Immunotherapy, or “allergy shots”, desensitizes the body against allergens by exposing it to these very allergens on a regular basis. Allergy shots come with a lot of benefits. They reduce the inflammation of the insides of the airways and thus alleviate asthma symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. In this way, they can aid in breathing and also reduce/eliminate the need of taking other asthma medications such as bronchodilators.

Apart from the benefits, certain risks are associated with immunotherapy. Since this type of treatment exposes you to allergens that trigger asthma, there are chances of serious allergic reactions taking place. This may lead to asthma attack or anaphylactic shock; both of these conditions can be fatal.

Although such cases are rare, certain measures need to be taken. For instance, one must always get allergy shots from an expert who knows how to manage these allergic reactions. If asthma symptoms rise, no matter how mild they are, emergency help is needed. That is why it is better to wait in the asthma doctor’s office for at least 30 minutes after getting allergy shots.

Another very common side effect of taking immunotherapy injections is inflammation (redness and swelling) of the skin where the allergy shots are injected.