Intravenous vitamin therapy has gained popularity in recent years as a convenient, fast, and effective way to get the nutrients you need. 

Vitamin C IV treatments can be beneficial for everything from increasing your energy levels and reducing stress to boosting your immune system and improving overall wellness. 

But how safe are vitamin C infusions? And do they really work? 

In this article, we tell you everything you need to know about increasing your vitamin C levels through IV therapy and enjoying the benefits of Reset IV services from the comfort of your home.

What Does Vitamin C IV Therapy Do?

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is a nutrient found naturally in foods like oranges, kiwi, strawberries, pineapples, kale, and green peppers. Because the human body is not able to produce vitamin C, you must either get it from various food sources or from dietary supplements.

However, taking high doses of vitamin C orally is likely to cause problems with your digestive system. The intravenous vitamin C therapy, on the contrary, allows you to bypass the digestive process altogether and benefit from higher doses of the vitamin without any adverse effects. 

And that’s not all. Only up to 18% of the vitamin C quantities you consume can be absorbed by the body. The rest of this water-soluble vitamin will be excreted into the urine when your body is no longer able to store the excess. The absorption rate will also depend on your gut health, any deficiencies you might have, and your hormone balance.

When administered through intravenous infusion, vitamin C enters your bloodstream directly. This way, it easily reaches much higher levels in the blood than it would when taken orally. In fact, its blood concentration levels can be 100-1,000 times higher than when your vitamin intake comes from food or supplements. Besides, the intravenously delivered vitamin C is 100% bioavailable and nothing goes to waste. 

Here are some of the most powerful benefits of high-dose vitamin C IV therapy:

Lower risk of heart disease

Studies have shown that vitamin C can significantly lower the risk factors of heart disease, such as high levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol and a type of fat known as triglycerides. You should ideally take around 500 mg of vitamin C on a daily basis in order to prevent the risk of heart disease. 

Collagen production

Collagen is a structural protein. Its role is to hold together the connective tissue that builds and strengthens your skin, teeth, bones, blood vessels, ligaments, and tendons. 

Maintaining your body’s collagen production is crucial. Lack of this essential molecule can cause thinning of the skin and weakening of bones, blood vessels, tendons, and ligaments. These conditions may in their turn lead to further complications like ruptured ligaments and tendons during physical activity, aneurysm (an abnormal swelling in the wall of a blood vessel), and stroke.

Because vitamin C is indispensable in collagen synthesis, taking high doses intravenously is a great way to ensure your collagen remains in healthy condition and help prevent cardiovascular disease. 

Energy production

Vitamin C plays an important role in the breakdown of fat for energy use. It participates in the synthesis of a molecule called carnitine that transports fats into the mitochondria, a part of the cell responsible for energy production. When your vitamin C levels (and by consequence carnitine levels) are low, you feel tired. High-dose vitamin C treatments can have a significant impact on boosting your energy levels. 

Immune support

Low levels of vitamin C can increase the risk of infection. Infections at the same time lower levels of vitamin C that is used by immune cells during the inflammatory process, hence causing a vicious cycle of nutrient deficiency.

Vitamin C is one of the body’s most efficient antiviral agents. It directly protects against bacteria, viruses, and even cancer cells. Research shows that vitamin C can increase the production of white blood cells, essential for optimal functioning of the immune system. As a result, high-dose vitamin C intravenous therapy can have a significant impact on the prevention and treatment of infections.  

Reduce stress

Vitamin C may reduce stress levels by helping your body get rid of the stress hormone called cortisol. Vitamin C helps regulate cortisol and prevents blood pressure from escalating to dangerous levels in response to stressful situations.

Antioxidant properties

Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant and one of the most popular antioxidant supplements. It helps protect your cells from damage by free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can be toxic to cells and are common in cases of stress, infections, and chronic illness. 

Taking high doses of vitamin C can help prevent free radicals from developing and causing harm to your body. What’s more, it can eliminate the damage that is caused by environmental pollutants such as UV rays and help regenerate other antioxidants within your body.

The benefits of high-dose vitamin C for health and general well-being are indisputable. But you may be wondering whether intravenous vitamin C treatments really work. 

Do Vitamin C Infusions Work? 

Studies have confirmed that IV infusions provide much higher levels of vitamin C to the blood than when you ingest food rich in vitamin C or take oral vitamin supplements. In addition, when taken intravenously, vitamin C stays in your body for longer periods of time. 

Although the use of vitamin IV drips as such is not backed up by rigorous scientific evidence, vitamin C intravenous therapy is a reliable and efficient treatment option when provided by a medical professional. It gives excellent results when it comes to restoring vitality and well-being. 

IV therapy itself is not new and the method has been successfully used in the medical profession for decades. It is a common procedure used in hospitals and healthcare facilities across the country. 

As there are no major risks involved in IV vitamin C therapy, you can rest reassured that your treatment will be perfectly harmless. 

Is IV Vitamin C Safe?

Vitamin C IV therapy is for the most part very safe. However, there are certain cases where treatments that provide high-dose vitamin C are not recommended. You should not have a vitamin C IV treatment administered if:  

• You have a history of kidney disease or you are at risk of developing kidney stones. Cases of kidney failure have been reported following IV treatments with high-dose vitamin C.
• You have either heart or blood pressure conditions, as there is a risk of fluid overload that can have serious consequences including heart failure.
• You have a deficiency of the G6PD, the enzyme that enables the correct functioning of red blood cells. Taking high doses of vitamin C by people suffering from this disorder may cause hemolysis, the breakdown of red blood cells where hemoglobin is released into the bloodstream.
• You have an allergy to vitamin C supplements. Although rare, an allergic reaction can occur if your immune system overreacts to one of the ingredients in the supplement. However, it is important to note that vitamin C in itself cannot cause allergic reactions.
• You have hemochromatosis, a condition where the body takes up and stores more iron than it needs. Because vitamin C helps iron to get more easily absorbed by the body, it is not recommended to get high doses of the vitamin if you suffer from hemochromatosis.

To ensure that your IV therapy is perfectly safe, the Reset IV physicians and nurse practitioners will provide a free medical consultation and approve your treatment before you start your vitamin C IV therapy. They will also offer recommendations based on the initial assessment and your specific needs.  

You should keep in mind that, as is the case with any type of infusion, IV procedures are never completely risk-free. In rare cases, complications such as vein inflammations and infections may occur. At Reset IV, our priority is ensuring that you are receiving a treatment that meets the highest safety standards using only top of the line sterile equipment. In addition, our nurses have all the necessary supplies readily accessible and are trained to quickly respond in case an allergic reaction occurs.

Can I Overdose on Vitamin C? 

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C is 90 milligrams per day, while the tolerable upper intake amount is 2,000 milligrams per day. Vitamin C megadosage occurs when the consumption or infusion of the vitamin largely exceeds these levels. 

The good news is, too much vitamin C is unlikely to be harmful. A vitamin C megadose usually only has mild consequences such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

Less commonly, some people may experience severe side effects from taking too much vitamin C. Long term intake well above the recommended levels increases the risk of the following conditions:

• Formation of kidney stones. High doses of vitamin C supplementation can result in excreting the compounds calcium oxalate and uric acid in the urine, which may lead to kidney stone formation.
• Nutritional imbalance. Excessive vitamin C intake can impair the body’s ability to process vitamin B12 and iron and cause deficiency in these nutrients. 
• Developing bone spurs. The presence of very high vitamin C levels in the body increases the chances of developing painful bone spurs or osteophytes. These are hard bumps that form on the ends of bones and cause pain in surrounding nerves.

Knowing that you can’t easily overdose on vitamin C, let’s see how frequently you should undergo a vitamin IV treatment. 

How Often Should You Do Vitamin C IV Therapy? 

To begin with, you will receive daily vitamin C injections for up to a week. Once your nutrient levels become stable, you can start receiving treatments every two weeks. You can expect your vitamin C levels to remain elevated between your bimonthly treatments. 

The typical vitamin C infusion dose is 200 mg.

How Long Does a Vitamin C Infusion Take? 

Vitamin C IV therapy is a very quick and easy procedure. Your therapy will normally take between 30 and 45 minutes. The entire process, from a Reset IV nurse arriving at the location of your choice, setting up and administering the IV to payment and cleanup will typically take about 60-90 minutes. 

Can I Get Vitamin C IV Treatments at Home? 

Yes, absolutely. Reset IV is a concierge service. This means that we deliver IV treatments wherever you are, whether it’s your home, your office, a hotel room, or a gym. There is no need to drive to a clinic or to wait for treatment. And our travel fees are always included in the price.

The Reset IV nurses can come to you any time of day or night, including weekends and holidays. They will be at your door within an hour of booking, depending on availability. You don’t need to have any special equipment. We will bring everything you need for the treatment so that you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the benefits of your vitamin C IV therapy.

How Much Does IV Vitamin C Therapy Cost?

While at Reset IV we do not offer vitamin C IV therapy as a stand-alone treatment, it is available as an add-on with all our IV packages. 

We offer over 20 different IV formulas that address concerns ranging from fatigue to cold and flu symptoms to jet lag and hangover. If you are not sure which package is the most suitable for your condition, our professionals will be happy to make recommendations.

The price of a vitamin C add-on is $60. Our package prices start at $159.

Is Vitamin C IV Therapy Covered by Insurance?

We do not accept private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. Not having to deal with insurance providers enables us to focus on what matters most—helping you to maximize your health and recovery with our on-demand IV therapy. And our services are still less expensive than many co-pays. 

We accept FSA cards.

IV Therapy Locations

Reset IV has five convenient locations: Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Tampa, and Orange County. So if you are looking for the best IV therapy provider give us a call!