"I Tried Allergy Shots Twice and Quit Both Times. Drops Were the Answer."

The first time I tried allergy shots, I was 19. Freshman year of college. My allergist had been recommending them for years and I'd finally run out of excuses. I was allergic to tree pollen, grass, ragweed, dust mites, and cats — basically the entire state of Colorado plus my roommate's emotional support animal.

I made it seven months. The buildup phase was brutal — twice a week for the first three months, then weekly. Each visit was at least an hour when you counted the drive, the wait, the injection, and the 30-minute observation period. I'd schedule them between classes and end up missing half of my Thursday afternoon lab. By November, I was falling behind in organic chemistry and something had to give. I quit the shots.

The second attempt was at 23. I'd graduated, gotten a real job, and figured the schedule would be easier to manage as an adult. It wasn't. My allergist's office was a 25-minute drive from work. They closed at 4:30. I had to leave the office by 3:15 every Tuesday to make it — which meant either burning PTO or working through lunch to make up the hours. I also discovered that I was one of those people who gets a golf-ball-sized welt at the injection site every time. My arm would throb for two days.

I lasted five months the second time. Quit right before summer — which, of course, is when I needed the treatment most.

The Frustrating Part

Here's what killed me: I knew immunotherapy was the right approach. I'd read the research. I understood that it was the only treatment that actually modifies the immune system's response to allergens instead of just masking symptoms. I wasn't quitting because I didn't believe in it. I was quitting because the delivery method was incompatible with having a life.

After the second time, I resigned myself to a lifetime of Claritin and Flonase. I told my allergist I was done. She was understanding about it, which almost made it worse. "A lot of patients can't stick with the schedule," she said. Like it was just a known thing. A built-in failure rate that everyone had accepted.

Third Time's the Charm

My girlfriend found Curex last year while looking up allergy treatments for herself. She mentioned it casually — "apparently you can do immunotherapy as drops now" — and I almost fell off the couch. Drops? At home? No needles? No weekly appointments?

I signed up that night. Did the quiz, talked to an allergist over video, got my at-home test kit. The results confirmed what I already knew: allergic to everything that grows or sheds in Colorado. My custom drops arrived a couple weeks later.

That was 14 months ago. I haven't missed a single day.

Let me say that again: 14 months without missing a day. I couldn't do 7 months of shots. I couldn't do 5 months of shots. But I've done 14 months of drops without a single interruption. Because it takes 30 seconds and I do it while I'm brushing my teeth.

The Results

Last spring was my test. Denver in April and May is essentially a pollen apocalypse. Cottonwood, juniper, grass — the air turns yellow. Historically, I'd be a wreck. Red eyes, constant sneezing, couldn't sleep, couldn't exercise outside.

This past spring? I went hiking. Multiple times. In May. Without preloading Benadryl. I had a few itchy-nose days but nothing that disrupted my life. My girlfriend didn't believe me when I told her I hadn't taken any antihistamines in three weeks.

I also got a cat. Not entirely related, but I never would have considered it before. Two months in and no issues.

What I Wish I'd Known

Sublingual immunotherapy isn't new. It's been used in Europe for decades. The science is the same as shots — gradually exposing your immune system to allergens until it stops overreacting. The difference is purely in how it's delivered. And that difference, for someone like me, is the difference between quitting and actually finishing treatment.

If you've tried shots and quit — or if you've never started because the schedule seems impossible — look into drops. I wasted four years between my failed shot attempts and finding Curex. I could have been done with treatment by now if I'd found this sooner.

Don't be me. Start now.