IV Drip Therapy vs. Supplements: What is the Difference?
Written by Leslie K. Hughes
Medically reviewed by Dr. Monique White-Dominguez
The primary source of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs should come from the food that you eat. That’s why it’s so important to have a healthy, well-rounded diet that isn’t plagued with fast food, highly processed snacks, and junk that will drag your body down.
However, it’s hard to eat the perfect diet all the time, so chances are good that you are deficient in some of the vitamins and minerals that are essential to having your body function at its best.
This likely isn’t news to you and isn’t news to many people because of the booming supplement industry. According to the Council for Responsible Nutrition, 80% of Americans use supplements. That means that four out of every five people in the U.S. have supplements as part of their daily routine.
While we fully support the supplementation of vitamins and nutrients that your body needs, we do know that there is a more effective way to deliver them to your body. And that’s via IV drip therapy.
What is IV Drip Therapy?
When many people think of IVs, they picture someone sick in the hospital hooked up to all these IVs that are working to keep them alive. While that is accurate, that is far from the only use of IVs.
IVs can be used at clinics, at home, and more in order to deliver nutrients and vitamins directly into the bloodstream. You don’t have to be sick, per se, in order to benefit from IV drip therapy. If you’re someone who is deficient in essential vitamins and nutrients or may be looking to ramp your health up to the next level, then you want to consider IV drip therapy as an option to help you.
The Difference Between IV Drip Therapy and Oral Supplements
The purpose of both IV drip therapy and oral supplements is to help you get the vitamins and nutrients you want and need.
However, there is a glaring difference between the two and that is how they are administered. Oral supplements are simply that – oral capsules, tablets, or liquids that you take regularly by mouth. These go through your digestive system first and then your body can use them as needed.
IV supplements are administered via a needle in your arm and go directly into your bloodstream.
Which is Better – IV Drip Therapy or Oral Supplements?
The short answer? IV drip therapy is better.
Here’s why.
Absorption (Bioavailability)
While supplements may be easier to take than getting a needle in your arm, they take longer to work.
Oral supplements have to first go through your digestive system where they are metabolized before your body can use the vitamins and nutrients they provide. That means that the bioavailability of oral supplements is much lower than the IV drip therapy. Bioavailability refers to the amount of the supplement that enters the bloodstream. Thus, with something like an oral supplement, since it has to go through your digestive system first, typically only about 50% of it ends up going into your bloodstream where it can be put to use.
However, with IV drip therapy, you experience a bioavailability of 100% since it goes directly into your bloodstream. Thus, this is the best route to take to get the most bang for your buck.
Results
People typically don’t start seeing the results of taking oral supplements for quite some time, and the exact time varies depending on the type of supplement.
However, with IV drip therapy, you see the results much more quickly – sometimes nearly immediately. This is certainly the case with Sameday Health’s Get Up & Go IV therapy. The B12 in this could give you the energy that may notice right away.
Side Effects
Some people find that oral supplements lead to problems with acid reflux, upset stomach, and more. This is because they have to travel through the digestive system first. This can be a problem for people and potentially a severe enough one that it doesn’t feel worth it to take the supplements.
With IV drip therapy, you won’t experience those side effects because IV therapy bypasses the digestive system entirely.
IV Drip Therapy at Sameday Health
At Sameday Health, we offer IV drip therapy to help with all kinds of issues including brain fog, dehydration, compromised immune system, and more.
Here are the different therapy options we offer.
Alleviate.
This IV is great for helping minimize PMS symptoms including bloating, irritability, abdominal discomfort, and lower back pain. This IV contains:
B complex
Calcium
B12
Magnesium
Myers’ Cocktail.
Turn to this IV in times of stress, when your immune system is weak, if you’re dehydrated, or to help alleviate chronic symptoms including pain, asthma, and more. This IV contains:
Vitamin C
B complex
Calcium
Magnesium
NAD+.
If you’re looking to burn fat, restore energy, boost your metabolism, and improve your overall performance in life, this is the IV for you. It contains:
B Complex
Amino acids
Get Up & Go.
This is similar to the NAD+ and will work to improve your performance. It also contains:
B Complex
Amino acids
Immunity.
This IV helps to protect against infection and also helps improve your healing if you’ve already gotten sick. It works to build your immune system and reduce the duration of your illness. It contains:
C vitamins
B complex
Zinc
