Cedars-Sinai Blog
Does IV Vitamin Therapy Work?
In recent years, IV vitamin treatments have soared in popularity.
Celebrities and social media influencers say the treatments are the latest wellness must-have.
It sounds simple enough: Just 45 minutes to get an IV treatment packed with vitamins and minerals. The infusions can be done in the comfort of your own home, in a clinic setting, or even at music festivals.
The treatments are advertised with a host of reported benefits. 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."
Are IV treatments safe?
"For the most part, people report feeling better after these treatments because it's a rapid way to receive hydration," says Dr. Sam Torbati, co-chair of Emergency Medicine at Cedars-Sinai.
"If you've been sick or out drinking, you're dehydrated—so hydrating will make you feel better."
Proponents of the therapy say the IV drips work because they bypass the stomach and go straight into the blood stream, but that isn't necessarily a good thing, says Dr. Torbati.
"When you put something straight into the bloodstream, you bypass all of your body's built-in safeguards and filters," says Dr. Torbati.
"You want to make sure you know exactly what's in it."
It's also important to make sure you're getting the treatment in a safe, clean environment. Be sure the IV is administered by a trained professional using only sterile needles.
Read: The Science of Hangovers
Sam S. Torbati, MD
Sam S. Torbati, MD
Do IV treatments work?
For patients with certain gastrointestinal conditions, IV vitamin treatments can help provide necessary nutrition that their stomachs can't absorb.
But most people can get the nutrients they need from food or a multivitamin.
"The most important thing they're getting is water with salt, which you could get from a sports drink," says Dr. Torbati.
"These treatments are mostly harmless and really just result in people making expensive urine."
