How to Prep for Your First IV Therapy Appointment
Whether you’re looking to boost energy, prep your body for training, or need hangover relief, intravenous (IV) therapy is a relatively new popular, quick, and effective method to get the necessary nutrients in your body. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, IV injection bypasses your digestive system and administers nutrients through your veins with high dosages and quick absorption.
If you have an appointment for IV therapy coming up, it’s best to take a few precautionary steps to ensure that you obtain the optimal value of your session. Follow these 5 pre-care tips to feel the full benefits of IV therapy.
1. Hydrate & Snack
Even if you’re receiving hydration and nutrients in your IV therapy session, it’s still essential to hydrate and snack before for appointment. If you’re dehydrated, the veins throughout your body will contract harder. This makes it difficult to receive the injection from the IV therapy. You also want to ensure that your blood sugar levels are stabilized prior to the session. That’s why it is recommended that you eat a snack, such as a granola bar, before your therapy. Having something in your stomach and being hydrated will also help counteract lightheadedness and nausea that may occur during and after the session.
2. Avoid Vasoconstriction Drugs
Some over-the-counter medication can cause your blood vessels to contract, which makes it difficult to get an IV injection. These vasoconstriction medications are common in over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants like Sedated PE. If possible, it’s best to avoid these types of medications on the day of your appointment. However, some prescriptions and blood pressure medications also contain vasoconstrictive properties, so it’s unavoidable to stop taking those drugs in those cases. If so, just ensure that you’re drinking more water to stay extra hydrated before your session.
3. Dress for your IV Injection
You may not think twice of how to dress for your appointment, but you want to make sure you dress comfortably for your IV therapy session. Know that you’ll be sitting for about 30-45 minutes throughout the duration of your appointment, so you want to wear something in which you’ll be comfortable during that time. Sweats and a t-shirt are simple and comfy clothes that you can lounge in. Anything that makes you feel relaxed and confident is the ideal wear for your IV treatment.
It’s important to know that you’ll need to expose your inner elbow to receive the IV injection. Avoid long sleeve clothes that are difficult to roll up. Still, the room may be on the cooler side, so we recommend bringing some articles that are easy to layer. Keep in mind that you’ll be one-handed most of the time since one arm will be injected. Bottoms with too many zippers and buttons will make using the bathroom difficult as a result, so it’s best to wear stretchy bottoms that are easy to remove.
4. Bring Entertainment
Like we missioned before, your session will probably take around 30-45 minutes to complete. It’ll seem a lot longer with nothing to do. To pass the time quicker, it’s best to bring something to keep you entertained, but make sure it doesn’t make too much noise that might disturb other patients. A few suggestions include: reading a book, listening to music, work on your computer, or doing crossword puzzles.
5. Relax
Injections may be terrifying for some people and IV therapy is certainly intimidating, especially if it’s your first time. You may have a list of worries or of things that may go wrong. But don’t fret! You’ll have a team of skilled nurses to guide you throughout the entire process and to address any concerns you may have. To help manage anxiety, maybe do some research beforehand and bring questions for the team to answer. Breathing exercises can also help when you’re feeling nervous on the day of your appointment. What’s important is that you’re doing things that will make you feel relaxed.
If you have an IV therapy session come up, brush through these steps and you’ll be more than ready. With this IV injection preparation and other post-care tips, you’ll be able to optimize the benefits of your treatment, and most importantly, be safe. Wish you the best in your next appointment!
