The Nuance
The Shaky Science of IV Vitamin ‘Drips’
There may be perks, but you’re rolling the dice
Every week, the Nuance will go beyond the basics, offering a deep and researched look at the latest science and expert insights on a buzzed-about health topic.
Since at least the 1950s, intravenous (IV) vitamin therapy has been a thing. Back then, a New York physician named Max Jacobson — nicknamed “Dr. Feelgood” — famously injected cocktails of B12 and amphetamines into his celebrity clients, including, by many accounts, John F. Kennedy.
Later, during the 1960s and 1970s, a Baltimore doctor named John Myers popularized his “Myers’ cocktail” — an IV-administered combination of magnesium, calcium, B vitamins, and vitamin C — that has since been used to treat everything from migraines and fatigue to fibromyalgia.
Today IV vitamin “drips” seem more popular than ever. Celebrities still dig them (and post about them on social media). And across the U.S., both traditional doctors and complementary medicine practitioners offer a range of IV treatments to their clients. One company called Vitamindrip makes 14 different proprietary concoctions — some of which contain nearly 20 different ingredients — with names like “Libido Enhancer” and “Diet and Detox.” And recently, a New York City…
