Is IV Vitamin Therapy Effective?

One well-liked health and wellness trend that is sweeping the US is intravenous nutrient therapy (IVNT), often known as vitamin IV therapies. On social media, for example, several celebrities are endorsing Vitamins and IV treatment.

As more and more practitioners of alternative medicine promote vitamin IV therapy—from IV Drip Bars to IVNT health clinics—we’ll examine this trend in further detail in this post. The benefits, drawbacks, and expenses of vitamin IV treatment will next be compared.

You can then choose whether it is the best course of action for you.

What is intravenous vitamin therapy?

Intravenous micronutrient treatment, another name for vitamin IV therapy, delivers a large dosage of vitamins and minerals straight into your circulation. Vitamin IV treatment enables your body to absorb nutrients at bigger amounts more quickly than it would otherwise.

Over the past few decades, vitamin IV therapy has been pushed as a treatment for a number of illnesses. Advocates assert that IV treatment will address a number of problems, such as:

Weariness

Having fibromyalgia

Diabetes

Having asthma

Anxiety and Depression

Migraines

Retraction

Hangovers

Dehydration

Heart-related conditions

The most well-known intravenous vitamin and mineral concoction is called the “Myers’ cocktail,” after John Myers, the physician who first performed the procedure in the 1970s. Included in the Myers’ drink are:

2–5 milliliters of magnesium

1–3 milliliters of calcium

One milliliter of vitamin B6

One milliliter of vitamin B12

One milliliter of vitamin B5

Vitamin B complex (1 milliliter)

4–20 milliliters of vitamin C

What Advantages Does Vitamin IV Therapy Offer?

One advantage of vitamin IV treatment is that the fluids it contains can help your body stay properly hydrated. It is thought that the main reason why individuals feel better following this therapy is because of the dehydration.

Vitamin IV treatment also has the advantage of being a great method for persons with digestive problems who would otherwise be unable to effectively absorb the nutrients in their meals to supplement with vitamins.

After Myers’ death in 1984, Alan Gaby started treating some of his patients. After prescribing IV vitamin treatment to an estimated 800–1,000 patients, Gaby reported his own results. Furthermore, he recorded 16 years of clinical outcomes, which included the application of the Myers’ cocktail in the treatment of several illnesses. Anecdotal evidence from his patients corroborated his statements that it was a safe and successful therapy.

For instance, a five-year-old kid with persistent asthma was one of his patients. The youngster approached him with respiratory difficulties and wheezing. The boy’s wheezing stopped just a few minutes after he gave him a gradual intravenous vitamin treatment. He also provided chronic tiredness treatment to other individuals.

According to Gaby’s clinical results, he administered almost 15,000 treatments. According to him, his patients accepted the therapy rather well and there were no serious side effects.

Regretfully, since his discoveries, not much further study has been published. Nonetheless, cancer patients have been found to benefit from IV vitamin treatment either alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy. Although there is no scientific evidence that it can cure cancer, it may lessen tiredness and improve the mood of cancer patients.

What Dangers Come with IV Vitamin Therapy?

The fact that vitamin IV treatment circumvents all of your body’s gatekeeping processes is one of its hazards. Instead of letting the stomach break down the vitamins gradually, you will be putting too many of them into your bloodstream at once.

Depending on how many vitamins and minerals are already in your blood, this might lead to vitamin poisoning. Because of this, a lot of dietitians are worried about the dangers of vitamin IV treatment. Therapists could take more vitamins and nutrients than is advised everyday if they don’t know about the patient’s lab results, health issues, and existing prescriptions and supplements. Your kidneys will put forth extra effort to get rid of the extra vitamins and minerals in your body in this situation, but if they are overworked, toxicity might still be a problem.

Furthermore, consuming a lot of vitamin C may increase the production of oxalates in your body, which raises the risk of kidney stones. IV vitamin therapy should be used with caution in patients who have renal dysfunction.

In the meanwhile, nutritional imbalances might arise from using the IV therapy too frequently. For example, potassium overload can cause potentially lethal arrhythmias, and IV treatment may disrupt electrolyte balances. Another danger of getting therapy too often is overhydration. Overhydration can cause headaches, nausea, and disorientation.

In a similar vein, taking huge quantities of water-soluble vitamins too soon might make them poisonous and have negative consequences. For instance, visual abnormalities may result from toxic doses of vitamin A.

Other Side Effects of Vitamin IV Therapy

In addition to the dangers posed by the drugs themselves, IV vitamin treatment has certain adverse effects, much like any other IV medicine.

For example, individuals who have low levels of magnesium or potassium are more prone to experience irregular heartbeats, especially after receiving magnesium or potassium-containing therapies.

Additionally, patients with cardiac issues should be cautious since the therapy may lead to fluid excess, which can harm the kidneys or heart.

Anaphylaxis, a severe and sometimes deadly allergic reaction to the medication, can be caused by taking too much thiamin. Additionally, it may induce dizziness and drop blood pressure.

What Is the Price of Vitamin IV Therapy?

Depending on where you receive treatment and what ingredients are used, the cost of IV therapy might differ considerably. Vitamin IV therapy may be somewhat costly if you want to have it weekly or even biweekly because most insurance companies will not pay for it.

Alternatively, it may be less expensive and healthier to take vitamins, eat a balanced diet, and rehydrate yourself with sports drinks. Conversely, see your physician to determine whether vitamin IV therapy is the best course of action for you if you suffer from a digestive condition that hinders your ability to absorb nutrients.