ALLERGY TREATMENTS

We offer Allergen Immunotherapy to patients suffering from allergies caused by grass pollen and house dust mites.

What is Allergen Immunotherapy?
Allergen Immunotherapy is the only treatment targeting the cause of the allergy. It can help to reduce a number of symptoms, including:

  • Nasal symptoms – nasal congestion, sneezing and sinusitis.
  • Eye symptoms – conjunctivitis and watery eyes.
  • Asthma symptoms – coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
  • Concomitant medicine use – i.e. using two or more medicines at the same time for treatment. For example, using an antihistamine with a nasal corticosteroid and a bronchial inhaler to treat allergic rhinitis (hay fever).
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How does it work?
Your GP will run through your allergy history and aim to determine the cause of your allergy. If the cause is either grass pollen or house dust mites, your doctor may advise Allergen Immunotherapy. This involves administering the allergen to you over a period of time, in order to de-sensitise you to it.

Allergen Immunotherapy is best for those suffering with moderate to severe allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and find that:

  • it impacts your quality of life;
  • your symptoms aren’t adequately controlled by symptomatic medication and allergen avoidance measures;
  • you experience side effects to existing medication; and/or
  • you would prefer not to use ongoing medication to treat your allergies.
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Treatments Available at Illawarra Medical Centre
We use Oralair® – the first and only registered temperate grass sub-lingual immunotherapy tablet in Australia and New Zealand – to treat grass pollen allergies.

For house dust mite allergies, we use Actair® – the first registered immunotherapy tablet for treatment of house dust mite allergies in Australia.

To make an allergy appointment with one of our GPs, contact our Reception on (08) 9208 6400.