INTRAVENOUS DRIP TREATMENTS

IV Drip Treatments are part of complementary medicine, not ‘standard evidence-based’ medicine.

In our experience the appropriate intravenous nutrient therapy, chosen on a patient-specific basis, is frequently tremendously helpful for our patients, especially for those who have been suffering for a long time and/or whose absorptive capacity is poor.

Please note that Drummartin Clinic is not in favour of the marketing of intravenous nutrient infusions for conditions such as hangover or for ‘hydration’.

IV therapies are not endorsed by the Medical Council of Ireland, which is the governing body for Irish medical practice.

IV Drip Treatments

I began my medical career totally opposing IV infusions. I retained this stance for about 10 years: “if they were that useful, they would be part of standard medical treatment”, I had decided.

In the mid-1990s in the U.S. I was trained in the benefits, use and administration of IV Therapies, however, I was still unconvinced and did not start using them for a year or so. One day I was totally struggling to find a treatment which worked for one particular patient, and I decided “why not give Myers’ IV infusion a try?”. The results were excellent. I became a convert.

Time and again I have been convinced of the effectiveness of intravenous therapies and IV Drip treatments, however, there are no double-blind studies that definitively support the use of intravenous vitamin and mineral therapies in cases where there is no demonstrated biochemical deficiency.

  • Myers’ Cocktail is a blend of vitamins and minerals developed by Alan Gaby MD who named it in honour of Dr John Myers of Baltimore, U.S.A. After Dr Myers died, Dr Gaby found himself being approached by patients saying, “please give me an injection of what Dr Myers used to give me”. Dr Myers, a typical doctor of the immediate post-Second World War era, unfortunately kept no records. Dr Gaby gradually ‘pieced together’ a mixture which seemed to work well, and he called it The Myers’ Cocktail.
  • Myers’ Cocktail contains:
    • Magnesium approximately 1000 mg
    • Calcium Gluconate 10% solution 1-3mls
    • Vitamin B12 1,000 MCG
    • Vitamin B6 pyridoxine 100mg
    • Vitamin B5 Pantothenic Acid 250mg
    • Vitamin B Complex a mixture of B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6
    • Vitamin C 2,500mg
  • Administered intravenously i.e., into a vein either as an intravenous injection from a syringe or using an IV bag (i.e. as a ‘drip’)
  • The level of discomfort is comparable to having a blood sample taken. In Drummartin Clinic once the injection commences there is only a soft plastic cannula in the vein. Discomfort really is minimal and only while the cannula is being placed in position, which lasts a few seconds.

  • These include acute asthma attacks, migraines, fatigue (including chronic fatigue syndrome), fibromyalgia, acute muscle spasm, upper respiratory tract infections, chronic sinusitis, seasonal allergic rhinitis, cardiovascular disease, and several other disorders.
  • The wrestler’s story: Dr. Gaby cites a case of a wrestler, suffering from a severe flu, who was in a wrestling competition. He was faced with a dilemma: he felt absolutely terrible and too unwell to fight. The competition rules stated that as long as he could just turn up for his fight the following day, he would have enough points to win the competition, but he did not have enough energy to appear. This gentleman was given just one Myers’ Cocktail intravenous treatment; he turned up at the arena the next day and put in a career-best performance.
  • Alan Gaby MD has written an excellent article:
    https://lisanagy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Gaby-Meyers-copy-w.pdf
    which, although published over 20 years ago, still makes excellent reading.

Myers’ Cocktail is best used as part of in-depth functional medicine.
In my opinion any treatment works best when it is integrated with the full nutritional and medical approach. Nevertheless, there are those people who do not want to take any supplements, and who find that somewhere from 4 to 10 Myers’ Cocktail treatments per year keeps them feeling well.

  • Tight neck and shoulders leading to upper body pain.
  • Low back pain. I have been amazed at how frequently it helps with neck and shoulder problems.
  • Headaches, including migraine.
  • Fatigue.
  • Fibromyalgia.
  • Prolonged post-infective illnesses, e.g. post viral fatigue, but generally we would probably use ozone treatment more in this kind of situation.
  • When an infection is ‘threatening’ to start.
  • Non-competitive athletes use it to enhance personal performance e.g. in the gym. However, the use of intravenous infusions by competitive sports people would likely be inappropriate because it definitely seems to confer a competitive advantage.

If you “just want to try IV drip treatment” then we will comply with your wishes and carry it out for you. While the results can be wonderful sometimes, I would hate anyone to think of Myers’ Cocktail as a cure-all. Just to be on the safe side before any procedure is carried out in Drummartin Clinic, a medical history and focussed examination takes place, because it is good medical practice.