Allergy shots

[asterroc]

It's my understanding that my health insurance will cover a visit to an allergist, but will not cover testing nor the shots. I'm planning to call an allergist tomorrow (my Fall allergies have interfered with my sleep for more than a week straight now, and it feels like a bad cold except that I know it isn't), and I want to be prepared for how much it's going to suck.

Comments

[erin-trying.livejournal.com]

My coworkers insurance doesn't cover her allergy shots (she has very severe seasonal allergies) and I think it costs her about $100 a pop. She goes once a month, I believe, but she's had them for many years.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I've never kept good track of when and how bad mine are. I think maybe two weeks a year they're this bad: sneezing all day until my nose becomes painful, throat hurts (from coughing and mucus), and can't sleep through the night (either from being too stuffy or too drippy).

Interestingly, I've realized that my asthma is only on the verge of acting up, while if I were this allergic from a cat or dog I would've needed to use my inhaler long ago. I guess my allergies don't actually directly trigger my asthma then, it's just that many of my allergy triggers are also separately asthma triggers, but whatever's triggering my allergies right now doesn't do much for the asthma.

Thanks for your guess on the cost.

[framefolly.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the allergies and the sleep interference...

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I really like to sleep, and I don't ever have any problems with insomnia or anything (I can generally fall asleep anywhere, any time of day, within 15 minutes of deciding to do so and usually faster), and I always sleep through the night, so this is really frustrating me.

[jennekirby.livejournal.com]

Last I was looking it would've cost me something like $50/week initially ($25/visit, 2 visits/week) but I think that may have been at a student center, so it was extra cheap. I couldn't afford whatever it was, anyway.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

That's not bad at all. My symptoms have morphed into more of cold symptoms unfortunately (or fortunately?) and I use my local big university's health services for that, so I think I'll ask them while I'm there about allergy services.

[fireaphid.livejournal.com]

Aw, sorry your allergies are acting up! At least in my experience, allergists really like to start with one big allergy test, and I don't know what that costs. I only know a few people who get shots, but my impression is that they're really for people who go into anaphylaxis from some common substance or people who are just dying to be in contact with their allergens. Mostly, allergists will want you to try OTC drugs if you haven't already. . . I'd be surprised if they didn't direct you to take a hearty dose of guifenesen+pseudoephedrine before bed and loratadine+pseudoephedrine in the morning, as that's what I was recommended for my similarly disruptive fall allergies. Obviously when that doesn't work, there are prescriptions, but I really doubt they're going to push for shots based on your symptoms.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

For the last two weeks I have been taking (all generic, OTC) Zyrtec at night, Claritin-D in the morning, Benadryl as needed. Last week these did not do anything for my symptoms (non-stop sneezing, continual nose dripping unless I used a nasal spray in which case my nose was simply stuffed up, unable to breathe through my nose, unable to sleep lying down, barely able to sleep sitting up, itchy ears, itchy mouth) whatsoever, but at any point in time when I was in AC the symptoms all went away entirely.

My mother used to get allergy shots when I was a child for a similar set of symptoms. It's my understanding that allergy shots are recommended based upon the objective severity of symptoms, subjective experience of symptoms, and responsiveness to other medications.

This week my symptoms are worse, however they include indications that I may now have a cold (sore throat, coughing, low grade fever, does not respond to AC), so I'm going to start w/ a normal doctor.

[fireaphid.livejournal.com]

Ugh, that sounds really awful! )-; It occurs to me now that practically no one I know with seasonal allergies (including me) has been offered shots not because the symptoms aren't severe enough, but because we're all college students and the doctors know we won't be in the same location when the shots start to take effect, so we'll have different allergies later. . . so, yeah, my experience probably has nothing to do with what may happen to you, so that was pretty unhelpful of me, sorry. But, yeah, the secondary infection is my least favorite thing about allergies. Feel better!

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

Aaaand now I have a fever of 101F. Wonderful. Hamthrax, here I come.

[meig.livejournal.com]

You may be developing a tolerance to your meds, too. Switch them up.

As for testing, they will usually do a full series of prick tests, and once those show reactions, they will do another round with specific allergens to gauge your reactions (+1, +2, etc.). After that you start the desensitizing shots, which are usually once a week. You get your shots and sit there at the doc for 20 minutes. And, if I remember correctly, you can't take any allergy meds while going through these shots because your body needs to react to them.

It's been years since I had any though, so I don't remember. I ended up stopping because I couldn't handle the costs anymore. It gets *really* expensive, and I was supposed to do over two years of shots if I recall correctly.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I've been using both Claritin and Zyrtec, with occasional Benadryl as well. None of the other OTC allergy medications have ever done much for me. At this point though I also have a cold, and they recommended I take an expectorant and expectorants recommend you stop allergy medication, so maybe it'll help to be off them for a few days.