What Is IV Vitamin Therapy—And Should You Try It?

Intravenous (IV) vitamin therapy delivers essential nutrients, including electrolytes, minerals, and vitamins, through a vein in your arm. Many people use IV vitamin therapy to treat a hangover or ward off illnesses like colds, COVID-19, and the flu, but is it safe? IV vitamin therapy might have disadvantages, including blood clots, infections, and nutrient overdose risks.

Keep in mind that the Food and Drug Administration minimally regulates IV vitamin therapy. It's essential that you speak to a healthcare provider or pharmacist before trying IV vitamin therapy. They can help you determine what nutrients you lack and how much you need.

What Is IV Vitamin Therapy?

IV vitamin therapy delivers nutrients through a needle inserted into a vein. In the early days of the COVID pandemic, IV vitamin therapy became a popular way for people to get plenty of minerals and vitamins that support the immune system and prevent illness. People can choose between different nutrients or a mix of several, such as electrolytes, glutathione, saline, and vitamins B12 and C.

One IV vitamin therapy lasts 30 minutes to one hour. During that time, a trained professional inserts the needle and monitors the treatment. You can typically go about the rest of your day as usual afterward.

Why Is It Used?

Healthcare providers primarily use IV vitamin therapy to treat nutrient deficiencies in people with malabsorption problems or those who cannot take oral supplements. IV vitamin therapy helps alleviate nutrient deficiency symptoms like anemia, diarrhea, and weight loss.

Other possible uses for IV vitamin therapy include:

• Aids red blood cell production
• Alleviates hangovers
• Delivers nutrients that help protect against illnesses like colds, COVID, and the flu
• Keeps you hydrated
• Treats alcohol use disorder

Is IV Vitamin Therapy Safe?

IV vitamin therapy is generally safe if a trained professional administers your treatment in a clean environment and uses sterile equipment. Like other supplements, the Food and Drug Administration does not test IV vitamin therapy for efficacy or safety. 

Talk to a healthcare provider about whether IV vitamin therapy is safe and might benefit you. They may require a micronutrient analysis before starting IV vitamin therapy. You'll receive a bloodwork panel to see what nutrients you lack. 

In contrast to IV vitamin therapy, your digestive system must break down oral supplements before they take effect. Your digestive system has filters that help protect against toxic substances. Bypassing those filters by delivering nutrients directly into your bloodstream might be dangerous.

"At best, it's likely unnecessary," Lauren Harris-Pincus, RDN, a nutrition communications specialist, told Health. "By taking IV vitamins, you bypass your body's normal digestive process that has built-in safeguards for absorption, meaning you could end up with too much of some things."

Potential Benefits and Effectiveness

IV vitamin therapy effectively treats nutrient deficiencies in people with malabsorption and those who cannot take oral supplements. Some evidence suggests that IV vitamin therapy might benefit people who can get their nutrients through diet or oral supplementation.

"Anyone who wants to feel and look their best can benefit from an IV infusion," Erika Schwartz, MD, founder of Evolved Science and author of "The New Hormone Solution," told Health. 

Some of the possible benefits of IV vitamin therapy may include treating:

• Brain fog
• Dehydration
• Dry skin
• Fatigue
• Frequent infections
• Headache

Keep in mind: There's not enough research to support whether IV vitamin therapy is effective or safe. IV vitamin therapy might be unsafe if a healthcare provider does not prescribe it. Always talk to a healthcare provider using IV vitamin therapy to manage or treat a health condition. 

Side Effects and Possible Risks

IV vitamin therapy might be dangerous if a healthcare provider does not prescribe it to treat a specific health condition, said Harris-Pincus. Nutrients might become toxic if too much of them are in your bloodstream, so it's possible to overdose on minerals and vitamins. 

Nutrient overdose symptoms might include an irregular heartbeat, cloudy urine, and seizures. Still, overdose is rare since your body typically excretes excess nutrients in your urine.

Other side effects and possible risks of IV vitamin therapy include:

• Air embolism, which happens if an air bubble enters the vein and goes into your heart or lungs
• Allergic reaction
• Blood clot
• Infection
• Injury to the skin and tissue

Another risk of IV vitamin therapy is that it might fail to deliver its claimed health benefits. For example, the Federal Trade Commission charged iV Bars, a chain of IV cocktail clinics, with making false and deceptive claims in 2018. iV Bars claimed its products could treat serious illnesses like cancer and congestive heart failure.

The Federal Trade Commission issued a final order in 2019 that prohibited the Texas-based company and its owner from making such claims unless they could be supported by "competent and reliable scientific evidence."

Who Should Not Try IV Vitamin Therapy?

Some people might need to avoid IV vitamin therapy, including those with:

• Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency: This genetic disorder destroys your red blood cells, which deliver oxygen to your tissues.
• Hemochromatosis: People with this illness have toxic amounts of iron in their bloodstream.
• Kidney disease: This illness causes damage to your kidneys, causing them not to properly filter waste from your blood.

Cost of Therapy

IV vitamin drips are costly, and health insurance typically does not cover them. Prices vary greatly depending on the clinic and the location and can cost hundreds of dollars. For example, iV Bars charged $100 to $250 per session.

A diet rich in minerals and vitamins or a sports drink with fluid and electrolytes are generally cheaper and easier and have no side effects compared to IV vitamin therapy.

A Quick Review

IV vitamin therapy delivers essential nutrients directly into your bloodstream through a vein in your arm. Several health and wellness companies offer nutrients, or a "cocktail" of several, as ways to support your immune system and treat a hangover or dehydration.

There's a lack of research on the efficacy and safety of IV vitamin therapy in otherwise healthy people. Talk to a healthcare provider before trying IV vitamin therapy to figure out whether it's necessary. Although rare, there's a risk of nutrient overdose.

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