Within the last 4 years the growth of “party IVs”, Vitamin IVs, and other forms of alternative IV therapies has been tremendous. Across the United States, swanky luxury clinics have opened up across California, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. Many other practitioners in other states have also added vitamin IVs to their menu of additional infusion solutions.
Although the main stream Vitamin IV phenomenon in the US and Canada are relatively new, Vitamin IV drips have been offered throughout Europe and Asia for years now. The movement within the United States can be traced back to the late Dr. Myers and his work throughout the mid-60s and 70s.
Dr. Myers designed and administered a unique solution of vitamins and minerals which would later become known as the Myers’ Cocktail (or simply the Myers). Dr. Myers would administer the solution to patients of his who suffered from a variety of chronic issues such as migraines, fatigue, depression, etc..
Even though there are few clinical trials investigating the efficacy of the Myers cocktail, the number of ardent supporters of the infusion are significant. Many regular patients claimed that without the infusion, their symptoms would return quickly. Recognizing this need, entrepreneurial clinicians quickly began to satisfy these needs across the nation.
Recently, practitioners have expanded their offering to include high dose Vitamin C infusions (used in a variety of situations), and other targeted infusions to create a health living sort of appeal Thus, clinic owners have begun to appeal to athletes, mothers, the elderly, etc. as potential clients. The clinics themselves are now built to resemble luxury spas and high end retreats, and the costs of the infusions have increased tremendously. In certain cities (Miami and Las Vegas), there are practitioners who offer Vitamin IV therapies straight to hotel rooms, to homes, or even on a schedule bus or shuttle. In these cities which have traditionally been associated with partying and heavy drinking, practitioners are capitalizing on both the healthy living and the hangover cure aspects of their infusions.
Celebrities and athletes are now frequent patients and public interest seems to be continuously increasing. As such, health care providers have begun to receive more and more inquiries into the safety of said infusions. Unfortunately, the amount of available online continuing education courses for nurses on this subject is minimal and there is a great deal of conflicting messages on this point. Moving forward, both nurses and physicians will need to be able to communicate the benefits and potential complications of vitamin IV therapy to their interested patient populations.
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