Is IV therapy safe?
Intravenous nutrient therapy is a clinical procedure, not a wellness ritual. The technique — sterile single-use line, calibrated infusion, monitored delivery — is the same used on hospital wards for hydration and supplementation, where it has decades of safety data.
The honest answer to the safety question is conditional. IV therapy is safe when the protocol is dose-correct, the operator is trained, the materials are sterile, and the client is screened. Remove any of those, and you have a procedure with real risk. The screening layer is the part most consumer-IV brands skip.
The actual risks
Three categories of risk apply to a properly run IV session. First, mechanical: bruising at the insertion site, vein irritation, and very rarely a small extravasation if the line slips out. These are managed in-room and resolve without consequence.
Second, dose-related: vitamin C above 50 g per session can stress the kidneys in some clients, magnesium at high IV doses can lower blood pressure, glutathione can interact with certain medications, and high-dose NAD⁺ infused too quickly causes facial flushing and chest pressure. These are why protocols specify infusion rate and per-session dose ceilings.
Third, allergic: anaphylactic reactions to IV vitamins are rare but real. This is why clinics keep emergency medications on site and why staff are trained in infusion-reaction protocols. At INFUZE, epinephrine, hydrocortisone, antihistamine and oxygen are kept in every infusion room.
Who should not receive IV therapy
Standard contraindications: pregnancy and lactation, advanced kidney disease (eGFR below 30), G6PD deficiency for high-dose vitamin C protocols, untreated thyroid storm, active anaphylaxis history to any IV component, decompensated heart failure.
Conditional cases that require review: anticoagulant therapy, recent surgery, active autoimmune flare, certain chemotherapy regimens, and any newly diagnosed condition. The Consultation is where these are filtered. We refuse protocols when the markers don't fit — refusing a 650 zł session is a worse outcome than running it incorrectly.
What good clinical practice looks like
Five questions to ask any IV clinic before the first session: who places the line and what is their licence; where is the bag mixed and what records are kept; what emergency medications are on site; what bloodwork is required before specific protocols; and what happens if there's a reaction during the session.
If any of these has a vague answer, the safety margin is thinner than the brand suggests. The materials cost is similar across clinics — the difference is the documented procedure layer behind it.
Common questions
- Has anyone had a serious reaction at your clinic?
- We've had two infusion reactions in our operating history, both managed in-room without hospital transfer. Adverse events are documented in client files and reviewed monthly by the medical director.
- Do I need bloodwork before every session?
- No. Foundation, Performance, Recovery are routine for healthy adults without prerequisite bloodwork. Detox requires G6PD screening before the first session. Anti-aging 55+ requires a recent full metabolic panel.
- What happens if I feel unwell during the infusion?
- Tell the clinician — the line is paused or stopped immediately, you're moved to the supine position, vitals are checked, and intervention is decided in the room. Sessions can be stopped at any point without question.