Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT)
Mountain Cedar Allergy Drops
What are Mountain Cedar Allergy Drops?
Sublingual immunotherapy for Mt. Cedar is an alternative way to treat cedar allergies without injections. Dr. Dinger prepares serum of mountain cedar extract for a patient in the office and small doses of the cedar allergen are placed under the tongue with gradually increasing doses to boost tolerance to the Mt. cedar and reduce symptoms. According to a 2009 World Allergy Organization (WAO) paper, SLIT is widely accepted and used in European, South American, and Asian countries as well as in Australia and is now being offered here in our clinic. Patients who have used Mt. cedar allergy drops in our clinic in years past, including Dr. Dinger, report over 80-90% symptom improvement. However, as neither the safety nor the efficacy of the procedure is considered established by the FDA, SLIT is not approved in the United States and its usage is off-label at this time.
How Is Treatment Administered?
We must must first use allergy testing to confirm your mountain cedar sensitivities. Once this is determined, an allergen extract is prepared in drop form you will be directed to keep it under the tongue for one to two minutes and then swallow it. The process is repeated daily with gradual increases until a maintenance dose is reached. This typically will take 40 days. Recommended starting time frame is in the month of October in order to achieve a maintenance dose by the peak of cedar season. The maintenance dose is continued daily through the month of February and can be discontinued by March.
Are Mt. Cedar drops Effective and Safe?
Most clinical trials and surveys published over at least 20 years show that SLIT is relatively safe and effective for the treatment of rhinitis and asthma caused by allergies to tree pollens. As of June 2009, of 60 double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of SLIT, 48 trials showed positive results.WAO paper. Evidence is emerging that SLIT may be effective for treating the red, itchy eyes caused by pollen during hay fever season as well.
In addition, it might prove an effective therapy for children with mild atopic dermatitis (eczema)and is currently being studied for its potential in treating food allergies.
Side effects among both children and adults are usually local and mild, most often occur early in treatment, and include itching in the mouth or stomach problems. These can usually be managed by dose adjustments. International studies reveal that SLIT can be safe for children under age 5 and may be a preferred method for controlling allergy compared with injection therapy. Very rarely, severe allergic reactions have been reported using SLIT. All patients must know how to recognize an anaphylactic reaction and carry an Epi Pen or Auvi Q.
What Is the Cost of Mt. Cedar Allergy Drops?
This is not a treatment covered by insurance plans and will not be billed to your insurance.
If you are interested in beginning Mt. Cedar allergy drops in our office, please call 210-499-4824.