Comment by djyaz1200 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by djyaz1200 | Hacker News Reader

Congrats on your launch! This sounds really promising!

How do you deal with the risk of severe reactions? Is that risk diminished with drops instead of shots?

I'm undergoing shot therapy now and had a life threatening anaphylactic reaction to a shot just a couple months ago. I'm concerned if I had been by myself at home I may have died?

I was at the doctors office but they still called 911 for "backup" because I got so sick so fast. What struck me about the experience was the speed of the whole thing. I was fine one moment, the next moment I didn't feel great, then I started dry heaving, then I got upset with the staff as I was insistent I be allowed "just lay on the floor" which they wouldn't allow. This whole deterioration took maybe 5 minutes? I felt very very tired like I wanted to sleep. When they gave me an EPI injection it didn't just magically fix everything right away. I was still very sick for another 15-20 minutes. I never had any breathing distress I was aware of and had I been alone I don't think I would not have injected myself with EPI, I think I would have just gone to sleep and not woken up.

I presume you all have thoughtfully addressed this risk but I didn't see that in my quick skim of your materials/website so I'm interested in how you handle it?

I'm sorry you had to go through that experience. I've fainted in a doctor's office and woken up in an ambulance. It was a very unpleasant experience.

The risk of severe reaction is much less with allergy drops compared to allergy shots [1]. Allergy drops expose the patient to less allergen and in a less invasive way at any given time compared to allergy shots. Allergy drops are much less concentrated (because they're used daily), and they deliver the allergens to the body through a mucosal membrane. Allergy shots are more concentrated (as they're used weekly or even monthly), and the body reacts to an injection much more aggressively than something taken orally.

Still, we offer every patient an EPI pen to give them peace of mind. Patient comfort is of utmost importance.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpP41WQ6pBc

Unpleasant indeed, I'm delighted to hear your whole approach reduces that risk! Seems like you have far better approach, congrats!!

Do you take an antihistamine before your shots? If not you may want to do that, that severely reduces the risk of a reaction.

Wouldn't that reduce the benefits of the shot as well?

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, but speaking from personal experience.

I don’t believe so. At least it’s recommended by our allergy doctor before the shots and I’ve read it on other allergy doctors’ websites also.

In fact this link suggests that it improves the effectiveness[0]

[0] https://acaai.org/resources/connect/ask-allergist/antihistam...

Based on this video [1] linked in the OP, it seems like one of the big benefits is that anaphylaxis is not a side-effect of the drops.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpP41WQ6pBc

Indeed, thank you!

My understanding would be that Ananphylaxis can never ve a zero risk for severe allergies. After all, most anaphylaxis is triggered by accidentally eating an allergen or a tiny cross-contamination with an allergen. Everything depends on sensitivity of your allergy. I am excited about this startup, because we've been researching OIT (oral immunotherapy) treatment for my daughter who has multiple life-threatening allergies. My understanding is that oral therapy is only just beginning to be approved in the US and that most protocols call for first few months of dosing to be done in a doctor office, followed by maintenance doses that can be done or even prepared at home.

Is this treatment different than OIT? Is it more suitable for less-threatening allergies like seasonal allergies? or is there a cut-off in IgE levels this treatment would be indicated for?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com