Tips for drips: regulators have new advice for trending IV therapy ‘cocktails’
By: Megan Acker
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ATHENS, Ohio – The newest trend in medical spas isn’t a facial or a massage – it’s IV therapy.
Providers intravenously administer a “specialty cocktail” containing a mixture of supplements. Used to treat anything from hangovers to acne, the procedure is increasing in popularity while drawing the attention of regulators.
Jacqueline Lather, doctor of nursing practice at Elite Medical Aesthetics in Athens, said she’s seen great success with the procedure, and the results are swift.
“Most people are telling me about 24 hours,” said Lather. “Some people, it’s immediately, and it just depends. Oftentimes it’ll last a week or two, depending on what’s going on.”
Lather attributes this to the way the treatment is delivered. IV therapy injects supplements directly into the bloodstream, as opposed to traditional oral supplements that must dissolve in the stomach before reaching the vascular system.
“I have some people that come in monthly just because they work outside, they get dehydrated, they like that recovery,” said Lather. One of the most common injections is the Tri-Immune shot. “It has vitamin C, it has zinc, and it has glutathione in it. That combination … is great for antiviral effects. Not to cure things, but to help aid in cell recovery and detoxing.”
The rise in popularity for retail IVs — so-called because of the easy accessibility many clinics offer — prompted the Ohio State Medical Board to publish a joint statement with the boards of pharmacy and nursing, advising patients and practitioners alike on appropriate protocols.
Stephanie Loucka, executive director of the medical board, said the statement was issued largely because of worries over the administration of the IVs, which are classified as prescription medications.
“Our concern really is that … that giving of the prescription is not being done by people who are actually licensed prescribers,” said Loucka. “That assessment has to come from a prescriber, it has to come from a physician, or an advanced practice registered nurse or a physician assistant. Those are the people who can prescribe in our state.”
As a doctor of nursing practice, Lather has prescriptive powers. She attributed unlicensed prescriptions to a lack of education surrounding IV therapy.
“(Registered nurses) can own their own medical spas, actually,” said Lather. “And I think it’s just, they’re like, ‘Oh, I can do everything else, why can’t I do that too?’”
Both Loucka and Lather agree that the goal of IV therapy should be to provide the patient with the most effective treatment possible.
“When we have prescribers giving medicine,” said Loucka, “we want to make sure that it’s actually responsive to a condition that needs the medicine and that a complete assessment of the patient has been done to make sure it’s a safe response to what the patient needs.”
In Lather’s office, that process involves taking vitals, reviewing medical history and checking for allergies.
She also asks her patients,“What makes you think that you need an IV?”
“And then we can kind of pick apart the things,” said Lather. “We can put some combinations together that will actually enhance the patient.”
Lather believes IV therapy is just getting started.
“I think that it’s more of a functional aspect of medicine,” said Lather. “What I want to do is all inclusive care. … I think if people do more of that, then it will actually, things will grow further.”