Making Your First Drip Hydration Therapy Session As Safe As Possible

Drip hydration therapy has become a popular way to get more nutrients in order to battle disease, improve health, and even improve looks. This intravenous therapy is supposed to reduce dehydration and infuse your body with fluids, vitamins, and electrolytes. While not supported by everyone, hydration therapy does have its fans. If you've decided to give it a go, you want to ensure you go to a safe place where the staff are well-trained.

Ensure the Staff Has the Right Training and Credentials

The staff who administer the IVs should be nurses, physician assistants, or a similar medical professional. You can check with your state's nursing or medical boards if they have licensing databases that you can look through online. The reason you want a medical professional to administer the IV is that it does involve needles and leaving something in your arm. You wouldn't want just anyone to be able to pierce your skin like that. The hydration company should have a description of the process on its website and show you who the nurses or physician assistants are.

Know Exactly What's in the Solution

Always look up exactly what's in the solution you're going to get. If any terms in the mix are unfamiliar, research those. Some hydration solutions are fairly simple mixes of electrolytes like potassium and some vitamins like vitamin C. But other solutions can be more complicated, combining electrolytes, vitamins, and even minor medications like anti-nausea concoctions. Watch out for companies claiming their solutions are "proprietary blends" because you're not talking about eating burger sauce from well-known fast food outlets here — you're letting people inject a new vitamin mix into your bloodstream. You absolutely need to know what's in there.

Watch out for Medication Interactions

Be sure the ingredients in the solution don't have adverse interactions with medications you're on. Because some of these mixes can contain medications for nausea, heartburn, and more, you have to be sure that you aren't going to nullify the effects of medications you're already taking, nor will you amplify the effects to dangerous levels. If you're currently taking medications, you may want to stick with simpler hydration formulas and run everything by your regular doctor first.

Anything you put into your bloodstream should be safe and researched. There are many hydration companies that ensure their staff members are trained and that their solutions are safe to use, so don't be discouraged by the advice to double-check. It's the right thing to do and will help you find a good hydration company.

Share