Physician-supervised · RN-administered
IVtherapy,treatedasthemedicalprocedureitis.
Every intake reviewed by me. Every line placed by a Connecticut-licensed RN. Every compounded solution sourced from a verified pharmacy. Every claim about evidence or benefit made honestly, including the ones that don't favour the upsell.
A note from the Medical Director
The drip-bar boom, and why I'm concerned about it.
Over the past four years I have watched the IV hydration landscape in Connecticut shift considerably. The field has expanded from a small number of medically-supervised programs — of which ours is one — into a broader market that now includes mobile "drip vans," event-based IV services at bachelorette parties, and storefronts that operate without a Medical Director on staff.
I want to be clear about what this changes. Intravenous therapy is a medical procedure. The complications, when they occur, are medical — infiltration of the line, allergic reaction to a compounded component, electrolyte disturbance in a client with subclinical renal impairment, cardiac event in a client with undiagnosed cardiovascular disease. These are low-probability events, but they are not zero-probability, and the response to them requires clinical judgment, equipment, and licensure.
When a drip bar operates without physician oversight, the response infrastructure is not there. When a technician rather than a licensed RN places a line, the technical error rate is higher. When compounded solutions are sourced from unverified suppliers, sterility assumptions are weaker.
I do not raise this to discourage IV therapy. I use it myself, I administer it clinically, and I believe it has legitimate applications. I raise it because the marketing of IV therapy has outpaced the regulatory infrastructure around it, and clients booking what they think is a wellness service are increasingly receiving a medical procedure from operators without the credentials to handle its failure modes.
At Bravo, the protocol is this: I sign off on every intake. Every line is placed by a Connecticut-licensed RN. Every component comes from a verified compounding pharmacy. Emergency response protocols are in place in every treatment room. If that level of oversight feels excessive for a wellness treatment, that is the appropriate starting reaction — because it is excessive for a wellness treatment. But IV therapy is not a wellness treatment. It is a medical procedure used for wellness purposes, and the oversight reflects what it actually is.
Dr. Nicole Saunders
Medical Director · Bravo MedSpa
Our protocol library, rated honestly
Evidence vs. marketing — what I tell clients about each protocol.
Strong clinical evidence
Rehydration & acute therapy
Post-viral illness rehydration, migraine abortive protocols (saline + magnesium + ondansetron or ketorolac), and pre-procedure hydration. These have decades of clinical evidence and are routinely used in ER and urgent-care settings. Indications, doses, and protocols well-established.
Moderate evidence, clinical tradition
Myers cocktail & B-complex protocols
Forty years of clinical use. Small controlled trials suggest benefit for fibromyalgia flare, chronic fatigue, and recurrent migraine. Aggregate experience in hundreds of thousands of patient-doses suggests safety. For the common wellness-dose applications (monthly Myers for general energy) the evidence is mostly observational; the formulation is safe and many clients subjectively benefit.
Emerging evidence, marketing ahead of data
NAD+, high-dose vitamin C, glutathione
NAD+ has small trial support for specific conditions (chronic fatigue, Parkinson's-related symptoms, addiction recovery adjunct). General anti-ageing application is plausible mechanistically but not yet supported by large-scale rigorous data. High-dose vitamin C is similarly mixed — strong rationale in some oncology adjunct settings; weaker for 'immunity' in healthy adults. We offer all three with honest characterisation at consultation.
Do not offer
Chelation protocols, ozone therapy, intravenous hydrogen peroxide
These are offered at some drip facilities. The evidence base does not support their routine use, and the adverse-event profile concerns me sufficiently that I will not include them in our formulary. If a client is seeking those specifically, I recommend they consult a functional-medicine physician with appropriate credentials and a proper risk-benefit conversation.
Our formulary
The protocols we run, priced honestly.
Myers cocktail — $150. 500 mL saline, magnesium, calcium, B-complex, B12, vitamin C. 30–45 minute infusion. Our most-requested protocol. Indications: general fatigue, post-viral recovery, fibromyalgia support, mild dehydration.
Immunity — $175. Myers base plus high-dose vitamin C (10–15 g) and zinc. 45–60 minutes. Commonly booked at the first sign of seasonal illness or pre-travel.
Recovery — $225. Myers base plus taurine, glutathione, and B-complex enhancement. 45 minutes. For post-event (marathon, long travel, significant alcohol) recovery, and sometimes for post-CoolTone muscle support.
Migraine protocol — $195. Saline, magnesium sulfate, ondansetron (anti-emetic), ketorolac (non-opioid analgesic). Acute indication only, administered on symptomatic days.
NAD+ 250 mg — $400. Slow infusion over 60–90 minutes due to transient chest-tightness side effect at faster rates. Ours is sourced from a verified compounding pharmacy. Monthly or quarterly rhythm typical.
NAD+ 500 mg — $650. Extended protocol. 90–120 minutes. For clients with specific indications after consultation.
IM (intramuscular) B12 injection alternative — $35. For clients with needle-in-vein aversion or tight schedules.
Clinical screening
Who I will not infuse without further workup.
Congestive heart failure or uncontrolled hypertension. Fluid load can precipitate decompensation. I want recent cardiology clearance.
Moderate-to-severe renal impairment (eGFR under 60). Electrolyte loads I typically use are inappropriate. Requires recent labs and individualised protocol.
Active febrile illness. I want your primary care clinician to evaluate before any elective infusion.
Pregnancy, especially late-term. We coordinate with your OB. Myers is often acceptable with OB sign-off; NAD+ is not.
Active chemotherapy or radiation. Timing of any adjunct infusion is coordinated with the oncologist, never independently.
Anticoagulant instability. Warfarin at unstable INR; recent DVT/PE without proper follow-up.
If any of these apply, bring your medication list and most recent relevant labs to your intake. We can often proceed with an adjusted protocol; sometimes we refer you back to your primary physician first.
Where we infuse
IV therapy is offered at both West Hartford and Rocky Hill. Our infusion room is private, quiet, and equipped with full emergency response capability — oxygen, anaphylaxis kit, AED, direct line to my on-call number during clinic hours.
For acute indications (migraine protocol during an attack, rehydration after viral illness), we prioritise same-day scheduling. For wellness protocols, advance booking is typical. Your RN will stay with you for the duration of the infusion.
Want to talk it through first?
A consultation is the right step if you have specific anatomy, history, or goals to discuss before committing.
Book ConsultationIV Hydration Therapy
Questions I answer as Medical Director
Medical procedure, medical standards
Book a medical intake.
First visit includes medical history review, relevant lab requests if indicated, and a protocol selected for you. No same-day infusion without intake — medical procedures don't work that way.