What Is Vitamin IV Therapy and How Does It Work? (2024)

FAQs

What Is Vitamin IV Therapy and How Does It Work? ›

IV therapy delivers fluids through a tiny needle straight to the bloodstream. These fluids have vitamins, minerals, or medications that hydrate or relieve unpleasant symptoms. Since IV therapy bypasses the digestive system, cells can absorb nutrients much faster than they would otherwise.

Vitamin IV therapy, also referred to as intravenous micronutrient therapy, administers a high dose of minerals and vitamins directly into your bloodstream. While your body ordinarily absorbs nutrients slowly, vitamin IV therapy allows it to rapidly absorb nutrients at higher doses.

Intravenous therapy (IV) involves inserting a needle into a vein for the purpose of administering fluids and medications. A physician's order is always necessary for this procedure. Intravenous solutions and supplies are always sterile.

In addition to the most widely cited benefit of curing hangovers, IV vitamin treatments can supposedly help fight exhaustion and boost the immune system. However, there is little scientific evidence to back these claims. "These treatments are mostly harmless and really just result in people making expensive urine."

Although it is common, IV therapy is an invasive procedure that carries some risks. Side effects may include bruising, bleeding, and swelling at the insertion site. It is best to receive IV therapy in a hospital setting involving trained medical professionals.

While there is limited published research supporting the effectiveness of the Myers co*cktail, anecdotal evidence, and some studies suggest that this IV hydration therapy may provide various benefits for overall wellness and specific health conditions.

However, IV fluids don't usually stay in your body for more than several hours. The vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in any given Next Health IV drip infusion will remain in your body for days, weeks, or months to come. It all depends on what exactly your body needs and what type of infusion you choose.

The purpose of intravenous (IV) therapy is to replace fluid and electrolytes, provide medications, and replenish blood volume. The nurse's responsibilities in managing IV therapy include the following: assessing an IV site.

An IV fluid drip involves a small tube called a catheter and a saline-based electrolyte solution that contains your selected vitamins and nutrients. An IV drip delivers these essential nutrients and fluids directly into your bloodstream, bypassing your digestive tract.

IV fluids are specially formulated liquids that are injected into a vein to prevent or treat dehydration. They're used in people of all ages who are sick, injured, dehydrated from exercise or heat, or undergoing surgery. Intravenous rehydration is a simple, safe and common procedure with a low risk of complications.

Who should not get IV vitamin therapy? ›

The treatment is contraindicated for those with kidney disease or heart conditions as the organs may not be able to process high concentrations of vitamins at one time. Can interfere with electrolyte balance. Too much potassium, for example, can lead to a heart attack.

Additionally, it can be tricky to stay on top of other areas of your health, including how many important vitamins you consume. That's why an IV drip can be such a helpful option for certain people. Generally, you'll want your IV therapy sessions to happen one to two times a week or at least once every two weeks.

None of the therapies is FDA-approved or likely to be covered by health insurance. IV vitamin therapy was pioneered by John Myers of Baltimore in the 1960s (the Myers co*cktail, a popular formula, was named after him by a colleague), as a method to treat conditions such as asthma attacks, migraines and fibromyalgia.

"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."

Infiltration is one of the most common complications in infusion therapy involving an IV catheter. [15] For this reason, the patency of an IV site must always be checked before administering IV push medications.

A vitamin that's taken by mouth gets broken down in the stomach and digestive tract, and is limited on how much can be absorbed (50 percent). If, however, the vitamin is given through an IV, it's absorbed at a much higher percentage (90 percent).

Many people experience an increase in energy, mental alertness and overall sense of wellbeing immediately following their IV treatment. These effects may be subtle or may not be noticed until the next day or days following treatment. You may require several IV treatments before you begin to experience a benefit.

IV hydration delivers fluids directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive process altogether. According to research conducted by the National Institutes of Health, IV hydration has been shown to hydrate the body up to 2.5 times faster than drinking water alone.