Vitamin drips: when they are needed and what can be dangerous

certified clinical geneticist, nutritionist, expert of UniProf Academy of Physicians

What are vitamin drips? How can they be useful and how can they be harmful?

Many people have heard of vitamin deficiencies and try to replenish them in one way or another. Someone tries to eat more seasonal fruits and vegetables, someone chooses vitamin complexes, and someone chooses special drips. Such infusions can be done both in the clinic and at home and often without any appointments, prescriptions and recommendations from the doctor. But is it really as effective as they say, and is this procedure suitable for absolutely everyone?

How vitamin drips work

It is said that with intravenous infusions, all 100% of the nutrients will reach the nucleus of the cells faster and fulfill their biochemical tasks. But that’s not entirely true. Humans are creatures with a very complex individualized pattern of biochemical reactions.

Yes, when administered intravenously, the substance actually immediately enters the bloodstream (as opposed to taking drugs orally, when part of the vitamin may not be absorbed). But the ultimate goal of taking vitamins is their participation in the necessary biochemical reactions and, as a result, improving the condition of the body.

To learn more about vitamins in cosmetic and supplement form, read our previous article.

What can be the dangers of IV vitamins

Vitamins for a drip can be selected incorrectly, in addition, they can be too much. In the best case, the body will cope and excrete the excess on its own. Conditionally healthy body will quickly compensate for the overabundance. But in fact, few people decide to make a vitamin drip if they feel well. And in such a case, it is not difficult to get an “overdose” and provoke negative processes in the body, for example, some diseases.

The fashion for vitamins that are administered intravenously is not new. In the 1970s in the United States, Dr. John Myers used the “Myers cocktail” of vitamins and minerals, calling it a “cure for many diseases”. Except that the exact composition of this complex is still unknown.

When vitamin drips are really necessary

Intravenous administration of vitamins and minerals can be a necessity, an “emergency” or part of a treatment program. For example, if a person has an autoimmune disease of the gastrointestinal tract or the absorption of nutrients at the intestinal level is impaired.

Of course, it is possible and necessary to use intravenous vitamin infusions, if they are prescribed by a doctor. In this case, the specialist necessarily takes into account:

• individual needs of the body in certain complexes and substances;
• the combination of vitamins and their forms for greater effectiveness,
• dosages with emphasis on the energy and functional status of the patient, the level of his detoxification system and absorption capabilities.

In the case of people with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, improperly selected vitamins can have fatal consequences. For example, the same form of vitamin B12 can both positively and negatively affect blood pressure. And a sudden change in the level of electrolytes can lead to sudden heart failure.

Are there IVs that are suitable for everyone

Each vitamin has many different forms, each of them even at the genetic level is assimilated differently. Therefore, there can be no “standard cocktails” that fit everyone. Neither is there a safe general scheme of infusion of these substances.

Therefore, in the case of vitamin drips, it is better to consult a specialist. He will help to make up an individual solution and scheme for the drip.

About whether you can stock up on vitamins for a year ahead in the summer, told in another material.