You may have seen ads or signs for drip bars and wondered about IV vitamin therapy. This new health trend has become popular among Americans over the last few years. But are there really any IV therapy benefits?
There are many benefits to IV vitamin infusion therapy, but it is important to consult a medical professional before starting any kind of supplement.
Read on to learn more about the benefits and risks of IV vitamin infusion therapy.
What is IV Vitamin Infusion Therapy?
Many fads emerged as a result of the 2020 COVID pandemic, and one of those was IV vitamin therapy. IV Vitamin infusion therapy was a way for people to get extra vitamins and minerals into their bodies to help enhance their immune system and prevent illness.
Vitamin IV therapies, or intravenous nutrient therapies (IVNT), provide a high dose of minerals directly to your bloodstream. Mixtures of vitamins are placed into an IV bag and given to people through a needle that is pierced through a vein, usually in the arm. This is a way to bypass the digestive system and to get rapid absorption of these vitamins and minerals.
Infusions typically take around 20-60 minutes based on the cocktail and the receptivity of the individual's veins. Many celebrities swear by IV vitamin therapy, which spurred the availability of treatments at IV bars, IV lounges, and drip bars.
The types of vitamins and fluids in the IV mixture vary based on your health needs and goals. One of the most common vitamin IV treatments is called the Myer's cocktail, named after John Myers, the doctor who first administered this treatment in the 1970s.
Dr. Meyer used his cocktail to relieve his patients from symptoms associated with migraine, fatigue, fibromyalgia, depression, upper respiratory tract infections, seasonal allergies, acute muscle spasms, and more.
This cocktail includes the following:
- 2-5mL of magnesium
- 4-20 mL of Vitamin C
- 1 mL of calcium
- 1 mL of vitamin B complex
- 1 mL of vitamin B6
- 1 mL of vitamin B12
- 1 mL of vitamin B5
- Additional ingredients include glutathione, anti-nausea, anti-heartburn, and anti-headache medicines (based on your symptoms and the doctor administering them)
Some doctors have individualized the cocktails to make modified versions, and others have specific formulas for children and older adults.
What are the Benefits of IV Vitamin Therapy?
There are many reasons why people choose to get IV Vitamin Therapy. Here are some health benefits of getting your vitamins from an IV drip.
Improves Symptoms of Certain Health Conditions
One of the benefits of vitamin drips is that it can help alleviate some of the symptoms of chronic diseases. Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, colon cancer, and cystic fibrosis are conditions that affect the digestive tract. These conditions inhibit the absorption of vitamins and minerals. So, IV therapy can help to deliver these nutrients directly into the bloodstream.
There is also some evidence to suggest that vitamin treatments can help with conditions such as asthma. Studies have shown that intravenous treatment improved pulmonary function progressively during treatment. These treatments seem to be more effective than nebulized albuterol alone.
Another group that may benefit from IV vitamin therapy is people with fibromyalgia. In a study conducted in 2007, patients reported decreased pain and fatigue while undergoing vitamin therapy.
So, people with chronic conditions may benefit from IV vitamin infusion therapy. IV therapy can also be used to treat nutrient deficiencies.
Hangover Cure
Another way that people use IV vitamin drips is to cure hangovers. People report that after a vitamin drip, their hangover symptoms are pretty much gone. IV vitamin infusions can help to cure a hangover by providing your body with hydration.
Curing a hangover is more than just dehydration, though alcohol affects the immune system, as well. The vitamins and minerals in Myer's cocktail may also support immune health. The glutathione and vitamin C have antioxidant power that helps to detox your body after a hard night of drinking. Magnesium can relieve head and muscle pain.
However, even though vitamin drips may relieve symptoms, it is not a cure-all for hangovers, and you may still feel the effects of excessive drinking.
Boosts Immune System and Fights Aging
One reason IV vitamin therapy became so popular is due to its immune-boosting antioxidants. Free radicals are when molecules undergo oxidative stress. Free radicals are associated with heart disease, cancer, and depression. They are also a sign of aging.
Vitamin C has antioxidant powers, removes free radicals, and helps repair DNA damage in cells. Although Vitamin C won't eliminate all free radicals, it may help improve the effectiveness of your immune system.
Antioxidants also help to slow aging. Sun damage and wrinkles are the results of free radical production. Vitamin C can help to counteract these effects and keep you looking younger longer.
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Accelerate Wound Healing
Vitamin C and Glutathione both help repair damaged cells. Glutathione is an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals, regulates cell proliferation, detoxifies the body, and protects mitochondria. It also reduces inflammation and promotes new tissue growth, which can reduce the visibility of scars.
Vitamin C helps with wound healing by producing collagen. Collagen is an abundant protein in the body that is part of the framework for wound repair. Vitamin C also reduces inflammation and increases the production of dermal fibroblasts, which form cells that regenerate tissue.
The Myers cocktail contains both of these nutrients to encourage better wound healing.
Dehydration
People can become dehydrated due to illness, excessive sweating, kidney disease, or by not drinking enough. When you are dehydrated, you become fatigued, excessively thirsty, and have a lower urine output.
IV therapy delivers hydration and vitamins immediately into the bloodstream, making it a faster and more effective way of treating dehydration. These fluids also contain important micronutrients, such as electrolytes, that can help with the function of your muscles and other bodily processes. Electrolytes also improve your nervous system and promote tissue repair.
Electrolytes are mixtures of sodium, calcium, and potassium. They regulate muscle contraction and balance the blood's pH levels. They also help the body absorb water and salt at the cellular level.
If you are dehydrated, IV fluids can help you to feel better sooner.
Increases Energy
Some people claim that IV vitamin therapy also boosts energy levels and makes it easier for athletes to perform for important events. Since many of the cocktails are customized to meet the individual's needs, they can be mixed to provide the person with B vitamins, amino acids, and glutathione that energize you.
These vitamin cocktails may also improve muscle recovery post-workout.
What are the Side Effects of IV Vitamin Therapy?
As with most supplements or medical procedures, there are some side effects to be aware of. If you receive too much vitamin C, you could be at risk of developing kidney stones. People with renal diseases should seek medical advice before starting IV vitamin therapy.
If you receive treatment too often, you could develop nutritional imbalance or overhydration, which can lead to nausea, headaches, and brain fog. People with low magnesium or potassium may develop heart arrhythmias due to treatment.
Some people may even have an allergic reaction to certain micronutrients in large amounts, such as thiamin. This can cause low blood pressure and dizziness.
You also want to make sure that the drip bar you go to is clean and sterilizes its needles and equipment. Otherwise, you could develop an infection. Repeated IVs may also damage tissue around the injection site, and your vein may become inflamed or irritated.
You could also possibly get an air embolism, in which air enters the bloodstream through the IV. Blood clots, peripheral neuropathy, and liver disease are also other high risks of long-term use of high doses of nutrients.
More studies need to be conducted on the long-term use of IV vitamin therapy to determine the risks of continuing this treatment. Also, it is important to note that some of the studies in support of IV vitamin therapy did not include a placebo group or were trialed with just a small group.
In 2018, the US Federal Trade Commission charged a company with making “deceptive and unsupported health claims.†Therefore, it is important to thoroughly research a company before getting IV treatments from them.
Are IV Vitamin Infusions Safe?
Many adults take a daily multivitamin oral supplement, so it seems that IV Vitamin infusions would be fairly similar, but the risk you take with an intravenous dose of these high-dose vitamins is that you will overload your bloodstream. Digestion performs an important function as a gatekeeper.
Bypassing this process increases your risk of developing vitamin toxicity. Vitamin toxicity happens when a person exceeds the normal amount of vitamins for their body. When you go to a drip bar, it is unlikely that they'll know your health history or diet. This makes for issues.
If you already have a high count of a certain vitamin and then get a high dose during a vitamin IV infusion, it can become problematic. Certain vitamin supplements also interact with certain medications or medical conditions. Iron and calcium are the most toxic micronutrients in large amounts, but large amounts of vitamin D and vitamin A can be problematic, as well.
Here are the symptoms associated with the following vitamin and mineral overdoses:
- Iron: vomiting, diarrhea, weakness; severe cases may have a coma, low blood pressure, liver failure, lung injury, and death
- Calcium: impaired kidney function, increased blood pH, nausea, vomiting, confusion, itching, irregular heartbeat
- Vitamin D: high levels of calcium in the blood
- Vitamin A: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, blurry vision
If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms after an IV vitamin infusion therapy seek the attention of a medical professional right away. You can also call poison control for assistance.
Before starting IV vitamin infusions, consult your healthcare professional for medical advice on whether intravenous vitamins are right for your body.
Are There Better Ways to Get Your Vitamins?
Most of the vitamins and minerals you need can be consumed through our diets. Typically, if you have a well-balanced diet, there is no reason to get additional micronutrients unless you have a nutrient deficiency.
By eating a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, cereals, lean meats, and reduced-fat dairy products, you will give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs. Here are some foods that are ideal for adding certain important micronutrients to your diet:
- Iron: meat, poultry, fish, and beans
- Vitamin A: carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale
- Vitamin E: nuts, seeds, vegetable oils
- Vitamin B12: meat, poultry, fish
Many fruits and vegetables also contain antioxidants that help to get rid of free radicals and boost your immune system.
Conclusion: IV Therapy Benefits
There are several health benefits of IV vitamin infusion therapy. Additional vitamins can help alleviate the symptoms of certain chronic conditions, improve hangovers, boost your immune system, and increase hydration. However, it is important to consult with your doctor before starting any supplementation. There is always a risk of overdosing on vitamins.
