An IV drip delivers fluids, vitamins, minerals and nutrients directly into your bloodstream. Because it bypasses the digestive system, the fluid volume reaches you quickly and completely, which is the main practical difference between an IV and taking something by mouth.
Patients come to us for a drip after illness, after heavy exertion, during a demanding stretch at work, or because they simply have not been keeping up with fluids in an Oklahoma summer. Every drip here is prepared and given by medical staff in the clinic, and every patient is assessed before anything is started.
Restoring fluid after illness, heat or hard exertion.
A vitamin blend when you are running on empty.
Extra support through cold and flu season.
After a race, a hard training block or a long weekend.
You will be asked about your medical history, any medications and allergies, and what you are hoping the drip will do. That conversation decides which blend is appropriate — and occasionally it decides that a drip is not the right answer at all, in which case we will say so.
The line is placed in a vein in your arm, and you sit comfortably while the bag runs. Most drips take somewhere between thirty and sixty minutes depending on the volume and the blend. You can read, work or talk to whoever came with you. Afterwards the line comes out and you are free to go; there is no recovery period and you can drive yourself home.
Bring a list of your medications and tell us about any kidney or heart conditions, because both change how your body handles a large volume of fluid. If you have had a reaction to an IV before, tell us that too.
IV hydration is a supportive therapy. It replaces fluid and delivers nutrients, and for dehydration that is exactly what is needed. It is not a treatment for any disease, it is not a substitute for medical care, and it will not fix an underlying problem that needs diagnosing.
If you are repeatedly exhausted, repeatedly dehydrated, or feeling unwell in a way you cannot explain, the useful thing is to find out why. We can do that here too — see adult primary care — and we would rather investigate the cause than sell you a drip every fortnight.
Usually between thirty and sixty minutes, depending on the volume of fluid and the blend. Allow a little longer for your first visit, because of the assessment beforehand.
You will feel the needle going in, much as you would for a blood draw. After that most people forget it is there. Tell the staff if it becomes uncomfortable at any point.
That depends on why you are having it. For most people an occasional drip is fine; frequent drips are worth a conversation about what is driving the need, rather than simply booking more of them.
Anyone with significant kidney or heart failure needs careful assessment first, because both affect how the body handles extra fluid. Tell us about any such condition, any allergies, and any previous reaction to an IV.
Yes. There is no sedation involved and no recovery period.
It can help with the dehydration that comes with both, and dehydration is often a large part of why you feel awful. It does not treat the illness itself, and we will not tell you otherwise.
Call us and we will talk through which blend suits what you actually need.