Written by the nurses at IV League Hydration in South Boston. Every bag described here is mixed and run by a registered nurse. Book an IV in Boston.
"IV nutrition" is the umbrella term for delivering vitamins, minerals and amino acids straight into a vein instead of through your gut. It is the same idea as a vitamin drip, an IV nutrition therapy session or an infusion at an IV clinic — what actually matters is what is in the bag, who mixes it and who decides you are a safe candidate.
What is actually in an IV nutrition bag
Ours start with Lactated Ringer's, a balanced electrolyte fluid (sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium and lactate) rather than plain salt water. If you want the pharmacology, we wrote about normal saline separately. Into that base a nurse adds some combination of:
- B-complex and B12 — energy metabolism and nerve function.
- Vitamin C — higher doses than you can absorb orally.
- Magnesium — muscle relaxation, headaches, cramping.
- Zinc and selenium — immune support during cold season.
- Amino acids — recovery and lean-mass support for athletes.
- Glutathione — given as a slow push at the end, never mixed with vitamin C in the same syringe. Details on the glutathione IV page.
The full menu and current prices live on our services page, and our most-requested nutrition blend is the MVP, our Myers cocktail.
Why IV instead of a pill
Oral vitamins have to survive your stomach and your intestinal transporters. For some nutrients — B12 if you do not absorb it well, vitamin C past a few hundred milligrams — the gut is a hard ceiling. An infusion skips that step, so blood levels rise far higher. That is a real pharmacokinetic difference, not a marketing claim.
What it is not: a replacement for eating, sleeping or treating a diagnosed deficiency. If you are chronically exhausted, get labs. We will tell you that at the chair.
What a session looks like
Forty-five to sixty minutes for a standard bag. A nurse reviews your health history and medications, checks your blood pressure, places the line, and stays with you. You sit in a recliner, you can work or watch something, and you walk out afterwards. Nothing about it requires a day off.
Who we turn away
Being honest about this is the difference between a clinic and a juice bar. We decline or require clearance for: pregnancy and breastfeeding for most add-ons, kidney or heart failure (a litre of fluid is a real load), uncontrolled high blood pressure, G6PD deficiency for high-dose vitamin C, active chemotherapy without oncology sign-off, and sulfite sensitivity for certain additives. A nurse screens every booking — see drip bar vs medical IV clinic for why that matters.
Where to get IV nutrition in Boston
We run two South Boston clinics — A Street and L Street — and a mobile team that comes to you in Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Seaport, the North End, Cambridge and Brookline. More on IV therapy in Boston and mobile IV house calls.
Pick a time and a nurse will confirm what belongs in your bag before anything goes in it.
