Consider sublingual allergy tablets (SLIT) for at-home treatment

What to Do

Ask your allergist about sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) tablets — a daily tablet dissolved under the tongue at home. FDA-approved options include Grastek (grass), Ragwitek (ragweed), and Odactra (dust mite).

Why It Works

SLIT provides the same disease-modifying benefits as allergy shots but without injections or weekly office visits. Clinical trials show 10-45% symptom improvement over placebo. It is taken daily at home after the first dose is supervised in the office.

Tips

• Best for people with a single dominant allergen (e.g., grass or ragweed)
• Cannot treat multiple allergens simultaneously like shots can
• Lower rate of systemic adverse events than shots; local oral itching is common but mild
• Average cost ~$670/year — significantly less than allergy shots