Popular intravenous therapy raises eyebrows | Ottawa Citizen

Seriously, what could possibly go wrong? 

“There is risk anytime you inject anything into the body so that is something I am very conscious of.”

Despite their wild popularity in recent years, there is no evidence to support IV infusions, say experts.

“There is no medical justification to infuse vitamins into a vein when you can more appropriately obtain those nutrients in your diet,” wrote Scott Gavura, a Toronto based pharmacist and blogger. [Links added]

Vadeboncoeur says IV therapy offers a “safe, rapid” way to replenish nutrient levels to compliment a healthy diet. She acknowledges, though, that there is “a paucity of evidence” that the therapies, which include large doses of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, work.

“Part of that is because it is a fairly new therapy,” she said, adding that there have been some reviews and there is ongoing research looking at IV vitamin C therapy. Gavura says even the research into vitamin C therapy, which has been more extensively studied than other vitamins and minerals, is “unimpressive.”
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“In my experience, when we add IV therapy to their treatment plan, they get better so much faster. That is why I use it, because I have seen the benefits firsthand.”

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Gavura, in a 2013 article that reviewed IV infusion therapies, said there are potential risks and no benefits. [Link added]
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But there is good evidence, he said, to show that patients who delay medically supported cancer treatments in order to receive vitamin infusions get dramatically worse.

Popular intravenous therapy raises eyebrows | Ottawa Citizen