Injectable and IV Nutrient FAQ

Why get nutrients via IV or injection?

While the value of a healthy diet cannot be overemphasized and IV or injectable nutrients do not replace food there are some differences. In order for your body to get all the nutrients in the food you eat you first need to be able to digest your food properly and then absorb the nutrients. A variety of health issues make the body less efficient at this than would be ideal. Oral supplements have this same limitation. Even when everything is working perfectly your body will only absorb certain amounts of specific nutrients and dosing beyond that orally will not be absorbed and may even cause diarrhea. IV and injectable nutrients bypass your gut completely so absorption is not an issue. These nutrients are available for your body to use very quickly after receiving them.

Won’t a healthy diet get me the nutrients I need?

It is difficult for most people to get optimal levels of all the nutrients they need strictly from their diet alone. This is due a to a variety of reasons. Modern farming methods unfortunately leave even some of the healthiest foods lacking the density of nutrient levels we might expect. The hectic schedule the world we live in often seems to demand of us can also create a state inside of our bodies where we are using more nutrients due to increased stress, lack of sleep, sugar and refined carbohydrate intake, etc.

Should I eat before I come in for my IV?

It would be a good idea to have a meal, or at least a snack, before your IV. Certain nutrients can cause nausea when given on an empty stomach and others can lower some people’s blood sugar a bit if they haven’t eaten recently.

Will one IV make me feel better?

Maybe. Reactions to IV nutrients are very individualized for a number of reasons. Things like your gut health, toxic burden, current nutrient status, and a myriad of other factors will influence how your IV will initially impact your body. If you don’t feel magically better after a single IV that doesn’t mean it isn’t working.  Some effects will simply take more time and more than one treatment to happen. 

Which IV should I get?

Some of our clients browse our IV Menu and feel they know exactly what they want, others are unsure what to get when they come in. Your consult is the perfect time to discuss this with our medical staff. If you feel a bit unsure or intimidated looking at the IV Menu, that’s ok! We’ll figure it out together when you come in for your appointment.

How long will it take?

This depends on a few things:

 First, you should plan extra time for your first IV because before doing the IV itself we need to do a consultation. This is for your safety and to be sure we address your needs appropriately. You can keep the time this takes to a minimum by completing all intake paperwork prior to arrival, preferably a day or more ahead of time. Depending on your medical history and complexity of concerns this can be fairly brief (20 minutes) but can also take a bit longer at times.

The next factor is what IV you get. Some can be given in about an hour and others will take about 2 hours. We usually run your IV a little slower on your first IV until we know how you will respond to it.

Other things can slow things down. If you are a “hard stick” (difficulty with accessing veins) things can take a bit longer too.

If you are pressed for time, consider getting an IV push, which has all the nutrients, just less fluid, and is pushed into the vain at a faster rate (usually around 15 minutes)

Is it safe?

The vast majority of our clients experience no difficulty whatsoever with receiving IV nutrients. However, there is a measure of risk with anything we do to our body. As far as risks go receiving IV nutrients is very low risk. The risks include: bleeding, injury, infection, swelling/inflammation, bruising or scarring resulting from IV infiltration, extraction, or extravasation, misplacement of IV line, air embolism, fluid overload, medication interaction, nerve injury, lightheadedness or fainting.

What is in the IV?

Magnesium, Calcium, B vitamins (B1, B2, B5, B6, B12), and vitamin C are the starting point for most of our infusions and what make up the “Meyer’s Cocktail”. (See our IV Room Menu for more details on specific options.) Every bag is mixed for each client so it is completely customizable. We also offer a variety of add-ons to our main menu to address the specific needs of each client.

Do I need to have labs checked before I can get an IV?

For the most part this is not required for your first IV or injection. Clients receiving multiple IVs or injections are strongly encouraged to have lab monitoring. Exceptions to this would be clients wishing to receive iron, high dose vitamin C infusions (>15g), NAD+, or ozone will need to have particular labs checked prior to treatment. This can be discussed further with our medical staff.

Is there any way to save on the cost?

Yes! You can purchase a 4 pack of any of the infusions we offer and get a 20% discount on the price. 4 packs are also shareable so if you want to split the savings with a friend, feel free. A 10% discount is also available for monthly or yearly members on any IVs or injections.

If I get an IV do I still need to eat that day?

Yes. IV nutrients do not replace food. Our IV infusions contain micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) but not macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats).

Does it hurt?

For our IVs we use the smallest gauge needle (24g) we can, which does make starting the IV less painful. The infusion itself should not hurt at all. Once we start the IV there is no needle present in your arm, only a tiny, flexible, plastic tube.

What is the difference between an IV drip and a wellness injection?

An IV drip is the traditional IV you think of, where there is a bag of mixed fluids and nutrients hanging above you that drips directly into your vein over the course of about an hour (time varies depending on multiple factors) whereas an injection is what we would classify as a shot- a needle into the arm. We also offer pushes, which are like an IV drip, but instead of gravity directing the flow into your vein, there is a large syringe with nutrients and they are manually pushed into the vein. Read more here.

How long do the nutrients stay in my system?

The amount of time the vitamins are in your system truly varies based on the exact nutrients (some are fat soluble, some are water soluble. Fat soluble stay in your system longer) as well as how deficient you are. There is no exact way to know how long you will feel the benefits of a treatment. Everyone's body is unique and multiple factors (genetics, disease, stress levels, nutrition intake, digestion, etc) dictate how your cells are functioning. The cells use the nutrients in the blood (after IV is infused) at different rates. Generally, whatever is not used at the time is excreted out of the body.