Intravenous (IV) vitamin therapy involves administering essential nutrients, such as electrolytes, minerals, and vitamins, through a vein in your arm. Many people are using IV vitamin therapy to treat hangovers and prevent illnesses such as colds, COVID-19, and the flu, but is it safe? Vitamin IV therapy can have drawbacks, including the risk of blood clots, infection, and overnutrition.
Keep in mind that the Food and Drug Administration minimally regulates intravenous vitamin therapy. It is important to talk to your health care provider or pharmacist before trying IV vitamin therapy. It will help you determine which nutrients you are deficient in and how much you need.
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IV vitamin therapy administers nutrients through a needle inserted into a vein. In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, IV vitamin therapy became a popular way to get plenty of minerals and vitamins to support the immune system and prevent disease. People can choose from a variety of nutrients or a combination of nutrients, including electrolytes, glutathione, saline, vitamin B12 and vitamin C, and more.
One vitamin IV therapy lasts 30 minutes to 1 hour. During this time, a trained professional will insert the needle and monitor the treatment. You can usually go about the rest of your day normally after that.
Healthcare providers primarily use IV vitamin therapy to treat nutritional deficiencies in people who have malabsorption problems or who cannot take oral supplements. Vitamin IV therapy can help reduce nutritional deficiency symptoms such as anemia, diarrhea, and weight loss.
Other uses of IV vitamin therapy include:
- Helps produce red blood cells
- Reduces hangovers
- Provides nutrients that help protect against illnesses such as colds, coronavirus, and influenza
- stay hydrated
- Alcohol use disorder treatment
Vitamin IV therapy is usually safe when the treatment is performed by a trained professional using sterile equipment in a clean environment. As with other supplements, the Food and Drug Administration has not tested the effectiveness or safety of intravenous vitamin therapy.
Talk to your health care provider about whether IV vitamin therapy is safe and beneficial. Micronutrient analysis may be required before starting intravenous vitamin therapy. Receive a blood test panel to see which nutrients you are deficient in.
In contrast to IV vitamin therapy, oral supplements must be broken down by the digestive system before they can be effective. Your digestive system has filters that protect you from toxic substances. Circumventing these filters by delivering nutrients directly into the bloodstream can be dangerous.
“At best, it’s probably unnecessary,” said nutrition communications expert Lauren Harris Pincus, RDN. health. “By taking vitamins intravenously, you are bypassing your body’s normal digestive process, which has built-in safeguards for absorption, so you can end up taking too much of something.”
Vitamin IV therapy effectively treats nutritional deficiencies in people with malabsorption or who cannot take oral supplements. Some evidence suggests that IV vitamin therapy may be beneficial for people who can obtain nutrients through diet or oral supplements.
“Anyone who wants to feel and look their best can benefit from IV fluids,” says Erica Schwartz, MD, founder of Evolved Science and author of The New Hormone Solution. Ta. health.
Possible benefits of vitamin IV therapy may include treatment of:
- forgetfulness
- dehydration
- dry skin
- Malaise
- frequent infections
- headache
Please note: There is not enough research to support whether IV vitamin therapy is effective or safe. IV vitamin therapy may not be safe if your health care provider does not prescribe it. Always consult your health care provider before using IV vitamin therapy to manage or treat a health condition.
Harris-Pincus said IV vitamin therapy can be dangerous if your health care provider doesn’t prescribe vitamins to treat a specific health condition. It is possible to take too many minerals and vitamins, as too many nutrients can become toxic in the bloodstream.
Symptoms of overnutrition may include irregular heartbeat, cloudy urine, and seizures. Still, overconsumption is rare because the body usually excretes excess nutrients in the urine.
Other side effects and possible risks of IV vitamin therapy include:
- Air embolism. It occurs when air bubbles enter the veins and invade the heart or lungs.
- allergic reaction
- blood clot
- infection
- skin and tissue damage
Another risk of IV vitamin therapy is that you may not receive the claimed health benefits. For example, in 2018, the Federal Trade Commission charged iV Bars, a chain of infusion cocktail clinics, with making false and deceptive claims. iV Bars claimed that its products could treat serious diseases such as cancer and congestive heart failure.
The Federal Trade Commission issued a final order in 2019 barring the Texas-based company and its owners from making such claims unless supported by “competent and reliable scientific evidence.” I put it out.
Who should not try IV vitamin therapy?
IV vitamin therapy may need to be avoided in the following people:
- Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency: This genetic disease destroys red blood cells that supply oxygen to tissues.
- Hemochromatosis: People with this disease have toxic amounts of iron in their bloodstream.
- Kidney disease: This disease damages the kidneys and prevents them from properly filtering waste products from the blood.
Vitamin drips are expensive and usually not covered by health insurance. Prices vary widely by clinic and location and can cost hundreds of dollars. For example, iV Bars charged between $100 and $250 per session.
A diet rich in minerals and vitamins, or a sports drink with fluids and electrolytes, is generally cheaper, easier, and has fewer side effects than IV vitamin therapy.
IV vitamin therapy delivers essential nutrients directly into your bloodstream through the veins in your arm. Some health and wellness companies offer nutrients, or some “cocktails”, as a way to support the immune system and treat hangovers and dehydration.
There is a lack of research on the effectiveness and safety of intravenous vitamin therapy in healthy people. Before trying IV vitamin therapy, consult your health care provider to determine whether it is necessary. Although rare, there is a risk of nutrient overload.
