Comparing Allergy Shot Schedules: Traditional, Cluster, and Rush

 If avoidance and medication do not help a patient find relief, we recommend immunotherapy, also known as allergy shots. Allergy shots can desensitize you to bothersome allergens. Patients are given increasing doses of allergens to build up an immunity and decrease their allergic reaction. Allergy shots are given in two phases: Build-up and Maintenance.

Initially, patients are started at a low dose and gradually built up, receiving increasing amounts of the allergens. Once this phase is complete, most patients begin to feel the effects and find relief. To reach the maintenance phase, we offer several schedule options to help patients find relief. 

1. Traditional (1-3 shots per week, Time to Maintenance 3-12 months)

2. Cluster (8-10 Scheduled Appointments from 30 minutes and 2 hours, 1-2 Appointments a Week, Time to Maintenance 4-9 weeks)

3. Rush (One Full day appointment, approximately 8 hours, 1-3 Shots Per Week After Rush Appointment, Time to Maintenance 6-16 Weeks) 

After an effective dosage is reached, a patient will reduce the frequency of injections. Patients are typically on immunotherapy for 3-5 years. Over time, their visits to get allergy shots will decrease from 1x a week to 1x every several weeks.

Due to the increased dose of allergens given during the cluster and rush schedule, there is a higher risk of a reaction, though still rare. These accelerated schedules require patients to pre-medicate before the program begins to reduce that risk further.

The majority of insurance plans cover both traditional immunotherapy and these accelerated programs; however, some do not. We recommend contacting your insurance provider to learn what your plan will cover.

If you are interested in allergy shots, please schedule an appointment to discuss the best options for your care.