You made a mistake, overdid it a bit last night and now you feel miserable. You’re suffering from a condition called “acute alcohol withdrawal”—more popularly known as a hangover. Don’t get sidelined by headaches, nausea, and brain fog. Let us help you feel better fast! We’ll speak softly and start rapidly rehydrating your body with 1 liter of normal saline crystalloid. For that splitting headache, we’ll add Toradol—a long-lasting, non-narcotic, potent pain reliever and anti-inflammatory. Throw in some Zofran for nausea and your symptoms will virtually disappear.

But we take it a step further, we give you back the B vitamins and minerals your body may be missing after last night, and top it off with a generous helping of antioxidants like vitamin C to get you feeling like new again.

Ingredients

Science

Alcohol induces a state of dehydration in the body by inhibiting the hormone ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) secreted by the pituitary gland. This causes frequent urination, hence all the trips you make to the bathroom while drinking. Aggressive re-hydration is very important in acute alcohol withdrawal recovery. Replacement of other key nutrients like folate (B9), riboflavin (B2), thiamine (B1), cobalamin (B12), zinc and magnesium have also been shown to reduce the symptoms of acute alcohol withdrawal (2),(3).

When you drink, it increases your levels of oxidative stress. This puts your mitochondria—the energy factories in our cells that produce ATP—under duress. In times of heightened oxidative stress your cells are exposed to high levels of oxidants and free radicals, increased hydrogen peroxide production and decreased nitric oxide production—a molecule which is key in keeping our blood vessels open and allowing adequate blood flow to tissues.

To mitigate this, you need to increase your intake of antioxidants such as vitamin C. The research bears this out. A 2014 study in animals (1) showed that melatonin taken before alcohol ingestion helped reduce withdrawal symptoms, likely due to its effects as an antioxidant. Other antioxidants like vitamin C could, therefore, be helpful in managing acute alcohol withdrawal which is precisely why we add them to this IV.

References

1. Karadayian A G, Cutrera RA.  Alcohol hangover: type and time-extension of motor function impairments. Behavioural brain research, 247, 165-173.
2. Prior PL, Vaz MJ, Ramos AC, Galduróz JCF. Influence of Microelement Concentration on the Intensity of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome Alcohol and Alcoholism, 50(2), 152-156.
3. Heese P, Linnebank M, Semmler A, Muschler MA, Heberlein A, Frieling H, Hillemacher T. Alterations of homocysteine serum levels during alcohol withdrawal are influenced by folate and riboflavin: results from the German Investigation on Neurobiology in Alcoholism (GINA). Alcohol and alcoholism, 47(5), 497-500.