What allergens can be treated with SLIT?

Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) for food allergies involves placing very small, gradually increasing doses of a liquid allergen extract under your tongue each day. Over time, this trains your immune system to become less reactive to that food allergen.

SLIT requires no needles or injections. The drops are placed under the tongue at home each day, making it a highly convenient option — no weekly office visits required for dosing. You will still see your allergist periodically to monitor progress.

SLIT for food allergy is not currently FDA-approved. However, it is an emerging, evidence-based treatment supported by clinical research. Your allergist will discuss the benefits and limitations in full during your consultation.

SLIT is generally available to patients ages 5 and up, though eligibility is individualized by your allergist. It is often a preferred option for patients who are not comfortable with the level of commitment required by OIT, those with higher anxiety around their allergen, or younger children for whom OIT may be more complex.

SLIT can be used for many of the same food allergens we treat with OIT, including peanut, tree nuts, milk, egg, and others. Multi-food SLIT — treating more than one allergen at the same time — may also be an option.

The goal is desensitization: to train your immune system so that accidental exposure to the allergen does not cause a severe reaction. SLIT typically increases the amount of allergen needed to trigger a reaction. It is not a cure, and patients should continue to carry epinephrine and avoid their allergens throughout treatment.

Unlike OIT, SLIT does not require a rest period before or after taking a dose, which adds to its convenience for active patients and busy families.

SLIT is a long-term commitment. Patients typically take drops daily at home and return to our office periodically — usually annually in the early years — to assess progress through an oral food challenge. Your allergist will outline an individualized treatment timeline.

Yes. Patients on SLIT have access to an FCAAC physician in person, via telemedicine, or through an after-hours phone line.

Sublingual immunotherapy is very safe, for both adults and children. Patients take the drops in the convenience of their own homes instead of going to a doctor’s office every week for shots. The World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed sublingual immunotherapy as a viable alternative to injection immunotherapy.

Many published scientific studies have shown that sublingual immunotherapy significantly reduces allergy symptoms.

It is not recommended for pregnant women to start taking allergy drops. However, if a patient is already taking sublingual immunotherapy drops and becomes pregnant, they can continue SLIT at a stable dose throughout pregnancy.

Yes, it is safe to fly while taking sublingual immunotherapy drops. Ask your doctor for a letter to carry the drops in the cabin.

Yes, children from the age of 7 can get sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT).