Intravenous drips as vitamin therapy: 'Not intended for unlicensed use' - Prof Terrence Kommal, Infusion Lab

John Maytham speaks to Professor Terrence Kommal, Medical Director of Infusion Lab.

Listen below:

IV drip bars are growing in popularity around specific areas in Cape Town, notes Maytham.

Most are marketed as intravenous vitamin therapy to enhance your health and wellness, declutter the mind, reduce stress, detox, relieve migraines, improve sports performance and muscle recovery, lose weight, improve the appearance of your skin and hair, and boost hydration.

Some IV bars are also designed to enhance everything from fertility to energy levels to overall well-being. Others are formulated to boost immunity and assist in recovery from workouts, illnesses, or the after-effects of overindulgence.

Registered nurses and doctors are legally required to administer these IV infusions gently and safely.

Kommal also warns that IV drips should only be administered by licensed medical professionals and regulated by various medical institutions.

IV drips sold without a prescription or any medical professional administering them in an unlicensed setting like a retail store is illegal.

"Are there medical uses for IV drips and therapy? The answer is, 'yes'. Those premises that offer non-medical practitioner-led practices, I have questions about what they actually deliver, serve or the legalities of that... These are  regulated compounded medicines meant to be under the control of a medical doctor or pharmacist. How they land up in non-medical hands or at retail outlets is shocking, questionable and illegal."

- Terrence Kommal, Infusion Lab

IV drips can't be 'mixed up in someone's kitchen' and sold to people because there are medical processes to follow in making, prescribing, selling and administering them, adds Kommal.

"These compounded vitamins and related products are only available by licensed pharmacists who run licensed compounding companies who can only compound them with a valid medical prescription issued to a particular patient's name by a registered medical doctor..."

- Terrence Kommal, Infusion Lab

Kommal explains that IV drips are not intended for recreational use or in a recreational setting like a shopping centre.

In such a setting, if anything goes wrong, there may be no emergency resources or doctors available.

If someone gets an IV boost for recreational use without a medical check-up and they have pre-existing medical conditions, it can result in life-threatening side effects. 

"... the biggest risk is, the day somebody collapses because they have a pre-existing condition, because a non-nurse-led recreational facility in a shopping centre administered IV drips... the liability is a huge issue."

- Terrence Kommal, Infusion Lab

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