worked wonders on her childs allergies and ?asthma?. Dr. B. didn't seem to think there would be any affect on allergies with IVIG.

 

Ellie

[thereishope]

Has she always been this highly allergic or does it seem more so this season? My son's doctor did say allergies seem worse this year, this season then in the past.

 

Do they seem to bother her more in the home?

[Suzan]

Has she always been this highly allergic or does it seem more so this season? My son's doctor did say allergies seem worse this year, this season then in the past.

 

Do they seem to bother her more in the home?

 

Well, she has always been very allergic. This year does seem worse though. She has had allergic dark circles and bags under her eyes since she was very young. I do know she is highly allergic to dust/dustmites and this is a constant battle at our house. She and I are both worse right now than we have ever been in the winter, so something is going on.

 

Susan

[Fixit]

susan,

what are the shots for, what kind of allergies? environmental? are the allergies real allergies? are they that bad that she needs to be treated with the allergy shots?

 

Did you ever look into a natural product called D-Hist? its basically quercetin and some other supplements that naturally work for allergies. a few peeps on the other side of the board have tried this and liked it very much and felt it really helped. you could google it.

 

Faith

 

My son has horrible seasonal allergies....i've been waiting to hear if anyone has had success with them...this could be good news, so maybe i will go that route.

yes the testing is coverd by ins, the drops are not but cost effect is same as zyrtec over the counter and i was told you go ther 1s vist...check up and increase of ingredeants at 3 months then at 6 months and then the 1 year mark....so 4 visits and then annually or by annaul....not every week.

 

I looked up d-hist and the ingrediants on one of them show

Ingredients:

 

Vitamin C (150 mg), Quercetin (200 mg), Stinging Nettles Leaf (200 mg), Bromelain (50 mg), N-Acetyl Cysteine (25 mg)

 

Faith, is the last item NAC the same thing mentioned by Caryn.....that would be interesting, iit would seem to tie some things together

 

And when you say worked...do you mean for the allergies(whch would be nice) but also for some relief from their condition(s) (which would be great)?

 

My boy is 9 going on 10 about 75 lbs...if you do d-hist do you think you could still add a little moreNAC if that is the same thing, that only has 25 mg

 

i did find this and it says you need 3x more vitamin c per nac

http://www.healingdaily.com/oral-chelation...-what-it-is.htm

 

so maybe ds could take this product and 25mg more of nac

[thereishope]

Do you have a HEPA filter for your house? Also, if you have carpeting, if you have an older vacuum, consider replacing it with anewer one. They now make them with HEPA filters built in. That's suppose to be really good for dust mites. Also, consider having your heating ducts cleaned. It's gross how much fecal matter the dust mites leave in them.

 

I don't mean to repeat myself on threads, but dust mites was something the doctor specifically mentioned. That they are a big problem this year.

 

Granted this will not solve all allergy problems, but it may help.

[mom md]

Allergy shots definitely made us worse. I understand the theory behind using them to calm but I do not think with this disease. Cunningham also felt that they would stimulate the immune system and possible make things worse...just like MS. In 1989 the WHO made a statement that immunotherapy should not be given to patients with some autoimmune diseases because it can make them worse. I think PANDAS is in this category. I do think several patients will have to try it to prove this to doctors. The allergy shot stimulates the immune system for about 5-6 days then starts to wear off. Things started to get a little better exactly 5-7 days after the shots. It took about 4-5 weeks before I felt like we were back to baseline (even on steroids). Our doctor keeps saying we will revisit the subject later after IVIG...I do not want to bite the hand that is feeding us right now but...NO WAY. We gave it two weeks of shots and it was CLEAR we were worse so we stopped. I think by the next shot you will know what to do.

[Ellen]

My son has a lot of environmental allergies, but I am not comfortable with shots due to the fact that he had bad reactions to vaccines and I believe that allergy shots could have a similar effect. Right now we are keeping it under control with daily Nasonex, a gfcf diet, and many supplements. The ones that he is on that are supposed to be especially helpful for allergies are Pycnogenol and Quercetin and Nettles. Nothing by itself fixes it all but the combination of these supplements and the Nasonex seems to be helping.

 

Ellen

 

I took dd8 for her first allergy shots on Monday. If you remember, she was not well last week but between the allergy medicine we started and the yeast meds, she was starting to do much better and I was seeing some really good improvement. After the allergy shots on Monday, she had very itchy eyes and skin and she said her feet hurt. Next night, she said her feet hurt and she was pretty emotional and tired. Tonight, we had a marathon homework session where she was unreasonable and impatient and most of the evening she was running around after me asking if I'm mad for any little reason. This morning she had a hard time getting ready for school but said she had a good day at school.

 

These allergy shots, I just don't know. In theory it seems like a good idea, calm down the allergies and they won't trigger the episodes. But I'm worried about what they might do to her now. I don't know how I'll know whether to continue or not. I guess I'll do next Monday and just see how it goes but I really don't know if I've made the right decision by trying this.

 

Susan