Hayfever injections used to be a popular ‘shortcut’ to hayfever relief if conventional antihistamines didn’t control your symptoms. However, the popular Kenalog injections advertised online are no longer licensed for hayfever treatment in the UK.
Although the Kenalog injection used to be routinely prescribed on the NHS, this practice stopped a few years ago. It was found that the risks and potential for side effects outweighed the benefits.
Although some private medical practices and aesthetic clinics still offer these injections, it is an off-license prescription. They are prescribed under the prescriber’s own responsibility and they could result in undesired side effects.
At Holistic Allergy we don’t offer these Kenalog injections as we don’t agree their benefits outweigh the potential risks as you will see below.
If you are interested in hayfever relief, there are other options that we offer. One of these is immunotherapy for hay fever, which is the gold standard treatment.
Immunotherapy tablets such as Grazax and other medicinal forms are licensed for the treatment of hayfever in the UK. They subsequently work well in the majority of cases.
To find out more, book a consultation with our allergist.
What is hay fever?
Hayfever, or pollen allergy is a common condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It is an allergic reaction to certain allergens present in the air.
90% of hayfever is caused by grass pollen allergies and manifests by rhinitis or a runny nose.
Hayfever is significantly more prevalent in the spring and summer months, as that is when plants and trees release their pollen. For more detail on the peak dates for each pollen, see our pollen count page. This has a detailed pollen calendar showing various tree, grasses and weed pollens and their respective peak release times.
Unsure what could be causing your runny nose? Or do you constantly have a blocked nose or watery eyes? Get in touch with us for allergy testing or use our pollen count tracker to get an idea of the good and bad pollen days.
While there are several treatment options available for hayfever, such as antihistamines, decongestants, nasal sprays, or eye drops, some people may not find enough relief from these. Others may find that the relief is only for a very short term and the symptoms will tend to correlate to the daily pollen count. The hayfever season can drag on from May to August so getting the right hay fever treatment can play a big part to improving your daily quality of life in this time.
In recent years, hayfever injections, also known as allergy shots, immunotherapy, or Kenalog (triamcinolone acetonide) have come to the market. These are becoming options for people seeking more long-term relief from hay fever symptoms. Out of these, Allergy UK no longer advises Kenalog options.
What are hayfever injections?
A hay fever injection is a type of treatment that can reduce the symptoms of hayfever. Although the majority of people will have their hayfever symptoms relieved by antihistamines, these may not work in severe cases.
There are essentially two types of injectable treatments to help with your allergy relief:
1) Kenalog Hay Fever Injection
One type of hay fever injection that has been previously widely used on the NHS is called Kenalog. This is the brand name for the injection containing a steroid called Triamcinolone. Although licensed for other uses, it is no longer indicated for the treatment of hayfever.
How did it work?
The steroid hayfever injection is given into a large muscle, such as the buttock. Once inserted, the muscle acts as storage for the steroid, which slowly leaks into the body over the spring and summer months. Being a strong steroid, it can therefore combat the hayfever symptoms exactly when you need the relief the most.
Why is it no longer licensed?
These are however no longer recommended by Allergy UK and the NHS due to safety concerns. It was found that a steroid injection in the muscle can place people at higher risk of catching other viruses such as flu, chickenpox, and shingles. Other side effects that came with it included high blood pressure, palpitations or mood swings, and even depression. These safety reasons caused the Kenalog hayfever jab to be taken off the market. It should now only be prescribed for other conditions such as local inflammation of joints and tissue, usually in people with known inflammatory arthritis.
2) Immunotherapy Hayfever Injections
The other type of hay fever injection is also known as immunotherapy. Immunotherapy involves gradually introducing small amounts of the allergen into the body over a period of time, usually several months. For example, immunotherapy for hayfever would start in the winter months, prior to the spring and summer pollen seasons. This is a very effective treatment for improving your allergy symptoms. There are two options of immunotherapy; subcutaneous injections or sublingual spray or tablets.
If you opt for injections, these have to be regularly administered by a healthcare professional in a clinical environment. This would require regular visits to the allergy clinic.
The sublingual immunotherapy option comes in the form of a sublingual spray or tablets that you take every day. The first dose is always taken under the supervision of a doctor or specialist nurse. If this first dose is well tolerated, then you can take subsequent doses at home.
The goal of immunotherapy is to help the immune system become less sensitive to the allergen by exposing it to increasing amounts of the allergen in a controlled and safe way. This process helps the body build up a tolerance to the allergen. Over time this reduces the severity of hayfever symptoms.
Where can I get the hayfever injection?
While there may still be a limited number of private providers offering such injections, it is important to note that these are off-licence prescriptions. In the UK, healthcare authorities have generally concluded that the potential benefits do not outweigh the associated risks, which can include side effects from high-dose steroids and longer-term health implications.
If you do decide to go ahead, whether locally or abroad, ensure that the healthcare professional administering it thoroughly explains the procedure. They should also go through expected outcomes, possible complications, and any follow-up care or red flags to look out for. This detailed discussion helps you make an informed choice and ensures you fully understand all aspects of treatment before proceeding.
Conclusion
- Hayfever injections such as Kenalog are no longer recommended for hayfever due to their potential side effects. These risks can outweigh the benefits and care should be taken if you do decide to have one done off license
- The other type of hayfever injection refers to immunotherapy for hayfever. This is an evidence based treatment for hayfever and has been proven to be effective in the majority of patients. Alternative to hayfever immunotherapy injections are sublingual tablets or spray. To discuss immunotherapy options with us at our clinic in Bournemouth or London, please get in touch.
Before deciding whether immunotherapy is the right choice for you, it’s important to discuss with a specialist allergist to determine the right options. A specialist doctor can also provide you with more information about the benefits and possible side effects of the treatment you choose.
