Hay fever injections: do they work and where can I get one?
WITH pollen season well and truly upon us, Brits will be keen to find the best remedy.
For those with a more serious case of hay fever, injections may be the answer.
Hay fever is one of the most common allergic conditions, with more than 10 million people suffering from it in England alone.
Those with the condition become reliant on antihistamines, eye drops, wipes and various hacks to keep the home pollen-free.
The allergy can ruin the sunny season, making work and daily life difficult.
Hay fever jabs offer a quick an easy solution to the agonising issue - or do they?
What is a hay fever injection?
The jabs generally work to stop the immune system going haywire whenever it is faced with pollen.
While it seem like the “cure” to sneezing, itchy eyes and fatigue, there is not a huge amount of evidence they work.
They are also not available to the majority of people with hay fever.
What are the negatives of hay fever injection?
Like any medication, the jabs carry certain risks.
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Both short-term and long-term side effects may include swelling, difficulty breathing, skin itchiness and abdominal discomfort.
The jab may also trigger elevated blood pressure and increased blood sugar levels.
Leading charity Allergy UK does not endorse the jab because it “comes with a high side-effect profile”, Patient Info reports.
But the Regent Street Clinic, which offers the jab at sites across England, says on its website: “In our twenty-year experience of administering the hayfever injection, we have seen virtually nothing in the way of even mild ‘side effects’.”
If standard hay fever treatments do not work, your GP may refer you for immunotherapy.
Hay fever is an allergic reaction, so immunotherapy treatment aims to suppress this reaction over time.
Why is Kenalog banned by the NHS?
A steroid injection, called Kenalog, is given to some people with severe hay fever in the UK, administered in their buttocks.
The injection used to be available on the NHS and commonly given out.
But from 1999, doctors were recommended to stop giving it out because there was unclear evidence it worked well
A Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) in 1999 concluded that a single dose is likely to relieve hay fever symptoms, but it is unclear for how long any benefit is likely to last.
Other steroid medications that are available on the NHS and may be prescribed by your GP are nasal sprays and drops.
Nasal sprays are most effective if you start using them a couple of weeks before your symptoms begin, and work best when used regularly.
But drops should not be used for more than four weeks and not using them properly could leave you suffering bleeding, irritation and dryness of the nose.
Where can I get a hayfever injection?
Kenalog jabs are only available privately and the effects of which kick in almost immediately and last around three months.
Immunotherapy jabs are offered on the NHS in certain areas.
This kind of treatment usually starts in the winter about three months before the hay fever season begins.
How much do hayfever injections cost?
Kenalog jabs cost around £75 per dose.
Immunotherapy jabs are free.
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Other hayfever treatments
According to the NHS, these are some other methods you can try:
- wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting in your eyes when you're outdoors
- taking a shower and changing your clothes after being outdoors to remove the pollen on your body
- staying indoors when the pollen count is high
- applying a small amount of Vaseline around the nostrils to stop pollen getting in