Here’s why you don’t need IV Vitamin Therapy

Luxury vacations now often involve not only five-star amenities and stunning views but also intravenous vitamin treatments. IV vitamin infusions have become popular with celebrities in recent years, using them for everything from hangover cures to anti-aging.

However, many health experts are skeptical of these claims.

“There’s really very limited evidence to support their use for any medical condition,” Kelly Krisna Johnson-Arbor, MD, a medical toxicologist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, told Verywell.

IV therapy can deliver high doses of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, B12, magnesium, and calcium, directly into the bloodstream. However, these therapies are not FDA approved.

We can easily get the amount of vitamins we need from food without the need for IV drips, according to Theresa Gentile, MS, RDN, CDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist based in New York.

“Most of what these people are getting from the infusions, we can get a balanced diet,” Gentile told Verywell.

Do IV Vitamin Drips Offer Real Benefits?

There is not enough evidence to support claims that an IV drip can cure jet lag, detoxify or boost the immune system. Some IV therapy companies have even marketed their products as treatments for chronic diseases, such as cancer and congestive heart failure. This prompted the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to challenge these unsupported health claims.

“There are very few efficacy and safety studies on these things, unfortunately, and that’s a big concern because they’re making these dramatic health claims, which are unfounded,” Gentile said.

The high doses of vitamins and minerals delivered through IV fluids may not be completely harmless. Although excess amounts of water-soluble vitamins – such as vitamin C – are excreted in urine, an overload of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K can lead to a toxic overdose.

“We don’t necessarily know that high doses of vitamins are better for you. Just because vitamin deficiencies are associated with poor outcomes in humans, vitamin excess does not necessarily mean that it is beneficial,” Johnson-Arbor said.

How Risky is an IV Vitamin Drip?

In 2021, a 50-year-old woman was hospitalized for septic shock with multiple organ failure after receiving a vitamin IV drip at home. The FDA then warned that some IV hydration clinics and spas prepare products in unsanitary conditions with dirty equipment. The agency also said the quality of the complex drugs in the IV bag cannot be guaranteed.

“There are many safe and reputable med spas that perform these treatments, but the handful of spas that cut corners and put patients at risk have cast a dark cloud over the industry,” Richina Bicette- McCain, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, Verywell said in an email.

The greatest risk often occurs during the IV insertion process, which can cause pain, excessive bleeding, skin infections, inflammation or clotting, according to Bicette-McCain.

The infusion itself also carries some risks. People may have an allergic reaction to the contents of the drip, or the infusion may have adverse interactions with other medications they are taking.

“Most IV drips are basically expensive water with a few vitamins mixed in, and those fluids are relatively safe. However, there have been cases of negative outcomes and deaths, when patients were given IV infusions containing prescription-only electrolyte mixtures, which should never be given in a med spa setting,” said Bicette-McCain.

Anyone who decides to try IV drip therapies, whether at a med spa or wellness retreat, should confirm that a licensed medical provider is on site.

“Ask them what their protocols are if there is a medical emergency or emergency that arises during treatment: Who is there and readily available to provide care?” said Bicette-McCain. “Make sure your med spa does some kind of intake history and a brief physical exam to make sure it’s safe for you to get the treatment you’re paying for.”