Featuring offerings called “Jet Lag Eraser,” “Hydrofix” and “Epic Hangover Recovery,” intravenous (IV) concierge lounges are popping up in cities across the country and offering bold promises to consumers looking for a quick solution to a hangover, jet or someone looking for a beauty boost, or to boost their resistance against colds or flu.
Clients receive fluids, such as vitamins and/or anti-nausea medications, via IV injection. The claim is that fluids flow directly into the bloodstream, which takes effect more quickly than taking pills, drinking water, or an electrolyte drink. Rihanna, Cindy Crawford and Simon Cowell all I would have tried themand recently, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills personality Lisa Rinna allegedly threw away his bag of vitamins and medications and took intravenous treatment, saying so welcomes his “busy” schedule.
As these services expand and attempt to become more mainstream, there is growing concern in the medical community about their safety and effectiveness, especially since most of these services and products are unregulated, while like the supplement industry. Costs for services provided by walk-in “clinics” or through home visits range from approximately $80 to $875 per visit. The companies claim the process can provide hydration, faster hangover recovery, boosted immunity, energy and even anti-aging effects in less than an hour. But Richard F. Demers, RPh, MS, FASHP, the administrative director of Ambulatory Pharmaceutical Services, is not convinced by these bold promises.
“You wouldn’t want to say, ‘This place is (available), so I’m going to go out and spend several nights drinking, or several sleepless nights and use these services on a regular basis,'” Demers said. “This can be very dangerous for your system. It’s possible that one of these places might help once – but that’s only possible, not likely.
Much of Demers’ concern relates to operations personnel.
“Ideally, there should be doctors and nurses on site to ensure that if something goes wrong, there is appropriate care and the infrastructure to respond effectively,” Demers said. “Even in the best clinical environment, every time you give someone an IV, you’re exposing them to possible infection or other problems. This is not something doctors do for frivolous requests.
Demers adds that part of the feeling some get from using these services is likely the simple placebo effect of believing you’re doing something to feel better. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some people have found relief, but there is little research on the effectiveness of these injectable therapies. For example, two studies tested the use of IV vitamins in patients with fibromyalgia: A showed no improvement and the other, which tested a group of just seven patients, reported only short-term relief. Neither study included a placebo group.
The origin of these salons is built on the “Myers Cocktail» – an IV formula of magnesium, calcium, B vitamins, and vitamin C developed more than a decade ago following the research of a Baltimore physician named John Myers, MD. In a 2002 goodbye, Alan R. Gaby, MD, past president of the American Holistic Medical Association, claimed the concoction is effective for acute asthma attacks, migraines, fatigue and other ailments. Today’s salons offer broader services, such as selections like “vitamin treats…that dig deeper, providing proven solutions that recharge, relieve and revitalize your mind and body.
In some cases, however, clinicians say these IV salons fail to address the real root of the problem.
David Aizenberg, MDassociate professor of internal medicine, said in a TIME article that there is no perfect cure for a hangover. “Nothing treats the entire hangover,” Aizenberg said. “There is no “magic bullet” where a single remedy will eliminate all hangover symptoms. »
“Dehydration is not the cause of hangovers, but rather the toxic metabolites of alcohol are responsible,” said Stanley Goldfarb, MD, professor of renal electrolyte and hypertension. “They are unlikely to be excreted more quickly in urine with intravenous fluid; they are filtered very effectively by the kidney as long as the individual is not so ill that their blood pressure is low.
Goldfarb added that if users become severely intoxicated by alcohol and develop diarrhea and vomiting, then IV fluids administered in an appropriate medical environment can help. However, “the idea that someone who didn’t vomit a lot or have severe diarrhea became significantly depleted of many of their minerals after ingesting alcohol is pretty stupid.” , but that explains the prices these services charge to replace the minerals. substances that are not really lacking.
Encouraging alcohol toxicity by developing a “cure” is arguably unethical, Goldfarb adds, which could partly explain why research is so limited in this area.
“If you drink, drink in moderation,” Goldfarb said. “It’s really not that complicated.”
