IV Vitamin Therapy and Ozone Therapy Claims

Urgent first

Chest pain, trouble breathing, a spreading rash, swelling of the face or throat, or a high fever during or after any infusion needs emergency care: in the US call 911. This page is information only and does not replace medical care.

Two treatments, two questions

IV vitamin drips and ozone therapy are offered at some naturopathic, integrative and wellness clinics, and also at some medical practices. For each we ask what it is legitimately used for in medicine, what evidence supports the marketed use, and what the risks are. Evidence labels: established, mixed, insufficient evidence, no good evidence of benefit, evidence of harm, marketing claim.

IV vitamin therapy

What it is. Vitamins and minerals given by drip into a vein. Popular blends include the so-called Myers cocktail. For the intravenous route itself see intravenous delivery: the science; for NAD drips and high-dose vitamin C see IV drips, NAD IV and vitamin C claims.

Legitimate medical use. A 2023 Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin review says intravenous vitamins are used for a few serious medical conditions, such as malabsorption syndromes with severe vitamin depletion, Wernicke's encephalopathy or critical illness. [1]

Marketing claims. High-dose blends are promoted to reduce stress, increase energy or boost immunity, with the claim that the intravenous route allows faster absorption than taking vitamins by mouth. [1]

What the evidence shows. The same review found a lack of high-quality evidence that high-dose vitamin infusions are necessary or offer any health benefit in the absence of a specific vitamin deficiency or medical condition, and warned of possible harms from high, non-physiological quantities of some vitamins and minerals. [1] The one controlled trial of the Myers cocktail we could read was a pilot in 34 adults with fibromyalgia, with weekly infusions or a placebo infusion for 8 weeks. Both groups improved, there were no statistically significant differences between them, the authors cited a high placebo response and small sample size, and they concluded that efficacy relative to placebo is as yet uncertain. [2] We found no readable trial of the Myers cocktail for energy, stress or immunity, so for those claims: Proper evidence not found.

Cancer. NCCIH says studies of high-dose intravenous vitamin C for cancer have varying results, that research in people is limited, and that the evidence is mixed. [3] It also says no complementary approach has been shown to cure cancer or cause it to go into remission, and that unproven products should not replace or delay medical treatment. [3] A study of US cancer registry data found that people with curable cancers who chose alternative medicine alone had a higher risk of death than matched patients who had standard treatment. [6]

Regulation and oversight. The review notes that licensed injectable vitamins that are prescription-only medicines should not be advertised to the public and should only be supplied and administered by appropriately qualified healthcare professionals. [1] That is a statement from a UK medical bulletin, not a rule for every country. Who may give IV treatments differs by place and profession; see credentials, licensing and scope of practice. We did not find a readable source with infection or overdose rates for IV wellness clinics, so we give no numbers; the safety page risks of IV therapy, chelation and injections covers what we could verify.

Questions to ask. What deficiency or condition is being treated, and how was it measured? Who inserts the line and who handles an emergency? What exactly is in the bag, and could it interact with my medicines? People with kidney, heart or liver disease, pregnancy, or several medicines should check with their own clinician first.

Ozone therapy

What it is. Ozone gas or ozone-treated blood, oil or water used by injection, rectal insufflation, "autohemotherapy" or topically, offered for many conditions. A systematic review describes these routes among the ones tested for wounds. [5] Deeper coverage: ozone therapy claims and ozone and hyperbaric oxygen claims.

US federal regulation. 21 CFR 801.415 states that ozone is a toxic gas with no known useful medical application in specific, adjunctive or preventive therapy. [4] It adds that inhaled ozone can irritate the lungs enough to cause pulmonary edema, and that onset is usually delayed for some hours. [4] That regulation concerns ozone-generating devices and their labeling; we did not read the rules of other countries.

What the evidence shows. A 2022 systematic review of 12 randomized trials of ozone for chronic wounds reported that, for diabetic foot ulcers, ozone improved wound area and lowered amputation rates compared with standard care, but did not improve the proportion of completely healed wounds or hospital stay. It found efficacy for other wound types uncertain and called for more high-quality trials. [5] That is a narrow finding on wounds, not support for ozone drips for general health. For wellness, immune, cancer or chronic disease claims we found proper evidence not found in sources we could read.

Safety. The wound review states that no adverse events associated with ozone treatment were reported in the trials it included. [5] That reflects small trials in a specific setting. The federal regulation describes lung injury from inhaled ozone. [4] We did not find a readable source on complication rates for systemic ozone in clinics.

What to do next

Talk to your regular doctor before any infusion or ozone treatment, and see red flags in health claims and the claim check do IV vitamins boost energy and immunity?. Do not stop prescribed medicines for any drip.