IV Therapy is an easy and convenient way to quickly replenish the body’s essential vitamins and fluids, boost energy levels and relieve symptoms of hangovers, illness, or jet lag. It’s also ideal for athletes seeking to improve performance or to recover from intense workouts and training sessions.

IV therapy provides medications, vitamins, and fluids directly into your bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system. This allows the treatment to work more efficiently and reduces the risk of adverse reactions from taking supplements orally that may interfere with absorption.

To administer the IV, a healthcare professional will choose a vein—typically in the forearm or hand—and insert a small catheter (tubing attached to a cannula). This tube extends into your bloodstream, and a healthcare professional uses an ultrasound scanner to guide the needle into the correct location. The cannula is then connected to the IV bag, and the medication is delivered through the tube into your bloodstream.

Drip, Drip, Hooray! The Comprehensive Guide to the Benefits of IV Therapy

In a hospital setting, healthcare professionals use IV therapy to give patients fluids and medications that they cannot take orally due to a health condition or surgery. For example, people with sepsis often require large doses of antibiotics that can only be given intravenously.

In addition to IV fluids, hospitals often provide specialized IV treatments, such as high doses of vitamin C for cancer patients or magnesium sulfate for acute asthma. These are often administered by healthcare professionals in a special treatment room, but there are also outpatient centers, sometimes called “hydration bars” or “drip bars,” that offer IV therapies to the general public without a prescription and typically for a fee.