When it comes to allergy treatment, also called immunology, there are really only two viable options: allergy shots and allergy drops. Now, the biggest question that comes up is “which option is more effective?” The short answer is that shots seem to be more effective. This is because shots avoid the allergy treatment dose from being broken down in the digestion process. With drops, any amount not absorbed by the tongue will be broken down in the G.I. tract and thus the original allergen will be changed to a digested form. Also, allergy drops are usually taken daily or every other day so the immune response is a little harder to quantify. Taking drops every day also makes identifying allergic reactions to the shots a more difficult. In our experience, adjusting drops takes more time and experience than building up with shots.
However, this does not mean that allergy drops are not effective; just harder to make dose adjustments and harder to identify reactions. There is still a place for drops rather than shots, especially with kids or people who are deathly afraid of needles or if your allergy symptoms are primarily food or G.I. related.