The prospect of a heatwave this week will be great news for many, but the millions who suffer from hay fever every summer will be more cautious about getting out in the hot weather.
Over-the-counter medications such as antihistamines, eye drops and nasal sprays can help to alleviate hay fever symptoms. However, as reported by Birmingham Live, supply issues with ingredients and high demand for hay fever medications have resulted in a shortage of tablets.
Hay fever injections could be a potential solution to this problem. Here is everything you need to know about the treatment.
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How do hay fever injections work?
The hay fever injection, known as Kenalog, is a corticosteroid that works by suppressing the immune system’s abnormal reactions to pollen. Hay fever symptoms occur when the immune system misreads pollen and produces antibodies to fight against it, causing an allergic reaction.
Kenalog is not intended for people with ordinary hay fever symptoms. Instead, it should only be used in hay fever sufferers with particularly severe symptoms who’ve found other treatments ineffective. This is an intramuscular injection normally given into the muscle of the buttocks.
Can you get hay fever injections on the NHS?
Hay fever injections are not available on the NHS. Kenalog (a brand name for triamcinolone acetonide) was once available to NHS patients, but in October 2019 the drug's licence to be used as a hay fever treatment in the UK was withdrawn because of concerns over the risk of side-effects.
However, some private clinics do still offer Kenalog injections. Patients who receive hay fever injections generally require only one every hay fever season.
Are hay fever injections safe?
Kenalog was withdrawn from the NHS due to safety concerns. Health authorities warn the injection can leave patients more susceptible to infections such as flu, chickenpox and shingles.
Other potential side effects can include increased blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and mental health problems such as depression and mood swings. Some patients may also experience unusual weight gain and menstrual cycle changes, among other side effects.
Where can you get hay fever injections and how much do they cost?
People can still legally get Kenalog privately but clinics are banned from promoting it under UK advertising rules. In November 2020, the MHRA (the Government's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) asked a number of companies to amend their advertising so that prescription-only medicines not licensed to treat hay fever were not promoted. It also said patients must be made aware of the risks of using unlicensed treatments such as Kenalog (triamcinolone) during the consultation.
According to the Daily Mail, some private clinics have still been advertising Kenalog on Instagram for between £35 and £100. The Advertising Standards Authority has already sanctioned four clinics for advertising these hay fever injections online.
Margaret Kelman, a specialist nurse for the charity Allergy UK, said hay fever suffers were not recommended to get these injections "in line with current UK guidelines due to the health risks and side-effects of this type of medication."
The NHS says GPs usually prescribe a steroid treatment, such as a steroid nasal spray, and if that doesn't work, you could be referred for immunotherapy. This involves being given small amounts of pollen as an injection or tablet to slowly build up your immunity to pollen.
This kind of treatment usually starts in the winter about three months before the hay fever season begins. However, immunotherapy is a specialist service that may not be available everywhere.
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