Does IV Vitamin Therapy Involve Risks?

The answer: usually the risks are minimal. The biggest risks of IV therapy typically apply to those with kidney function and heart issues. If you’re affected by any of these concerns, please alert our staff.

IV vitamin therapy varies a lot, from what clinics put in each IV to what you need as an individual. Every person is different in the nutrients they need. It is hard to find published studies on the frequency, mixtures, amounts, and duration of IV therapy. The original guru of IV vitamin infusions was Alan Gaby, MD, who has been published extensively over the last 30 years — including a definitive textbook on the subject — and treated thousands of patients. The original IV used was the Myer’s cocktail, which has been credited with helping everything from asthma and migraines to chronic fatigue and allergies. With thousands of patients successfully treated over the past 40 years, you do not generally see a lot of side effects.

The doses of the individual vitamins we use in our IV therapies should not cause issues. If you are consuming supplements in other ways or if you’re on medications, please alert our staff.  We can tailor the IVs. We can lower the amount of fluid. We can adjust the nutrients we add to the IV. We take time to run in the IV therapies on purpose to give your body time to process and adjust the nutrients and fluid volume. Our team also offers micronutrient testing through our Biohackr Benchmark program to find your baseline for your current levels.

But you may be at a higher risk if:

• You have impaired kidney function. The kidneys help the body filter and get rid of vitamins and minerals that exceed the levels you need. If your kidneys do not filter the blood appropriately, vitamin levels may not be correct.
• You have had kidney stones. A high dose of vitamin C may cause your body to produce oxalates, increasing your risk of developing kidney stones.
• You have heart failure or other issues. IV therapies involve adding fluids to your system. We can do lower volume IVs if IV hydration is an issue.  There is also Magnesium and potassium in our IVs.
• Overhydration is usually not an issue for people. Symptoms of overhydration include nausea and headaches.
• You are taking supplements, particularly if they’re over the normal daily requirement or fat soluble vitamins ADEK.
  • For example, many people take Vitamin B supplements. Too much thiamine can cause low blood pressure and dizziness.
  • Fat soluble vitamins (Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K) can accumulate in your fat cells. Most other vitamins are water soluble, so unnecessary excesses are released from your body through the kidneys and urinary system.

Bottom line?

TEST. Know your baseline where you are starting from.

DON’T DO IVs if you have kidney or heart issues.