Talking Allergies

Is anyone using Xolair to control their allergies and asthma? My allergist has recommended Xolair. I have allergies to natural latex rubber, geletin, trees (birch, maple, oak), grasses, ragweed, numerous drugs and oral allergies to fruits and vegetables (apples, pears, peaches, cherries, plums, apricots, carrots, tomatos, celery, potatoes, kiwi, mango, avacodo, and the melons). I could live with the daily hives with the oral antihistimines, flovent, ventolin, nasonex, pantonol and occasional predisone. The oral allergies have gotten worst that I'm now reacting to cooked form. My asthma has been flared up as well. The allergist feels that it will allow me to eat the cooked forms again as well improve my quality of life. I am also in sticker shock as I have been imformed that I'm looking at over $16,000.00/ year for the Xolair! :shock: Allergy shots have been ruled out at this point unless I'm going to sit in Emergencyfor two hours per week after every shot as my family doctor won't do them in the office.
Any feedback is welcomed.
Tammy

I didn't realize that Xolair was approved for treating food allergies....I thought it was just for asthma (but that it would probably work for food allergies....it just hasn't been tested)
Could be wrong on this, though.

No other advice....but I can relate to the oral allergy syndrome problems! Thankfully there are only a few things that I react to if cooked so I can still have most fruits and veggies. (potatoes are entirely out, however, and cooked carrots bother me sometimes)

Xolair has yet to be approved for any kind of allergies. It has been approved for the treatment of asthma. The tests that were going on on allergies (peanuts ) were put to a dead stop back in January and have no plans to restart...

Xolair is approved for asthma. The studies involving Xolair (for food allergy) were stopped due to a safety issue regarding giving a person peanuts, seeing how they react, and how much is takes...then retesting later to see if their tolerance has improved.

Xolair was tested on dogs and mice with peanut allergy (yes, it can happen to dogs too), and studies were promising. I recall that dogs that went into anaphylactic shock after one peanut were able to tolerate 16 before they had a severe reaction after being on Xolair. Kind of easy to see why the tests were stopped on humans, YIKES!

There was an article in AL magazine spring 2005 on Xolair.

Hope you have a drug plan that will cover the cost .

I have seen the article about Xolair and peanut allergies in Allergic Living. My allergist reason for prescribing the Xolair was that my asthma is more severe when my allergies are not well controlled. I have also had a rash (like a sunburn on my face) from the predisone if I take a full dose at one time. I have a drug plan that will cover up to $5,000/year with pre-approval and I have to cover the rest. It is not covered by the provincial drug plan as of yet. From what I have read about Xolair it does reduce the body's reactions to triggers. My family has been giving up alot for me already with my food rotation diet and activties when my asthma is flared up. My great family suggested we sell our house and move to a cheaper and smaller house to afford the drugs. In the past week we have listed and sold our house and are looking for a new house. My two kids will be changing schools and both my husband and I will have a 40 minute commute.
I have delayed my start until June to give more time for research and hoping that I can get more of it covered. Or I could loose 100 lbs and cut the cost of it in half.
I have yet to speak to anyone taking Xolair. My allergist has yet to have anyone qualify for Xolair either by their IgE level is too high or they weigh too much for dosing.
Tammy

Hi everyone, I had my seventh shot of Xolair. It seems to be doing the trick. I no longer have daily hives in my mouth from my oral allergy syndrome and occasional hives elsewhere. I am still eating with the rotation diet and avoiding my anaphylatic foods. I have decreased my Flovent and have not required any Predisone for flare ups. :lol: My asthma is finally well controlled.
I have managed to get my work's drug plan to cover it and the move worked to my advantage as the new house is more allergy friendly. :lol:
If the Xolair continues to work well then my allergist will consider the allergy shots for my birch and ragweed allergies. It should help my oral allergy syndrome as well.
Thought I would share the good news.
Happy Holidays!
Tammy

Hi Tammy, thank you for sharing your Xolair experience. Both my daughters have hard to control asthma and we may need to go that route someday.

Why is your allergist waiting to give you allergy shots for birch and ragweed allergies? Does your asthma need to be perfectly controled before you can get shots?

I must admit I know nothing about allergy shots. Are they effective at all?

_________________
15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Thanks for the update Tammy! I'm so glad that you got insurance to cover the cost, and that things are getting under control for you -- and that the move to the smaller house was worth it.

Definitely keep us in the loop as things progress.

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Hi Nicole,
My allergist wanted to wait to give me the allergy shots as he was concerned about me going anaphylactic from the shots because my allergies are so severe. I had previously tried shots and had severe reactions. They were not sure if it was the shots themselves or my latex allergy causing the issue. When my allergies are not controlled my asthma is really out of control very quickly (Peak flow from 450 down to 150) and I have had severe reactions to predisone. So it is not the concern about the asthma being controlled but my body not reacting so severely to my triggers.

With my other health issues {chronic kidney & bladder infections, multiple drug allergies, and a genetic disorder- Edhler Danlos Syndrome or EDS (very lax/hypermobile joints due to collagen deficiency causing joint and soft tissue damage)} my immune system isn't the greatest. We want to stabilize my health before retraining my immune system that ragweed and birch are not foreign invaders.

I'm presently enjoying feeling healthy for the first time in about five years. I am not plastering ointments and have reduced my medications (no Ventolin now for 9 weeks). I have also been able to take some control with my other health issues. I am walking without using a cane or walker or knee braces for the past four months after three years of need them because my knees bend backwards. With the EDS, if you don't keep moving you can loose your mobility altogether. I have also been able to get my bladder and kidney infections under control. I feel that this is because my body isn't fighting as much everyday. My favorite quality of life that has been enriched since I started to see improvement is I'm able to eat a meal at work without having several people ask me if I'm O.K. because my face looks a tomato red colour with puffy hives and the noticeable wheeze. It was particularly bad because I work in a medical centre and after two anaphylatic reactions in the workplace everyone is on high alert. I actually have co-workers now willing to eat lunch with me or book meetings after lunch because they are not a concerned about the "what ifs". My co-workers (doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and allied health such as dietitians, physiotherapists, etc) who have all had the training on how to deal with anaphylatic reactions are still afraid. I actually feel empowered.

Tammy, thanks for the update. I'm sorry you're dealing with so many health problems but I am happy that you are finally getting them under control. You show'em who's the boss!

As for your coworkers, I wonder why they became health workers, especially the drs. and nurses, if they don't want to deal with an emergency!

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15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Sad to know about your experience Tammy. But lets know the real facts-Separate analysis shows first humanised antibody for allergic asthma reduces dependence on steroids to manage attacks.

Data from seven clinical studies reported at the World Allergy Congress in Germany demonstrate that in patients with severe allergic asthma who require treatment with oral corticosteroids - indicating that they have a more severe form of the disease - Xolair(R) (omalizumab) significantly reduced the rate of severe asthma attacks and emergency medical visits.Xolair offers a novel therapeutic approach to the control of asthma by targeting a root cause of allergic disease. It blocks the action of the IgE antibody, responsible for initiating the cascade of inflammatory symptoms such as airway constriction, mucous production, wheezing and shortness of breath. Xolair is effective even in the most difficult-to-treat patients whose condition remains poorly-controlled despite receiving the best available therapy.
So nothing wrong with Xolair.Perhaps your internal immunity system is hostile to it.So why not trying with Generic Advair?

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sandip H MUK

So why not trying with Generic Advair?
I have tried Advair with no noticeable improvement, I actually was worse on it. I am not sure if it was just my allergies getting worse or if the Advair was not doing the job. My daughter is on Advair with Singular and is very well controlled for her allergies and asthma. I have also tried Singular but experienced several side effects and had to stop it after two weeks.