KMK: IV Vitamin Drip Seoul

About a month or so ago I endured a bout of ongoing coughing combined with enough non-stop flowing phlegm to cog the drains of a hi-rise hotel. I thought I could endure and tough it out, but eventually a friend suggested a possible solution: an iv vitamin drip.

I’d heard of the drips becoming the latest fad over the last few years, but I never considered doing it myself. He had and wholeheartedly recommended I do the same. Skeptical, I did some quick research on the internet and sure enough the lack of clinical trials and hard data screamed waste of time. However, my friend said he’d noticed a difference, feeling more energetic, so I decided to find out for myself.

To get started I totally ignored the place he went for treatment, because it was all the way over in Jamsil. Too far. I searched the internet again and came up with RenewMe. I looked at the options for drips and they offered several. The Mega Vitamin C drip to battle fatigue. The B1 Garlic drip to boost metabolism. The ALA (alpha Lipoic acid Cinderella treatment) to treat tiredness and aid in weight loss…. And the one that finally sent my fingers flying across the keyboard for another location: the human placenta extract… Yeah! Seriously! Hard pass.

After that I kept things close to home and went to the International Clinic in Itaewon. I know, I know, sometimes the price can be higher than  a local hospital but I contacted Soon Chun Hyang and they didn’t know what to do with me. Off to the International Clinic I went. They offered to different options:

IVNT 1

Glutathione 200mg, Vitamin C 10,000mg

Amino Acid

• glycine 0.373g
• L-alanine 0.29g
• L-arginine 0.67g
• L-histidine 0.175g
• L-isoleucine 0.65g
• L- leucine 0.818g
• L-lysine acetate 0.606g
• L-methionine 0.04g
• L-phenylalanine 0.055g
• L-proline 0.358g
• L-serine 0.14g
• L-threonine 0.275g
• L-tryptophan 0.044g
• L-valine 0.63g
• acetylcysteine 0.07g

vitamins

• retinol palmitate 6.65㎎ (10000IU as vit A)
• ergocalciferol 25㎍ (1000IU as vit D)
• tocopherol acetate 5㎎ (5IU as vit E)
• ascorbic acid 1000
• thiamine hydrochloride 50㎎
• riboflavin sodium phosphate 12.7㎎
• nicotinamide 100㎎
• pyridoxine hydrochloride 15㎎
• dexpanthenol 25㎎

IVNT 2.

Glutathione 100mg, Vitamin C 500mg

Amino Acid

• glycine 0.373g
• L-alanine 0.29g
• L-arginine 0.67g
• L-histidine 0.175g
• L-isoleucine 0.65g
• L- leucine 0.818g
• L-lysine acetate 0.606g
• L-methionine 0.04g
• L-phenylalanine 0.055g
• L-proline 0.358g
• L-serine 0.14g
• L-threonine 0.275g
• L-tryptophan 0.044g
• L-valine 0.63g
• acetylcysteine 0.07g

vitamins

• retinol palmitate 6.65㎎ (10000IU as vit A)
• ergocalciferol 25㎍ (1000IU as vit D)
• tocopherol acetate 5㎎ (5IU as vit E)
• ascorbic acid 1000
• thiamine hydrochloride 50㎎
• riboflavin sodium phosphate 12.7㎎
• nicotinamide 100㎎
• pyridoxine hydrochloride 15㎎
• dexpanthenol 25㎎

I went with option two. In  a matter of moments I whisked into a private room to doze away on a bed while the nurse set me up with the drip. She reassured me that the yellowish concoction in the IV bag  would give me an added boost of energy to help fight off my cough. She also calmed my irrational fear that when the iv bag ran dry an air bubble wouldn’t find its way into my bloodstream straight for my heart. I watch too many badly written movie thrillers. The whole process took about forty five minutes for the drip to finish. I tried to sleep, but couldn’t manage it. Instead, I googled the benefits of intravenous vitamin injections.

Turns out mainlining your vitamins supposedly cures everything from hangovers and depression to stress and dehydration. That I could believe. I mean, if time in a sunbed can help fight off depression in Scandinavian countries during winter months then why couldn’t this be of some benefit as well? At that point I was feeling so bad even  a placebo effect would’ve been welcome.

Thankfully, half way through the treatment I did feel noticeably better. And, when every last drop had dripped its way into my body, the nurse promptly withdrew the needled, placed a band-aid, and sent me on my way. During the rest of the day and the next I can honestly say I felt better. Not only did my coughing lessen, not stop, but I also felt more energetic. Maybe it was the vitamins or maybe it was being dehydrated, but it did do something.

Of course maybe a better diet of fruits and veggies and habit of drinking more water might have done the same thing.

International Clinic:

Brown line (Number 6) Get off at the Itaewon station and exit through number 2 exit.
Then walk about 300 meters up and try to find 10 stories high darkish green color building.
On the ground floor, there is “SEVEN ELEVEN” convenience store. We are on the 5th floor.

Clinic operation hours

Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri : 9 AM – 6 PM
Sat : 9 AM – 2 PM
Close on all Thursdays
Lunch Hour : 12 MD – 2 PM