Achoo

September 5, 2005 9:34 AM

Is it worth going to an allergist instead of my primary care doctor?

I never had allergies until ten years ago. I'm allergic to some kind of pollen or related seasonal particle. Is it worth contacting an allergist, or should I just keep taking claritan, sudafed, etc. Is it worth knowing what I am allergic to? I've never been to one, so I don't know what they do beyond my primary care doctor. (FYI, I have insurance.)

posted by about_time to Health & Fitness (17 answers total)

For some kinds of allergies you can get allergy shots. Basically, these are weekly injections of whatever it is that you're allergic to. First at very small doses then at increasing doses. It's a bit of a pain to do because you have to go in every week and then you have to sit for 15-30 minutes in the office after they inject you, just in case you have a bad reaction. But it will build your tolerance for the allergen so you can stop taking pills all the time.

Any doctor can do the injections if you like, but the allergist would have to set it up.

Basically what they do your first appointment is poke you with this thing that has a bunch of little pins sticking out of it...so picture some sort of board with say 4 rows by 10 rows of pins and they poke you with that. Each pin has a little drop of some allergen on it. Then they wait a while and see which spots react and that's how they know what you're allergic to. For some allergies you can get injections.

Other than that you'll probably pick up some pamphlets and such with the same kind of advice you'd get on the web (vacuum a lot, change your sheets and pillowcases often etc. etc. for indoor allergies. Not sure what they suggest for outdoor).
posted by duck at 9:40 AM on September 5, 2005

Yes, I'd go to one. I have a lot of allergies. What some people don't know is that having allergies isn't just a childhood condition. You can grow out of certain allergies and you can also grow more sensitive to certain allergens. Also, becoming allergic to seasonal irritants can also indicate possible food allergies, and vice versa. If they find out that your seasonal allergies are getting worse, they might start giving you shots, which in my experience was very helpful.
posted by billysumday at 9:44 AM on September 5, 2005

Much better than allergy shots are sublingual allergy drops. They can be self administered and are just as effective as shots. I started the drops myself a few years ago and have been virtually allergy free since.

My doctor takes out of town patients if there isn't one in you rneck of the woods.
posted by whatisish at 9:56 AM on September 5, 2005

I'm allergic to ragweed, dust mites and mold. I suffered for years before it got bad enough for me to go back to shots. I had them as a kid. I will probably have to continue them for the rest of my life...or until I get too old to care.

I ended up starting shots because the prescription medications weren't working. I tried every kind of allergy pill and they all made me sleepy or wired and didn't help the allergic reactions (stuffy nose, persistent headaches - especially in the mornings). I tried every kind of allergy nasal spray and none of those helped. So I finally started shots. I am glad I did, but my allergies were year-round.

If the Claritin works then a good allergist shouldn't prescribe shots. They are a pain. I went 2x a week for 6 months (dragging my three kids with me) now I'm on a monthly maintenance.

It might be worth it to go and make sure that all you are allergic to is the pollen. But I wouldn't sign up for shots just yet.

-sacre_bleu's wife
posted by sacre_bleu at 10:03 AM on September 5, 2005

Try the Dolisos spray for your region.
posted by brujita at 10:17 AM on September 5, 2005

Dolisos
posted by brujita at 10:20 AM on September 5, 2005

I'm sorry, I don't know why the link isn't working through mefi--I've been able to get it through Google.
posted by brujita at 10:21 AM on September 5, 2005

I have a PPO plan specifically so that I don't ever have to go to a primary care doctor. If you are confident in your knowledge of which type of specialist you need to treat the particular problem you have, then you don't need one. And yet, you're asking whether it's better to go to someone who specializes in that field than someone who hasn't. What's the contest?
posted by bingo at 10:21 AM on September 5, 2005

brujita's link is probably http://www.dolisosamerica.com -- if you don't put the www in your link, it inserts a whole bunch of other stuff.

I second the idea of going to make sure that it's just pollen you're allergic to. It could be something more controllable (mold, mildew, ??). Plus it's just good to know exactly what triggers you, so that you can take the appropriate extra precautions if going camping in a forest of it, or whatever.

Also:
"And yet, you're asking whether it's better to go to someone who specializes in that field than someone who hasn't. What's the contest?"
posted by librarina at 10:28 AM on September 5, 2005

I have BCBS, and the shots were not covered under my insurance. You might want to check to make sure they are covered first. Otherwise, in my area, it was something around $900 initially (to mix?) then $30 per shot. Which was a shot per week.
posted by phox at 11:06 AM on September 5, 2005

Thanks librarina, I'd forgotten www wasn't automatic.
posted by brujita at 11:30 AM on September 5, 2005

It's worth pointing out that there is no guarantee that getting shots will solve the problem. That's what my allergist told me, anyway.
posted by pmurray63 at 12:26 PM on September 5, 2005

Besides shots, two allergists have given me some very useful info that my excellent GP didn't have.

1. Claritin and Zyrtec don't interfere with one another, so when the allergy season is bad I can take one in the morning and one in the evening. (Important because neither one lasts more than 12-15 hours.)

2. Being exposed to one moderate allergen can make me more sensitive to another. So if I protect myself as well as I can from dust mites, grass won't bother me as much. (Important because some allergens are a ot easier to stay away from than others.)

3. Antihistamines are a lot more effective if I take them before my syptoms get bad, or even before the symptoms show themselves in the first place. Yhis has made a big difference in my ability to function in the high-pollen months.

My point: I benefited from seeing allergists who didn't actually prescibe anything. Maybe you could, too.
posted by wryly at 2:04 PM on September 5, 2005

An allergist may also be able to give you free samples of medications that you PCP doesn't have. That's how I get my Allegra which is the best thing that works for me, yet my Rx benefit doesn't cover it.

Also, if you have any pulmonary or respiratory symptoms (asthma especially), you should see an allergist to manage that, as it is different from other kinds of asthma.

As others have said, seeing an allergist to get tested can help you figure out what all you're allergic to. If it's dust and mold, your allergist will probably try and push some products on you-- sheet and pillow protectors in particular. While the hard sell can be annoying, they really do help. However, you can get good bed protectors at any retail store, and they're usually cheaper than the catalogs the doctor has.
posted by sarahnade at 4:30 PM on September 5, 2005

Go to your PCP (primary care provider) first especially if your insurance plan requires referrals for specialists. You will need his/her green light in order to obtain said referral.

Lately, our Quest Lab rep has been flogging this test which should be something your PCP could order if so inclined.
posted by sillygit at 6:34 PM on September 5, 2005

Response by poster: Wow, thanks for the all the suggestions. There is some great advice here.
posted by about_time at 7:13 PM on September 5, 2005

Just to repeat, but this was the best part about going to an allergist for me:

You may discover you're allergic to something that you never knew you were allergic to! In my case, I discovered that my constant discomfort for years and years and years was due to being lactose intolerant (along with the variety of pollen, ragweed, molds, etc. that fouled my sinuses). Never would've put two and two together otherwise.
posted by incessant at 1:16 AM on September 6, 2005