Allergy Testing and Allergy Shots in Miami Lakes

Why testing comes first

Allergies are common: in 2024, one in four U.S. adults (25.2%) and one in five children (20.6%) had a diagnosed seasonal allergy (CDC: adults, children). But a runny nose and itchy eyes aren’t proof of an allergy. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) notes that at least one in three people with nasal symptoms don’t have allergies at all (AAAAI), and when it is an allergy, the trigger could be grass outside, dust mites in the bedroom or mold in a damp bathroom.

Testing replaces the guess with an answer. As the NIH puts it, if your symptoms become persistent and bothersome, see your family physician or an allergist, who can test for allergy sensitivities with a skin or blood test (NIH News in Health).

What the skin prick test is like

Your provider places small drops of specific allergens on your skin, usually on the forearm or back, then lightly scratches or pricks the skin through each drop. If you’re allergic to one, a hive or small red bump, called a wheal, appears at that spot within about 15 to 20 minutes (MedlinePlus), so you leave knowing what you react to.

There’s very little risk. The test itself isn’t painful, and the most common side effect is red, itchy skin at the test spots. In very rare cases a skin test can cause a severe allergic reaction, which is why it’s done in a provider’s office with emergency equipment on hand.

Before the test, you may need to stop some medicines, such as antihistamines and certain antidepressants, because they can hide the reactions the test looks for. Your provider will tell you which ones, and for how long. Asthma medicines and steroid nasal sprays generally don’t need to be stopped (ACAAI), and you should never stop a prescription medicine without asking first.

When a blood test is the better choice

An allergy blood test measures how much of an antibody called IgE your body makes in response to a single allergen. Your provider may order one if you can’t have skin testing: for example, if you have certain skin conditions, take medicines that would affect a skin test, or are likely to have a serious reaction to the allergens used in skin testing. It’s sometimes used for young children, for whom skin testing may be too uncomfortable (MedlinePlus).

Blood is drawn in the office and sent to an outside laboratory, so results take longer than a skin test; see blood work and lab tests. Allergy blood tests aren’t always accurate, and can sometimes show an allergy you don’t actually have.

South Florida’s allergy seasons

Florida’s pollen seasons are more frequent and longer than in most of the country (UF/IFAS), and the humid climate keeps indoor triggers busy all year:

Trigger	When	Good to know
Tree pollen, especially oak	Peaks February to May in South Florida	Trees make about 80% of Florida’s airborne pollen
Grass pollen	Spring, summer and fall	Bermudagrass can pollinate year-round in subtropical Florida
Weed pollen	Spring through fall, and even winter	Ragweed is the most important allergy weed; goldenrod is wrongly blamed
Dust mites	Year-round, indoors	Thrive in warm, humid bedding, carpet and upholstered furniture
Mold	Whenever there’s moisture: leaks, flooding, damp rooms	Keep indoor humidity low

Sources: UF/IFAS (pollen, 2026 season), AAAAI (dust mites), CDC (mold; keep indoor humidity no higher than 50%).

Allergy shots: treating the cause

Antihistamines and nasal sprays treat the symptoms, but only while you keep taking them. Allergy shots (immunotherapy) work differently: they give you gradually increasing doses of the allergens you tested positive to, so your immune system becomes less sensitive to them over time. MedlinePlus notes that allergy shots can make you less sensitive to pollen and provide long-term relief (MedlinePlus).

Phase	How often	How long
Build-up	Shots once or twice a week, at slowly increasing doses	About four to six months
Maintenance	One shot every two to four weeks	Usually three to five years
After the course	No more shots	The goal: long-term relief

The phases above follow the AAAAI, which notes that allergy shots may also help prevent new allergies from developing, and in children may help lower the risk of asthma (AAAAI). Shots are used for hay fever, allergic asthma, eye allergies and insect sting allergy, but not for food allergies (AAAAI). They work against many triggers, including tree, grass and weed pollen, mold, house dust and animal dander (ACAAI), and they don’t help a runny nose that isn’t caused by an allergy (ACAAI).

Whether shots make sense for you depends on how long your season lasts and how bad your symptoms are, how well medicines and avoiding your triggers are working, whether you’d rather not take medicine for years, and the time and cost involved. They’re generally well tolerated in children 5 and older, and they aren’t started during pregnancy, though they can usually be continued if you become pregnant while on them (AAAAI).

Safety on shot days

Redness and swelling where the shot was given are common. Body-wide reactions, such as sneezing, a stuffy nose or hives, are less common and usually mild, and a severe reaction (anaphylaxis) is rare. Because most serious reactions start within 30 minutes, the AAAAI strongly recommends waiting in the office for 30 minutes after each shot (AAAAI). Tell the staff before your shot if you’re wheezing, having a bad allergy day or feel sick, and mention any new blood-pressure medicine, especially a beta-blocker (ACAAI).

Food allergies work differently. A positive skin or blood test to a food shows only that your body makes IgE antibodies to it. In the NIH’s words, “Blood and skin tests alone cannot be used to diagnose food allergy” (NIAID); a food challenge test is the only test that can confirm one (MedlinePlus). If you’ve had a reaction to a food, tell your provider what happened. Throat swelling, wheezing or trouble breathing after a food, a sting or a shot is an emergency: call 911.

Getting tested at Ambert

If you also have asthma, the same practice can look after both: see asthma, COPD and lung care. If you’re not sure whether it’s an allergy or a cold, a same-day visit can sort it out.

Allergy testing and allergy shots are done at both the Miami Lakes and Kendall offices, by the same providers who handle your primary care. Call the office to book a test, and ask which medicines to pause beforehand. New patients can start with the new patient guide, and the insurance page explains coverage. See also how long an allergy test takes, what allergy shots cost and when allergy season peaks in Florida.