How Much Do Allergy Shots Cost

Otherwise known as allergic diseases, allergies are caused by the immune system’s hypersensitivity to an allergen or a substance that triggers the person’s allergic reaction. Allergens come in different forms, including food, animals, medications, stress, and other environmental factors. The most common symptoms of allergies are itchy rashes, red eyes, runny nose, swelling, and shortness of breath. When the allergies attack the person, he or she could get diseases like allergic asthma and hay fever. So let’s discuss on the average price of allergy shots.

Allergy Shots Prices

Without a doubt, having allergies causes so many inconveniences. However, they can be addressed by getting an allergen immunotherapy or more commonly known as allergy shots, which are injected to decrease the patient’s sensitivity to allergens. The doses are administered every week, gradually increasing to test the body’s response and tolerance, until reaching to a point when the patient becomes comfortable with a constant dose that will be taken every month for three years or more. On this note, how much do an allergy shot costs these days?

The allergy shot price ranges from $10 to $100 for every visit, depending on whether you pay with a health insurance or not. Apparently, the health insurance can cover the allergy shots because they are needed to alleviate the patient’s allergic condition. Taking this into consideration, the initial yearly cost can reach up to $3,900 while the recurring years can go up to $1,800 every year.

Without Health Insurance

If you do not have a health insurance to cover the expenses, how much do an average allergy shot cost then? You need to spend allergy shot price that consists of two things: the allergy serum that costs $100 for 10 shots and the average cost to administer the injection, which runs from $20 to $100 for every visit. The latter depends on whether a doctor or nurse will administer the allergy shot and if the patient needs more than one allergy shot.

If for instance, you need the allergy shots every week, then the cost would range from $1,560 to $3,900, which already includes the price of the serum, for the initial year. In the following years, the frequency may decrease twice every month. By doing a little math, the cost may run from $720 to $1,800 every year, and it already comes with the serum cost.

With Health Insurance

Now that you know the costs of allergy shots without the coverage of a health insurance, how much do allergy shots cost if the patient has a health insurance? For those who have health insurance, the average allergy shot price includes a co-pay, which ranges from $10 to $25 for every visit, or a 10 to 40 percentage of the total cost.

Having an average cost of $800, the total cost for the initial year may range from $500 to $1,300, which happens to be the most expensive price for patients with health insurance. In the following years, the costs would go down between $170 to $290 every year for four years.

Benefits of Average Allergy Shots

The primary function of allergy shots is to lessen the patient’s hypersensitivity to allergens. They strengthen the immune system and build tolerance against the causative agents of allergies. Once the immunity has been formed, the patient is protected for long periods of time.

At first, the patient must be administered with a high dosage of allergens to combat the allergic reactions effectively. Over time, the number of doses decreases until your body is able to tolerate the effects of allergies without showing any symptoms.

Adverse Reactions after Being Administered with Allergy Shots

Allergy shots are medications to treat patients with allergies. They are potent especially for those who have very bad allergic conditions. But just like normal medicines, allergy shots also have adverse reactions, and these are the following:

1. Hours after the shot has been administered, you will see local reactions at the site where you got injected. You get to see redness, feel itchy, and experience pain or swelling. But there is no need to worry about these side-effects since they happen frequently and are totally harmless. You can treat them using cold compresses, then the allergy shots will be intensified.

2. The other adverse reaction is the systematic reactions that are away from where the injection has been administered. These include asthma attack, runny or stuffy nose, and a generalized urticaria or red and itchy skin. The worst side-effect is the condition called anaphylaxis, which happens within minutes to hours after the administration of allergy shots. Moreover, this type of adverse reaction rarely happens, unlike the local reactions.

Common Types of Allergies

There are different types of allergies that affect people, and these are the most common ones:

1. Food Allergy – usually affects four percent in adults and four to six percent in children

2. Skin Allergy – evidently affects the skin, which usually turns red and becomes itchy

3. Dust Allergy – those with dust allergy frequently sneezes, especially when they are in dusty areas

4. Pet Allergy – common symptoms are sneezing, swelling, and watery eyes

5. Cockroach Allergy – there are instances when people develop allergic symptoms when there are cockroaches around

6. Drug Allergy – people with this type of allergy develop itchy rashes or have difficulty in breathing after taking a certain medication

7. Insect Sting Allergy – this is commonly triggered when a person is stung by fire ants, honeybees, hornets, wasps, and yellow jackets

8. Allergic Rhinitis – frequent sneezing, stuffy or runny nose, itchy skin, mouth, or eyes are the most common symptoms of allergic rhinitis

9. Eye Allergy – when exposed wi allergens, your eyes may turn red and become very itchy

10. Latex Allergy – latex is rubber, and this type of allergy can sometimes be fatal. If for instance, you are allergic to latex, then stay away from the presence of latex products.