New Patient Info

DEPARTMENT OF ALLERGY - SANTA CLARA

PATIENT INFORMATION SHEET FOR NEW ALLERGY APPOINTMENT PATIENTS

Welcome to the Allergy Department. Please read the following helpful tips to make your first visit pleasant and productive.

Your first appointment in the Allergy department will consist of a 30-minute consultation with an Allergy & Asthma specialist. Skin testing may or may not be preformed during this visit. If skin testing is ordered, you will need to spend an additional 45 minutes in the clinic.

Skin testing may NOT be done if:

• You are Pregnant
• You are taking Beta-Blocker medications (used for high blood pressure, glaucoma, or migraine headache prevention)
• You are taking Antihistamines (see below for details)
• You are ill or wheezing/having increased asthma
• You are under the age of 18, unless accompanied by a parent/legal guardian, or if you have signed permission.

Skin testing is performed by applying a small amount of antigen/allergen with a disposable device, either on the forearm or the back. In some cases, additional skin testing may be recommended which is usually done on a subsequent visit.

In order to assure accurate skin testing results, you must discontinue antihistamines for the appropriate length of time, which varies for different medications as follows:

Medication	Length of days	Medication	Length of days
Claritin(Loratadine)	5 days	Allegra (Fexofenadine)	5 days
Clarinex (Desloratadine)	5 days	Atarax (Hydroxyzine)	3 days
Zyrtec (Cetirizine)	5 days	Astelin (Azelastine)	5 days
Dimetapp (Brompheniramine)	3 days	Deconamine (Chlorpheniramine)	2 days
Benadryl (Diphenhydramine)	2 days	Other OTC cold & cough medicine	2 days

Do NOT stop taking your asthma medication, nasal sprays, and medication prescribed for other medical conditions. Please call the allergy department at (408) 851-9100 if you have any questions regarding your medications.

On the day of your appointment:

• Please arrive 20 minutes before your scheduled appointment to fill out an allergy questionnaire.
• Please be considerate and call us 48 hours prior to your appointment if you need to cancel or reschedule, as a lot of time and effort goes into scheduling your appointment.

Please call us at (408) 851-9100 if you have any further questions. We are looking forward to seeing you on your appointment date.

Disclaimer
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