Newman says he only had a few beers the previous night “but I already feel energized and a little better, and hopefully it’ll keep going up. If I was a little more hungover, I think it would have been a more drastic change. But I’m just feeling good.”
Too Much Booze is just one of the recipes on Revive’s menu. There’s “Too Much Sun”, “Too Much Exercise,” and of course — this is a partying beach town after all — “Too Much EVERYTHING.”
They also offer vitamin shots at $30 to $50 a pop. The Ale House crew got a B-12 shot for an energy boost.
Co-owner Tania Pritz is a retired chiropractor who touts the health benefits of the drips and shots. She says the body doesn’t absorb traditional oral vitamins well, whereas the IV line gets the nutrients right into the bloodstream.
Businesses like hers have sprouted up because too few people have a disciplined nutrition and fitness regimen, Pritz said.
“Are you eating well? Whole foods in their natural state, organic?” she asks. “Are you getting enough rest? Are you managing your stress? Are you exercising? Most people are not doing this.”
Pritz asserts that the IV drip can rectify those deficiencies in diet and lifestyle.
“This is a way that you can supplement your health and invest in your health versus waiting until you get sick and breaking down and entering the very poorly run health care system, which is sick care,” she says. “This is a part of contributing to your own wellness.”
Revive also takes the IV drips to people’s homes, even poolside. Partying fraternity brothers used it at their beach pad, both pre-game, and post-game. And bachelorette and bachelor parties have also scheduled infusions.
‘Generally not harmful, really not needed’
But are IV nutrition drips safe, and do they truly provide a health benefit?
Dr. Sam Torbati of Beverly Hills, California, is the director of emergency medicine at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. He has plenty of friends who have tried the treatments popularized by Hollywood celebrities such as model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen.
He calls intravenous drips an unnecessary “fad” that’s nevertheless safe as long as a trained clinician administers the doses using sterile methods and the recipient doesn’t have serious heart or other health issues.
“For individuals that are otherwise healthy, they can achieve the same outcome by just drinking water and taking a multivitamin,” Torbati said. “Or if they have a balanced diet, they don’t even need the extra vitamins. So generally not harmful, generally not really needed.”
The doctor stresses that no one should expect long-term benefits.
“Will it enhance your health? No. Will it make you live longer? No. Will it cure cancer or other foods? No. It’s just like a lot of things that can make people feel better,” he said.
Pritz and co-owner Matt McKinnis stress that they have a medical director who oversees their business, and that people are questioned about their health history before getting infused.
Torbati urges people with a hangover to drink lots of fluids, perhaps take an over-the-counter pain med, and rest — not head back to the bar.
Registered dietician Bonnie Taub-Dix says Las Vegas is also a popular place for the reputed hangover cure, and that it’s no surprise that people who drink too much feel somewhat better.
“You’re probably dehydrated and that hydration probably makes you feel better,” Taub-Dix said. “But otherwise, it seems like that people go for it for a quick fix. But you’re really not fixing very much at all.”
Plus, she says, it’s really pricey.
“If you want vitamins, you know, you could go to a pharmacy and buy-one-get-one-free and you’ll spend a lot less money than you would go for one of these IV solutions,” she said.
