The Myers Cocktail Drip: What Is in It, What It Does and What to Expect

If you have looked at any IV drip menu, the Myers cocktail is the one that appears on every list. It is the original vitamin drip, the base that most of the others are built on, and the one people usually mean when they say "a vitamin drip". This guide explains where it came from, what is in the bag, what the evidence does and does not show, who it is not suitable for, and what the 45 minutes in the chair are actually like.

Where the Myers cocktail came from

The drip is named after Dr John Myers, a physician in Baltimore who, from the 1960s until his death in 1984, gave intravenous mixtures of vitamins and minerals to patients with a range of complaints, from asthma and migraine to fatigue. He never published his exact recipe. After he died, another Baltimore doctor, Alan Gaby, took on many of his patients, worked out a standardised version, and in 2002 published a review describing his experience of giving it to several hundred people. That paper is still the main reference for the drip, and it is worth knowing that it is a description of one doctor's practice rather than a controlled trial.

Since then the mix has been adopted by wellness clinics around the world, often with small variations. The name has become a brand in its own right, which is partly why it is searched for far more than any other drip.

What is in the bag

Our Myers Cocktail Drip is a 1 litre bag containing:

• B vitamins. Vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 contribute to normal energy metabolism and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
• Vitamin C. Contributes to the normal function of the immune system and to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin.
• Magnesium. Contributes to normal muscle function, the normal functioning of the nervous system, normal psychological function and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
• Calcium. Included in the classic recipe alongside magnesium.
• Zinc and selenium. Both contribute to the normal function of the immune system.

Those phrases are the wording the European and UK food safety regulators have authorised for each nutrient, and they are the claims I am prepared to stand behind. You will see stronger language on other websites. Treat it with caution.

The drip runs over about 45 minutes from start to finish, including a short consultation with the doctor at the beginning and a check of your pulse and blood pressure before you leave. It costs £149.

What it does, and what the evidence says

Giving these nutrients into a vein means the whole dose reaches your bloodstream at once, without depending on how well your gut absorbs them. For someone who is deficient in one of them, that is a quick and reliable way to correct it. For someone with poor absorption, after bowel surgery for example, it may be the only reliable way.

For people who are not deficient, the honest position is that the evidence is limited. The best-designed study of the Myers cocktail, a small randomised trial in people with fibromyalgia published in 2009, found that the drip and a placebo saline drip both produced improvements, and the difference between them was not significant. Gaby's own review reported that many of his patients felt better, sometimes for days, but it had no comparison group. There are no large trials showing that the drip prevents colds, improves athletic performance, or cures a hangover.

What I see in clinic is that most people feel pleasantly refreshed afterwards, and some say the effect lasts a few days. Some of that is a litre of fluid in someone who was a bit dry. Some is 45 minutes of enforced rest. Some is the nutrients, particularly in people whose diet has been poor. I think it is reasonable to book a Myers drip for how it makes you feel, provided you know that is what you are paying for.

Who tends to book it

In practice the people who book a Myers drip fall into a few groups: people recovering from a stretch of travel, long shifts or a run of poor meals who want a top-up; people with conditions that affect absorption, who have discussed the drip with their own doctor; people who have tried oral supplements and not tolerated them; and people who simply like the ritual and feel better for it. The doctor's consultation at the start exists to sort out who is in which group, and occasionally to say that a blood test or a different approach would serve someone better.

The Energy and Calm variants

Two of our drips are the Myers cocktail with something added:

• Energy Drip, £169. The Myers cocktail followed by a 5mg vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) injection into the muscle once the bag has finished. B12 is stored in the liver, so unlike the rest of the drip the injection lasts for months. If you have had a low or borderline B12 result this is the version to ask about; our Active B12 guide explains the test.
• Calm Drip, £199. The Myers cocktail with an extra 1 gram of magnesium in the bag. Magnesium relaxes blood vessels, which is why we check your blood pressure before and after, and why this drip is not for people with low blood pressure or kidney problems. See the magnesium drip guide.

When you book any of them you can tick add-ons, each given separately after the bag rather than mixed into it: a glutathione injection (£35), a vitamin B12 injection (£20), a vitamin B complex injection (£25) or a vitamin D injection (£65, which includes the doctor confirming at your consultation that it is right for you).

What happens on the day

Eat something and drink water before you come; please do not arrive fasting. Bring a list of your medications and any supplements. The appointment starts with the consultation and a check of your pulse and blood pressure. A small cannula is placed in a vein in your arm or hand, the bag is connected, and you sit back for the next 40 minutes or so. You can read, work or doze. Before you leave we check your pulse and blood pressure again, and you can drive home.

A flush, a warm feeling or a metallic taste during the drip is normal and passes within minutes. Some people notice the magnesium as a sense of warmth spreading from the arm. Tell us if anything feels wrong, and we slow or stop the drip.

Who it is not for

Every drip starts with a short consultation with the doctor, and some conditions mean the drip is not suitable. Reply to your confirmation email or call us before your appointment if any of these apply, so we can advise or rebook you without charge:

• You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• You have a kidney or liver condition, or heart failure.
• You are under 18, or over 60.
• You have a known allergy to any vitamin or mineral.
• You have a haemolytic condition such as G6PD deficiency, sickle cell, spherocytosis or thalassaemia.

Mild tiredness or a headache for a day afterwards can happen. A hot, swollen or painful drip site, a fever, or a rash in the days afterwards is not normal: contact us. Severe breathing difficulty or swelling of the face is an emergency: call 999.

Where we do it

The drip is given by Dr Ahmed in the Infusions and Vitamins Room at OneMedicine, 1 High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7AR, a CQC-registered clinic opposite Kings Heath railway station with free parking at the rear. You book online and the consultation is part of the appointment, not an extra.

Frequently asked questions

What is in a Myers cocktail?

B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, zinc and selenium, mixed into a 1 litre bag of sterile fluid and run into a vein over about 45 minutes. Clinics vary the exact amounts; the ingredients are broadly the same everywhere.

What does a Myers cocktail do?

It delivers those nutrients straight into the bloodstream in doses tablets cannot reach. Each contributes to normal energy metabolism, immune function or nervous system function. Beyond correcting a deficiency, the evidence for extra benefit is limited, and most of what people feel afterwards comes from the fluid, the rest and the nutrients together.

How long does a Myers cocktail take?

About 45 minutes from walking in to walking out, including the doctor's consultation at the start and the checks before you leave. The bag itself runs for about 40 minutes.

How long does it last?

The water-soluble vitamins and the fluid are used or passed out within hours to days. People who feel better afterwards usually describe a few days. If you add the B12 injection, that part lasts months because the body stores B12.

What are the side effects?

A flush, warmth or a metallic taste during the drip; mild tiredness or a headache afterwards; a bruise at the cannula site. Serious reactions are rare and are mostly avoided by the consultation, which screens out people with heart, kidney or red-cell conditions.

How much does a Myers cocktail cost?

£149 in our clinic, which includes the GP consultation, the drip and the observation afterwards. The Energy version with a B12 injection is £169 and the Calm version with extra magnesium is £199.

Is the Myers cocktail worth it?

If you have a deficiency or an absorption problem, it is an efficient way to correct it. If you are well and simply want to feel refreshed, it works for many people but the science behind that feeling is thin, and a blood test first is often the better spend. Go in with realistic expectations and it is a pleasant, safe hour.

Where can I get a Myers cocktail near me?

At our CQC-registered clinic in Kings Heath, Birmingham, opposite the railway station with free parking behind the building. Book online; the doctor's consultation is included.

Written by Dr Ibrar Ahmed — MBChB MRCP MRCGP PhD PG Dip (Cardiology)
Specialist interest: Cardiovascular Medicine · OneMedicine, CQC-registered clinic