New treatment may help relieve seasonal allergy symptoms without needles

4 FDA-approved SLIT treatments available

If you suffer from allergies and traditional medications that don’t work, a new product may be able to help without injections.

Sublingual immunotherapy, or SLIT, is an alternative to treat pesky seasonal allergies.

Angelo Alban and his three young children have allergies that have gotten so bad, they’ve had to make changes to their daily lives.

“On very bad days, it's very hard to go outside. I've called out of work. You can't breathe properly or you can't see properly. Driving becomes an issue,” Alban said.

Finding relief in any form has been limited with mixed results for Alban.

“I take several medications. I use prescription eye drops and prescription nose sprays, and I also take regular pills that I have to change periodically because they stop working after a while,” Alban said.

The only other option for Alban are his doctor-recommended allergy shots to reduce his symptoms over time.

“I personally have a bit of a fear of needles. Like, shots for me are not something I would be OK with,” he said.

SLIT may help reduce symptoms to specific allergens.

“Sublingual immunotherapy is pretty easy to use once you have a consultation with your doctor. All it really takes is putting a tablet under your tongue for only a few minutes a day,” said Patricia Calvo, Consumer Reports’ health editor.

There are four FDA-approved SLIT treatments on the market: Odactra is for dust mite allergies. Oralair is for five different grass pollens, Grastek is for Timothy grass allergies and Ragwitek of for ragweed.


About the Author:

Marilyn Moritz is an award-winning journalist dedicated to digging up information that can make people’s lives a little bit better. As KSAT’S 12 On Your Side Consumer reporter, she focuses on exposing scams and dangerous products and helping people save money.