Dr. Zeyad Baker, MD, reveals benefits of trending hangover remedy: “This is direct, immediate”
Dr. Zeyad Baker has revealed a trendy hangover cure that is “direct and immediate.”
After a session of heavy drinking, people wake up dehydrated, foggy and miserable, all the familiar symptoms of a hangover. However, in recent years, a trendy option has emerged: hangover IV drips. This method is said to deliver saline, electrolytes, vitamins, and sometimes anti-nausea or anti-inflammatory agents directly into the bloodstream.
The appeal is obvious: it bypasses your gut, rehydrates you fast, and hopefully makes you feel better in an hour or less. Dr. Zeyad Baker at New York City medical concierge practice Baker Health told the NY Post that “the truth is, once you’re feeling crappy the next day, the amount of different vitamins … I don’t want to say it would be impossible to get in orally, but it’s just an exorbitant amount.”
“They’re not being swallowed, going into the gut, being partially digested by the liver and partially filtered by the kidney — and then compromised and delayed and partially absorbed,” Baker explained. “This is direct, immediate.”
“Alcohol is a diuretic, it does a lot of cellular damage”
“Alcohol is a natural diuretic,” Baker adds. “It does a lot of cellular damage … When you’re throwing [drinks] back, you’re going to the bathroom and peeing a lot, and you’re almost always dehydrated. So the saline, the fluid itself — which is the preponderance of what you’re getting — is hugely impactful.”
But hold on, put the needles away. Medical reviews and clinical analyses have been quick to highlight two important limitations: First, and perhaps most critically, a hangover is more than simple dehydration. It involves a complex mix of alcohol metabolism by-products, inflammation, altered brain chemistry, and disruption to sleep. IV fluids cannot accelerate the liver’s detoxification of alcohol or reverse damage to tissues.
Second, rigorous scientific studies are also lacking on the topic. There is no robust scientific evidence demonstrating that IV drips shorten the duration or lessen the severity of hangovers compared to traditional hydration, rest, and nutrition. While it’s not based on faith, it’s no guarantee.
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IV therapy is also not risk-free. Potential complications include infection at the injection site, vein inflammation, electrolyte imbalance, or fluid overload. Cost is another factor. These sessions are often quite expensive and rarely covered by insurance - it’s a hangover, not an illness - making them a luxury rather than a pragmatic health strategy.
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