In recent years, IV hydration vitamin therapy, also known as Intravenous Nutrient Therapy (INT), has become extremely popular among consumers particularly concerned about daily wellness. The therapy has been touted as a cure for hangovers, a way to recover more quickly after vigorous exercise, and even a treatment for guaranteeing clarity of mind and more energy. In more recent years, we have been seeing some claims about INT’s ability to help relieve pain.
Can the therapy, which involves administering concentrated volumes of vitamins and nutrients intravenously, really relieve pain? That depends on who you ask. Hydration therapy clinics tend to support the idea that it does. Some medical doctors might even agree. But there are also medical professionals who believe that the therapy does nothing special.
The Basic Concept of INT
The basic concept of intravenous hydration vitamin therapy is simple enough to understand. As the experts at Texas-based Lone Star Pain Medicine explain, a cocktail of vitamins and minerals is delivered into the patient’s bloodstream by way of an IV. There are no pills or gummies.
The advantage of IV delivery is that the ingredients in the cocktail completely bypass the digestive system. This makes them 100% bioavailable. By contrast, taking vitamin supplements orally reduces bioavailability significantly.
Limited Scientific Evidence
Common sense seems to dictate that painful conditions resulting from poor nutrition could be addressed with INT. Poor nutrition robs the body of the essential vitamins and minerals it needs to function properly. Restore them and the condition ostensibly improves. But what about pain?
Currently, there is only a limited amount of evidence supporting IV hydration vitamin therapy as a pain-relieving treatment. The Cleveland Clinic cites a 2009 study suggesting that fibromyalgia patients reported improvements in pain, depression, and quality of life after just eight weeks of therapy.
The Cleveland Clinic also cites numerous studies suggesting that INT can help relieve migraines in some people. Studies seem to point to nutrients like magnesium, calcium, and vitamins B and C as being particularly helpful with migraine headaches.
There is little to no evidence supporting intravenous vitamin delivery as a way to treat chronic back pain, osteoarthritis pain, and other types of pain related to musculoskeletal injuries and diseases. So any hydration clinic claiming that its therapies help with osteoarthritis is on thin ice.
Key Ingredients for Pain Relief
Many clinics, like Lone Star, rely on a fluid formulation based on Myers’ Cocktail. The cocktail is named after the man who originally developed the therapy, John Myers, M.D. That said, different ingredients can be added to a clinic’s cocktail depending on a patient’s goal.
Lone Star doctors suggest the following might be added to a cocktail designed to offer pain relief:
- Magnesium
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
- Vitamin B12
- B-Complex
- Glutathione
In addition, balanced crystalloids and electrolytes address dehydration that, in some people, can increase pain sensitivity and stiffness. Rapid rehydration is believed to restore joint lubrication and flush out metabolic waste.
Most Common Recommended Conditions
Even if we assume that IV hydration vitamin therapy does actually work, it is not a magic cure for everything. It has its appropriate and inappropriate uses. The five most common conditions for which the therapy is recommended are:
- Chronic migraine headaches
- Fibromyalgia (often with chronic fatigue syndrome)
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Acute muscle cramps
- Inflammatory autoimmune and joint conditions
Whether IV hydration vitamin therapy can truly relieve pain is still up for grabs. Plenty of people are sold on it. But there are just as many who believe the therapy does nothing. For now, you have to decide for yourself.