Find a provider
Treatments
All treatment optionsOral immunotherapy (OIT)Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT)The peanut patchPalforziaAvoiding the foodMedicines that block reactionsXolair (omalizumab)Treatments in development
OIT vs SLITTake the quizFind a provider
TREATMENT OPTIONS

Food allergy treatment options: the summary

Five approaches, side by side
One FDA-approved medicine
None of them is a cure
Reviewed by Hunter Smith, MD · Last reviewed October 2026
Illustration of an allergist showing a family cards for different treatment options
IN SHORT
For a long time, the only advice for managing a food allergy was to avoid the food and carry epinephrine. That is still the foundation, but there are now treatments that can change how much of a food you can be exposed to before you react — including one FDA-approved medicine that reduces how severe a reaction is.
None of them is a cure. All of them involve trade-offs. This page lays out what exists so you can consider which conversation to have with your allergist.

The five approaches

Choose a card to read the full guide.
Illustration of a family reading a food label together in the kitchen

Avoidance and epinephrine ONLY

WHAT IT INVOLVES
Avoid the food. Carry epinephrine. Have an emergency plan.
WHAT IT GIVES YOU
No treatment risk, no treatment cost, no treatment commitment.
MAIN DRAWBACK
No built-in protection against an accidental exposure. The ongoing management is its own burden.
Read the full guide
Illustration of a parent giving a child a measured spoonful of food at the kitchen counter while another parent looks on

Oral immunotherapy (OIT)

WHAT IT INVOLVES
Eat a measured amount daily, increased at clinic visits over months up to a target amount.
WHAT IT GIVES YOU
The most tolerance. Many people can eat a small amount of their allergen (about 1 peanut) after about 6-12 months of treatment. Some who finish 3 years of treatment can eat a full serving of their allergen (about 15 peanuts).
MAIN DRAWBACK
More reactions, including more anaphylaxis. Many clinic visits.
Read the full guide
Illustration of a woman placing a dose of sublingual immunotherapy liquid under her tongue at home

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT)

WHAT IT INVOLVES
Hold a tiny dose under the tongue daily and swallow.
WHAT IT GIVES YOU
Protection against accidental exposure, without significant treatment burden. Rare severe side effects
MAIN DRAWBACK
Typically builds less tolerance than OIT (about 1 – 3 peanuts).
Read the full guide
Illustration of a patient and an allergist discussing a blocking medicine, with an antibody diagram behind them

Medicines that block reactions (i.e., Xolair)

WHAT IT INVOLVES
An injection every 2–4 weeks. You do not eat the food.
WHAT IT GIVES YOU
FDA-approved. Works across several foods at once.
MAIN DRAWBACK
Protection stops when the injections stop. Needs prior authorization.
Read the full guide
Illustration of an allergist showing a peanut patch to a mother and her son in a clinic office

The peanut patch (Viaskin)

WHAT IT INVOLVES
A patch worn on the skin and changed daily. You do not eat the food. NOT YET APPROVED
WHAT IT GIVES YOU
In trials it raised the amount of peanut a child could tolerate to roughly one to four peanuts. Very few whole-body reactions.
MAIN DRAWBACK
Not available. The company has filed for FDA approval, so a decision is expected no earlier than 2027. Peanut only.
Read the full guide
ALSO
Treatments in development
What is being studied, and what is not yet available.
Read more

How to think about choosing between treatments

There is no best treatment. Each person has different goals and limits.

If you want to eat the food

oral immunotherapy is the most likely route. It asks the most of you and carries the most risk along the way.

If you want an accident to stop being an emergency

sublingual immunotherapy and omalizumab (Xolair®) both do this, in different ways. So does OIT.

If your child is very young

this is when sublingual immunotherapy and oral immunotherapy seem to work best. In a randomized trial of one- to four-year-olds, nearly half were still protected three months after stopping sublingual immunotherapy. In another randomized study of one- to four-year-olds, about 1 in 5 were still protected six months after stopping oral immunotherapy.

If you are an adult

be aware that most of the research is in children, and the pooled evidence in adults is much weaker.

If several foods are involved

Treating several foods at once is harder than treating one. Omalizumab may be an option since it works across several foods at once.

If you are not ready

Avoidance with a good emergency plan is still the standard of care and always remains an option.

What none of the treatments do

No treatments are a proven cure. Everyone on treatment still carries epinephrine.
No treatments completely remove the need to read labels and ask questions in restaurants.
No treatment has been proven to keep working indefinitely after stopping. The longest anyone has been tested off treatment is a few months.
Almost all the good research is about peanut. For most other foods, there is much less to go on.
KEEP READING