Allergy Testing & Treatment

While Austin is a great place to live, it’s also one of the worst areas for allergies. If you suffer from frequent sneezing, swelling, hives, or cold-like symptoms, you may be allergic to something.

ENT & Allergy Center of Austin is pleased to provide quality allergy care for our adult and pediatric patients. We have a full-time, dedicated allergy staff to provide allergy testing, allergy treatment, and allergy injections (immunotherapy) at our Westlake, Cedar Park, and Round Rock locations. See our allergy shot schedule below.

Seasonal Allergies in Central Texas

Allergy testing at ENT & Allergy Center of Austin can help determine if you’re suffering from seasonal allergies.

While most geographic regions have two pollen seasons that cause allergies (fall and spring), central Texas has three, which pretty much covers the entire calendar year:

• Fall: The main source of allergy-causing pollen during the fall months in central Texas are weeds – especially ragweed. The fall allergy season here lasts longer than in other parts of the country, running from mid-August to early November.
• Winter: In central Texas, it’s Mountain Cedar pollen season from December to February. The pollen counts from cedar trees in central Texas are the highest of any plant in the world. If you have a cedar allergy, known as cedar fever, you may have severe symptoms during the winter whenever you go outdoors, even when using over-the-counter allergy medication.
• Spring: There are two pollen stages during spring in central Texas. The first is from February to early June, when pollen is released from trees such as oak, elm, ash, and pecan. The second is grass pollen, which is released from March through September – although in hot, dry summers, there may be very low pollen counts from July to early August.

Allergy Treatment Options

There are several treatments available for allergy sufferers. While avoiding allergens altogether is the best way to prevent allergy symptoms, this is rarely possible – especially in central Texas where pollen and other allergens are abundant year-round.

Medication can be effective for controlling the symptoms of allergies. There are both over-the-counter and prescription forms of allergy medication, including oral antihistamines, nasal sprays, and lung inhalers. However, these medications often have side effects, and they don’t treat the underlying sensitivity that causes allergies.

Allergy shots (allergen immunotherapy), however, offer the best treatment option for most allergy sufferers. With several courses of allergy shots, you can reduce both allergy symptoms and the need for medication. Allergen immunotherapy decreases a person’s sensitivity to a particular allergen, has a cumulative effect, and can reduce symptoms for years with regular courses.

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), also known as “allergy drops,” is an alternative to injection therapy. With SLIT, small doses of an allergen (in the form of liquid drops) are placed under the patient’s tongue in order to build up resistance to it and reduce allergy symptoms. Improvement is usually seen a few months after beginning treatment.

Allergy Shot Schedule

ENT & Allergy Center of Austin offers immunotherapy injections at all three of our locations. Please check the calendar below for today's daily shot hours at your preferred location, as these times are subject to change due to emergency situations.