Desensitization against allergies: Did it work for you?

[MSEsperanza]

Hi,

AIlergic conditions I think are equally common among pwME/CFS as in the general population.

So I thought it was interesting to find out whether the experiences with desensitization are comparable, too.

An addition to questions 10 & 11: My use of the term 'side-effects' also includes worsening of symptoms, including ME/CFS symptoms.


Edit: Wikipedia on desensitization against allergies:

"Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is a medical treatment for environmental allergies (such as insect bites) and asthma."

"Immunotherapy involves exposing people to increasing amounts of allergens in an attempt to change the immune system's response."

"[...] allergen immunotherapy is the only medicine known to tackle not only the symptoms but also the causes of respiratory allergies."

---

I tried Subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT) . Check Wikipedia for this and other methods.

My answers to the poll are 10) and14).


Will perhaps add later a few lines on my experience.[*]

Thank you for reading, voting and replying -- [edit ] just to get an impression (the forum's members polls on health issues of course cannot be representative .)



[*] And also my thoughts why this could be relevant to the discussion on subgroups/ subtypes in ME/CFS.

P.S: Apologies if I don't reply here for maybe a while but at the same time maybe will get some other posts/ questions released from my S4ME drafts-folder.

 

[Utsikt]

What is «allergy desensitisation» in this context?

 

[Kitty]

I don't think allergy desensitisation is available where I live (UK). I have multiple allergies, but I just muddle along like everyone else: avoidance when it's possible, antihistamines when it isn't.

 

[Peter T]

I responded on the basis that intolerances are distinct from allergies, so just said ‘I don’t have allergies’.

Although you occasionally see articles about ‘desensitisation’, I have not heard of it routinely happening here in the UK.

 

[Mij]

I have seasonal allergies. I don't have food intolerances.

 

[MSEsperanza]

What is «allergy desensitisation» in this context?

Thanks for asking -- now added to the opening post:

Edit: Wikipedia on desensitization against allergies:

"Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is a medical treatment for environmental allergies (such as insect bites) and asthma."

"Immunotherapy involves exposing people to increasing amounts of allergens in an attempt to change the immune system's response."

 

[ILoveBees]

I received sublingual vaccination against dust mite allergy for about 3 months, but I felt like it made me more sick and stopped (treatment is supposed to last for years).
I don't know if this is quite the same as what you are talking about, but I think so.

 

[Sly Saint]

Standard desensitisation cannot treat chemical allergens.

The Immune Response is Different
Standard immunotherapy targets IgE-mediated (immediate) allergies, where the body misidentifies a natural protein (like pollen) and releases histamines.
Chemical reactions are usually Type IV delayed hypersensitivity reactions. Instead of antibodies, they activate T-cells, which cause localized inflammation over 24 to 72 hours. Immunotherapy does not "reset" this T-cell pathway.