A vitamin infusion delivers vitamins, minerals and fluid directly into a vein; a vitamin shot is an injection into a muscle. Our infusion suite offers a range of drips and shots, vitamin C, B-complex, vitamin D, glutathione and magnesium among them, each given by a qualified clinician after a health check.
What happens at your visit
- A health questionnaire and consultation. The clinician asks about your medical history, your medicines, your allergies and why you are interested, and checks your pulse and blood pressure. If there is a reason an infusion would not be safe for you, you are told at this point.
- Choosing what is given. You discuss which infusion or shot suits what you have in mind. You are told what is in it.
- The infusion. A small tube is placed in a vein in your arm and the drip runs through over 30 to 60 minutes while you sit in a chair. A shot takes a few minutes.
- Afterwards. The tube is removed, a small dressing applied and you can go back to your day.
Being straightforward about what it does
A healthy adult who eats a varied diet usually gets the vitamins they need from food, and the body passes out what it cannot use. An infusion is a wellbeing treatment that some people choose and enjoy; it is not a medical treatment and it does not prevent, treat or shorten any illness. If you have symptoms, persistent tiredness above all, the useful first step is to find out why. A blood test shows whether you are actually low in iron, vitamin B12, folate or vitamin D, and a deficiency that is found can then be treated in the way that suits it, which is often a tablet. A GP appointment is the place for symptoms that have gone on for more than a few weeks.
Who should not have an infusion
Tell the clinician if any of these apply, because an infusion may be unsuitable or need a doctor's advice first:
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Kidney disease or kidney stones
- Heart failure or a heart rhythm problem
- G6PD deficiency or haemochromatosis
- An allergy to any ingredient
- Current chemotherapy, or medicines that interact with high-dose vitamins
Infusions are for adults.
Risks and side effects
Most people have none beyond a cool feeling in the arm and, with some B vitamins, bright yellow urine for a day. Any cannula can cause a bruise, tenderness or inflammation of the vein. Infection at the site, the drip leaking into the tissue and allergic reactions are uncommon but possible, which is why infusions are given by clinicians in a clinical setting, with your observations checked and emergency equipment to hand. Tell the clinician at once if you feel light-headed, flushed, itchy, tight-chested or unwell during the drip.
Common questions
How often can I have one? That is agreed at your consultation and depends on what is being given.
Is a shot or a drip better? They are different ways of giving different things. The clinician will explain which applies.
Do I need a blood test first? It is not always required, but it is the only way to know whether you are low in something, and we encourage it.
How do I book? Request a consultation and say which infusion you are interested in.
