Dread Jet Lag? Drip Therapy Makes Travel Distress Disappear

Jet lag, long and difficult flights, and sleepless nights are only a few of the afflictions endured with frequent travel. For most travelers, these are managed in myriad ways – from adjusting clocks a week ahead of flying, drinking endless glasses of water, imbibing cherry juice, downing bottles of melatonin, cutting caffeine and alcohol, upping the Xanax doses, or taking a chance porting THC products across international boundaries.

But, there is another way to zip through your day after a painful dawn arrival in Shanghai or Delhi.

It’s called IV Nutritional Therapy (Intravenous Nutritional Therapy) and it’s the process of administering nutrients directly into your bloodstream through a medically supervised IV drip. The combination of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and anti-inflammatories in a liter of electrolyte balanced fluid helps to rehydrate and re-energize the body in a process that takes less than an hour to complete.

The rapid absorption of vitamins through IV therapy enables the body to recover and re-adjust faster than oral capsules and beverages and thus, helps you return to your busy schedule.

The IV infusions are used to replenish the amino acids that contribute to your brain’s neurotransmitters, which significantly reduce the depression, the anxiety and fatigue that comes with traveling.

Now this is not something you bring on a plane and manage between movies and Bloody Marys.

Rather, it is a preventative therapy managed ahead of a long trip or on a regular schedule via IV Treatment centers that are popping up all over the country, mostly in major cities. IV treatments may also be offered at the same offices that provide massage therapy, cosmetic fillers and other busy lifestyle services. Besides IV therapy for jet-lag the elixir is also a go-to solution to alleviate bad hang-overs, boost energy, reducing inflammation, muscle pain and stress, brighten skin, and strengthen hair and nails. The therapy is not one-size-fits-all. Depending on your needs, the formulation of vitamins, minerals etc. will be tailored accordingly.

IV Therapy: One Size Does Not Fit All

In deciding to try IV therapy, how do you know if you’ve found a reputable facility? What should you look for before your session begins?

As soon as you arrive for your appointment you should receive a questionnaire about your treatment goals and current health status.

IV Therapy: Questions they should be asking YOU:

Have you done this before? What type of therapy did you have then? Do you have allergies? Medical problems? Autoimmune disease? Cardiovascular problems? Diabetes? High blood pressure? What prescription medications are you currently taking? What over the counter vitamins supplements etc. are you taking? (You want to avoid aspirin, vitamin E, fish oil, turmeric, and D3 supplements for 5 days prior to your therapy as those thin the blood and can make a treatment challenging.)

IV Therapy: Questions you should be asking THEM:


Will a registered nurse be administering my treatment? How many people do you treat in a day? (The more people they treat, the freshest peak potency of the vitamins used in the IV drip therapies.) Are the vitamin drip bags pre-made or customized?

Once completed, your vitamin cocktail will be determined and mixed/created for you. Vitamin drips typically contain a saline solution — a mixture of salts and sterilized water — with different cocktails of dissolved vitamins and minerals, depending on what the treatment claims to address, anything from anti-aging to boosting energy or immunity. Remember, the treatment involves putting a needle into a vein on the inner side of your arm (where blood is drawn for testing). So, if you have a needle phobia, this may not be a treatment you’d enjoy.

What is the IV treatment session experience?

When the IV Therapy session begins will be seated in an inviting chaise lounge with pillows all around. A nurse or medical professional starts an intravenous drip, with a raised bag (usually 500 ml – smaller than the hospital version, which is a larger 1,000 cc bag).

After a few short minutes, as the drip begins to flow, you will likely feel a calmness with an energy buzz that’s better than caffeine but without a jittery jolt. The greatest benefit of IV therapy is alleviating dehydration, one of the greatest challenges impacting jet lag, hangovers, and weekend warrior sports bashes.

Frequency of this delightful, peaceful jolt?

Nutrient levels usually remain elevated for up to three weeks after each treatment. Some patients choose to schedule infusion therapy sessions monthly once they’ve achieved their desired results, and others seek treatment only when they experience symptoms.

The Cost of Calm and Energy?

Most facilities charge between $150-300 for each IV Therapy session performed in their offices.

If frequent hangovers are part of your jet set lifestyle, many concierge medical organizations will come to you, offering Mobile IV services priced between $350-500 per visit.

The vitamin drip industry is still pretty much unregulated so it’s up to first timers to do a bit of research to make sure that previous clients have had satisfactory, hygienically clean and safe experiences. Those with diabetes, heart, or kidney issues should be especially cautious, checking with their doctors to see if an IV vitamin drip would be suitable and sustainable.