IV Therapy

Early intravenous fluids

Intravenous infusion of fluids has a documented origin in the 1832 cholera pandemic. A historical article states that doctors had speculated about intravenous therapy before then but none had tried it, and that Thomas Latta performed the first infusions in 1832. The same article reports that the treatment disappeared after Latta's death, and attributes this to general medical skepticism, limited biochemical and physiological knowledge, and poor patient selection.

A second historical account places intravenous fluids among three advances that emerged during the 1832 outbreak in Britain, alongside oral salt and water treatment and chemical analysis of body fluids. It reports that modern rehydration developed slowly from the period after World War II through the 1970s. Hospital fluid therapy is therefore the older and clinical branch of intravenous therapy.

Vitamin and nutrient infusions

A practitioner review published in 2002 describes an intravenous vitamin-and-mineral formula that its author, Alan Gaby, built on the work of the late John Myers, a physician. The abstract that was read supplies no founding date for the original method. A 2024 survey describes intravenous nutrient therapies as having gained popularity on the commercial market, advertised by drip bars and health clinics, and the sources reviewed do not trace when this commercial form began.

How the term is used

IV therapy has no single technical definition. In hospital practice, a consensus summary treats intravenous fluid as a drug prescription with three main indications: resuscitation, replacement and maintenance. In elective settings, researchers use terms such as intravenous nutrient therapy and intravenous micronutrient therapy, and commercial outlets use phrases such as vitamin drips and nutrient cocktails. This page uses IV therapy for the whole family and keeps the clinical and elective branches apart.

Related routes and terms

Intravenous means delivery into a vein, usually by a catheter, over minutes to hours. Intramuscular injection, such as a vitamin B12 shot, is a different route and is not a drip. High-dose intravenous vitamin C is described by reviewers as reaching blood concentrations that oral intake cannot, which is one reason the route is studied separately from oral supplements. The Myers' cocktail is a named formula of magnesium, calcium, B vitamins and vitamin C.

What a session involves

Descriptions in the sources are limited. In the one controlled trial of the Myers' cocktail, participants received weekly infusions for 8 weeks, and the comparison group received lactated Ringer's solution, a standard hospital fluid. The sources reviewed do not describe the steps, staffing or screening of typical commercial sessions, so this page does not describe them. In hospitals, access is usually through a peripheral intravenous catheter, a device that a systematic review notes is widely used and associated with high failure rates and patient safety risks.

Screening and information

In a survey of 188 health professionals in Poland, 84 percent named the lack of full information on a patient's health status and medical contraindications as a major concern about commercial intravenous nutrient therapies. Reviewers of high-dose vitamin C separately suggest pre-screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency before large doses, which shows that screening is a clinical question rather than an optional extra.

Uses reported by practitioners and sellers

The practitioner who described the Myers' cocktail reports that it has been found effective for acute asthma attacks, migraines, fatigue including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, muscle spasm, upper respiratory infections, chronic sinusitis, seasonal allergic rhinitis and cardiovascular disease. This is the author's clinical experience and is not controlled evidence. A 2024 paper notes that commercial intravenous nutrient therapies are advertised as offering numerous benefits and quick results.

Uses that professionals consider justified

When asked in the Polish survey, health professionals most often named a diagnosed nutrient deficiency (37.8 percent) as a justified situation, while few named libido problems (1.1 percent) or the need to speed up metabolism (2.1 percent). A quarter of respondents (25.5 percent) saw no good rationale for these therapies. Intravenous glutathione is also promoted for skin lightening, and reviewers have examined high-dose intravenous vitamin C in sepsis, cancer and symptom management, which are clinical research settings.

Elective vitamin infusions

The only controlled trial of the Myers' cocktail identified was a pilot in 34 adults with fibromyalgia, who received weekly infusions or lactated Ringer's solution for 8 weeks. Both groups improved, and the authors reported no statistically significant difference between them at 8 and 16 weeks, citing a high placebo response and a small sample. They concluded that efficacy relative to placebo is uncertain. No trial evidence for other conditions or for healthy adults was found in the sources reviewed.

The same trial reported a single minor adverse event, in one participant who received the vitamin formula, and its authors described the study as establishing feasibility and short-term safety in that small group. A trial of 34 people over 8 weeks cannot detect uncommon harms, so this finding does not show that repeated or higher-dose infusions are free of risk. The survey of health professionals measures opinion only, and it does not show how often drips cause harm or benefit.

High-dose vitamin C and glutathione

A 2026 systematic review of high-dose intravenous vitamin C concluded that the evidence does not support routine use in sepsis and that its role in oncology remains supportive and exploratory. It cites phase I and II oncology studies reporting safety and quality-of-life improvements and one randomized phase II pancreatic trial combining it with chemotherapy. These are clinical research findings and do not apply to elective drips. For glutathione, a 2016 review found no evidence proving the efficacy of intravenous injections for skin lightening, and a 2025 narrative review called for rigorous trials.

Clinical comparators

Evidence for hospital fluids and prescription iron comes from different populations and must not be transferred to wellness drips. A consensus summary says balanced crystalloids are preferred among crystalloids in perioperative and critical care. A meta-analysis of randomized trials in iron deficiency anemia reported serious or severe hypersensitivity in 0.14 percent of patients given ferric derisomaltose, 0.59 percent with ferric carboxymaltose and 0.50 percent with ferumoxytol. A systematic review found oral, sublingual and intramuscular vitamin B12 produced similar changes in B12 levels in people with deficiency, with high heterogeneity and possible publication bias.

Harms reported with high-dose vitamin C

A systematic review lists oxalate nephropathy and hemolysis in people with G6PD deficiency as major risks of high-dose intravenous vitamin C, particularly with very large or repeated doses. A case report describes a 74-year-old woman with cancer who received 100 g weekly for six weeks, developed kidney injury with a creatinine of 8.2 mg/dl, and needed lasting dialysis. A summary of 14 case reports found that most patients with hemolysis had G6PD deficiency and that about half developed further complications, including acute kidney injury and methemoglobinemia, usually within 3 days. Case reports cannot show how often these events occur.

Glutathione and other concerns

A narrative review of glutathione for skin lightening associates the intravenous route with serious safety concerns, naming anaphylaxis and hepatotoxicity, and notes the absence of standardized dosing. Surveyed health professionals most often cited insufficient information on health status and contraindications (84 percent), the risk of overdose and interactions (77.1 percent) and hypersensitivity or allergic reactions (75.5 percent). Overall, 95.2 percent recognized health risks of commercial intravenous nutrient therapies.

Access, fluid load and sport

Hospital reviews name catheter complications that include infiltration, extravasation, phlebitis and catheter-related bloodstream infection, and a consensus summary describes growing interest in the harms of fluid overload. The sources reviewed give no complication rates for elective drip settings. For athletes, the World Anti-Doping Agency list as presented by a university page prohibits intravenous infusions of more than 100 mL in 12 hours unless legitimately received in hospital treatment. Anyone with symptoms should not delay or replace necessary medical care.