I tried a vitamin IV drip to see if it could boost my energy

I’m not someone who you’d call high maintenance, especially when it comes to wellness and beauty treatments. A nail appointment a month has, so far, been enough to bring me the ‘got my shit together’ factor.

But we all have our if-money-was-no-object treatments, and an IV vitamin drip has been one of mine ever since I became obsessed with the Real Housewives universe. The treatment has been touted by celebs for a while now, including Adele and Kendall Jenner. Rihanna posted a selfie of herself getting a drip on Twitter in 2012, so it’s not exactly a new phenomenon – but it can be pricey. You can look to drop between £100 and £850, depending on which vitamins you want to send coursing through your veins.

So when Urban – a super convenient service that allows you to book home treatments for everything from physio sessions to Brazilian waxes – suggested I order a pro from Get A Drip through their app, I jumped at the chance (or was the first person our editor could find who wasn’t needle-squeamish…). Call me a guinea pig.

Usually at an appointment like this, the practitioner comes to your home and sorts you out from the comfort of your own sofa, but I decided to get mine done at the office – after all, what could be better than a wellness treatment on company time?

The vitamin menu is vast, and it helped to have someone who could translate what these concoctions purported to do, so I could make an educated decision. So what did I go for? I’m a sleepy girl who, like many 20-somethings in the UK, has flirted with veganism, and been prescribed the odd B12 injection by the NHS, and I always found that to be really impactful.

So the Energy drip, which included B complex, amino acids, B12 and magnesium seemed the least unfamiliar to me, and also the easiest to review. I figured I’d have to wait a few years to see if an anti-ageing drip noticeably paused time for my skin.

After a consultation with my drip Pro, and a quick waiver form, the cannula popped into my vein and away I was, absorbing some much-needed hydration. How long that takes exactly varies from person to person, but it took around 40 minutes for me to finish my Energy Drip.

Having discussed my lack of sun (thanks, UK!) and skin concerns with Ronaldo, I also had a vitamin D injection, and an add on Glutamine drip to help with my overall immune system health. As my appointment wrapped up, he mentioned that I should expect to feel a noticeable difference in about three days. So I’ve tracked how I felt in those three days after my treatment:

Day 1 (Monday)

16:00: During and immediately after my treatment ended, I felt an instant boost of energy – I’d describe it as similar to having a strong coffee. It’s possible that I’m a sucker for the placebo effect, of course. I had a similar reaction to Spacegoods’ Rainbow Dust drink. My sudden buzz could also be attributed to anxiety-induced adrenaline, once the realisation of how many vitamins I’d just asked my body to absorb hit.

16:30: Either way, the buzz was enough for me to feel like I couldn’t fully concentrate at my desk, and I took a colleague out for a stroll with me. The walk didn’t last too long, though, as I needed a toilet break – I took that as a positive sign that the IV drip did, at least, hydrate me.

20:00: Later that evening, the buzz had officially worn off and I started to feel more tired than I usually would at this time – hello, magnesium? Bed was calling.

Day 2 (Tuesday)

8:00am: I love sleep. I often get a good night's snooze, religious eight hours. But this sleep hit different, and I felt more sprightly after my alarm went off than I usually do. Win!

11:00am: I was working from home, and had quite a busy schedule, wrapping up some projects and more meetings than I usually do. Despite this, I felt alert, focused and time passed pretty quickly.

16:00: This is typically the time when I experience a bit of an energy crash, but I was noticeably less lethargic and much more clear-headed.

21:30: Usually at this time I’d be ready to start winding down, getting into bed and falling asleep watching TikTok, but I had too much energy for that today. It was at this point that I started getting excited – I felt certain that the IV drip was making me feel better.

Day 3 (Wednesday)

06:30: Didn’t get the best night's sleep, as I was anxious about other things in my life, but still woke up feeling fairly fresh, and before my alarm.

14:00: I really do have a renewed sense of focus that had been missing for a few months – could this be the drip? I worked through my lunch without noticing, so I took a mid-afternoon break and a nice walk around my local park.

18:00: I’ve been going to the cinema weekly since the start of January, and tonight was no different – although I picked a low-alcohol cinema beverage because I was conscious not to undo any good work the IV drip had done for my hydration. I almost fell asleep in the cinema – unsure whether that was an indicator of my energy or more due to the film being dull (and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done this).

20:30: It’s an early night for me (see personal life anxieties mentioned previously)

Day 4 (Thursday)

06:30: This new sprightly attitude to my alarm is becoming the norm now. I usually go back to bed when my boyfriend wakes up at 6:30 but this is day three of not hitting that sweet snooze button now.

13:00: The best way I can describe how I feel, in comparison to how I usually would feel is ‘more whole’. It’s quite sad, actually, to realise I’d been walking around feeling 70% human when my body could be doing more for me – simply with vitamins. I’m intrigued to see how long this lasts, but I would do a top-up IV to feel like this even just for a few days again.

An Energy Drip from Get A Drip costs £150, while Glutamine (IV Drip Extra) is £90. The Vitamin D (Booster Shot Injection) is £40. You can book an appointment with a Get A Drip pro via the Urban App.

Those with specific medical conditions, including kidney disease, heart failure, and anyone with multiple allergies, should not use IV drips.