Trendy, celeb-loved IV drip treatments could be dangerous, deadly

health

by Adriana Diaz

you need to hear this.

Used by celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, Lorde, and Miley Cyrus, intravenous or infusion treatments to improve health and treat hangovers have skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade.

But now infectious disease experts and ER doctors are warning of an increase in severe infections and other injuries associated with the trending treatments.

Recovery infusions release a cocktail of vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and antioxidants such as selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin B complex directly into the patient's veins, and many claim this provides almost immediate benefits. doing.

When properly administered, the treatment “acts as a vehicle to deliver drugs and antioxidants that eliminate toxic metabolites, reduce symptoms associated with hangovers, and reduce harmful free radicals,” says REVIV Founder said Dr. Johnny Parvani, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Officer. he told the Post.

In response to incredible demand, IV bars are opening all over the country, IV companies are making house calls, and some are even setting up shop inside luxury apartment buildings.

However, as access to treatments increases, so does the number of patients reporting side effects.

Dr. Richna Bisset McCain, an emergency medicine physician at Baylor College of Medicine, reported that she is seeing an increasing number of patients having adverse reactions after receiving this type of treatment at medical spas and hydration clinics.

In response to the increase in negative reactions, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning Last month, we covered unregulated lipolytic injections and improper injection techniques.

“One of the most common complications we see is infection, usually at the IV placement site,” Bisset McCain told NBC News.

Unfortunately, 26-year-old Bee Amma can speak from experience. The fitness influencer contracted a virulent bacteria called Mycobacterium abscessus in 2021 after spending $800 on an IV at an upscale Los Angeles spa.

Amma paid to have dozens of injections of a mixture of vitamin B1 and vitamin C with “fast-soluble” deoxycholic acid into her arms, back and stomach, but her skin soon became infected and painful. Covered with lesions.

“My skin had welts and welts,” Amma told Kennedy News. “They started appearing where they were injected…my whole body started eating itself alive.”

“My body was losing the fight. I remember being in so much pain that night I thought I was going to die. I couldn't fight anymore.”

Doctors believe she contracted the infection as a result of an improper injection of deoxycholic acid.

Dr. Claire Brown, an infectious disease expert at UCLA, told NBC News that the bacteria is often associated with cosmetic procedures that involve injections if the equipment is not properly sterilized.

“This changed everything in my life,” Amma, who is still recovering three years later, told NBC News. “No one knows if I will ever recover.”

The owner of the spa where Amma attended did not respond to NBC News' requests for comment, calling the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's investigation into Amma's case “inconclusive.”

A dangerous experience at a medical spa is also suspected of forever changing the lives of Jennifer Cleveland's family and friends.

A 47-year-old woman complained of difficulty breathing and tightness in her chest when she received an IV drip at The Lux Medspa in Wortham, Texas, on July 10, according to an attorney for The Lux Medspa.

She then lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, the Texas Medical Board reported. Her doctors said she went into cardiac arrest.

Although an autopsy could not determine whether IV therapy was the cause of Cleveland's death, the Texas Medical Board found that “failure to properly supervise an individual administering IV therapy without a license” contributed to his death. The spa's medical director's license was suspended because of the connection.

Cleveland's family, along with experts in the field, are calling for greater regulation and oversight of medical spas.

Alex Tiersch, chief executive of the American MedSpa Association, explained that there are currently no federal health regulations or national standard procedures for medical spas, leaving each state to set its own rules.

“There's a bit of an underbelly in this industry that there are people who shouldn't be treated the way they're doing,” Thiersch told NBC News, adding that some states “don't have the resources.” “I don't have time,” he said. ” to ensure each medical spa is doing everything right.

“This is a very safe industry,” Thiersch said. “But what's missing is a baseline level of consistency across all states.”