Kenalog Injection (Information)

How does the injection work?

The injection’s active ingredient is triamcinolone which is a steroid. When injected into a muscle, usually the buttocks, this causes the body to reduce it’s production of histamine in response to allergens such as tree and grass pollen. Whilst this injection reduces the response to common allergens, it can also theoretically reduce the bodies response to fight normal bacterial and viral infections too. This can be discussed with one of our doctors in an appointment.

Safety profile of Kenalog?

The injection comes with risk factors associated with having oral tablets, and the effect of the steroid injection usually lasts a few months. In the vast majority of patients, one injection a year poses little risk to the body. As with any prescribed medication a detailed medical history and consultation will need to be undertaken with one of our doctors prior to the injection where all the risks and benefits will be discussed with you in detail. The injection works like taking the equivalent of 5mg of prednisolone for around three weeks.

• When the steroids are injected instead of ingested they are deposited directly into the muscle. There, they leak into the bloodstream in a low dose over the course of around three weeks.
• The injection has a longer half-life and therefore a longer effect, compared to taking tablets every day.
• The injection contains 40mg of the steroid triamcinolone. Each injection is roughly equal to the steroid dose from taking a 5mg tablet of prednisolone every day for around three weeks.
• One of the advantages of any injection is that it does not have to go through the liver or the digestive system, so you can administer a slightly lower dose than the tablet form.
• The general public have been given a lot of information about steroids in recent years, not all of it positive. To be clear, many of the more severe side effects of steroids come from the use of very high doses over a long period of time. The hay fever injection contains a relatively low dose and carries a much lower risk of adverse side effects.

How quickly does it work?

Most patients get relief within 24 hours, with all patients finding they get symptomatic relief within 72 hours. This treatment modality may not be suitable for everybody. So get in touch if you would like more information regarding this treatment.