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SLIT Allergy Treatment

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is an alternative allergy treatment that enables allergy sufferers to experience relief from symptoms without receiving injections. Patients who undergo SLIT place small amounts of allergen extracts (known as "allergy drops") under their tongues (sublingual) instead of receiving allergy shots in a clinic or doctor's office.

While SLIT is relatively new in the United States, allergy drops have been used in Europe, as well as other places around the world, for over 60 years. Furthermore, SLIT has been endorsed by The World Health Organization (WHO) as an alternative to injection therapy.

  1. How SLIT Works

    • Placing allergy drops or tablets under your tongue desensitizes or decreases your immune system's response to an allergen. Doing so may reduce the allergy symptoms you are experiencing.

      After the allergen extract is placed under your tongue, you can either swallow it or spit it out.
      The immune system of the human intestinal tract can tolerate the ingested allergy drops without responding to them as a "foreign substance", and thus your body won't try to attack or eliminate the allergens. According to the article, "Sublingual Immunotherapy" by Daniel More, MD, "this results in less allergy symptoms when the body is exposed to the allergy source, such as airborne pollen or pet dander."

    Is SLIT Safe?

    • Daniel More, M.D. notes that the safety of SLIT has been well-documented over the past decade and "serious and fatal reactions to SLIT have not been reported to date." Some people experience mild side effects, such as an itchy mouth. Moderate side effects, such as itchy eyes, nausea, sneezing and nasal congestion occur in one out of every 12,000 administered doses.

      While allergy shots have the potential to cause dangerous allergic reactions in some patients, the article "Could Allergy Shots Be a Thing of the Past?" notes that "the risk of a severe allergic reaction due to [SLIT] allergy treatment may be substantially reduced."

    Potential Patients

    • SLIT can be a beneficial form of allergy therapy for a variety of allergy sufferers. Allergy drops can be administered to infants and children as well as adults.

      The article, "Allergy Drops (Sublingual Immunotherapy or SLIT)" states that allergy drops are "especially ideal for people who can't tolerate or don't respond to allergy shots, as well as people who are unable to commit to allergy shot therapy."

    Benefits of SLIT

    • Affordability and convenience are advantages of using allergy drops. Allergy drops cost less than allergy injections and require fewer visits to your clinic or doctor's office. According to the article "Could Allergy Shots Be a Thing of the Past?," "One potential benefit of SLIT allergy treatment over traditional allergy shots is the ability to administer the drops yourself at home, instead of making regular and numerous trips to the doctor's office for shots."

      Additionally, patients taking allergy drops report needing less medication to alleviate or control their symptoms.

    Length of Treatment

    • SLIT treatment can last from three to five years. However, many people report an improvement in their conditions within one to three months of starting treatment. The dosage and length of treatment will vary depending on the severity of your symptoms. Your allergist will monitor your dose and gradually increase it, as needed, until you arrive at a standardized dosage which you self-administer every day. Your response to treatment is monitored by your allergist during follow up visits every few months. After your first year of treatment, you will typically visit your doctor for periodic follow-up visits once every 6 to 12 months.

    Other Considerations

    • While the antigens used in SLIT allergy drops are the same as those used in allergy shots, allergen drops have not been given the seal of approval for use in allergy treatment by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, the route of administration is the only difference between the antigens used in allergy shots and those used in allergy drops. With SLIT, the antigen is administered via a dropper and delivered directly under your tongue instead of via an injection using a syringe.

      The FDA considers the sublingual SLIT method an off-label use of an FDA-approved substance (the antigens used in allergy shots). It is not uncommon for doctors to prescribe "off-label" uses for medications. Doing so is legal and safe. Examples of common off-label uses of drugs include the use of blood pressure medications to treat migraines, the use of aspirin to treat heart conditions and the use of arthritis drugs to treat shingles.

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