IV Therapy in London

An intravenous drip is a medical procedure, whatever the marketing says. I give them as a doctor: a health check first, a sensible blend, a sterile line, and an honest account of what a drip does and does not do.

IV therapy delivers fluid, vitamins and minerals directly into a vein over 30 to 60 minutes, bypassing the gut so that the full dose reaches the bloodstream. It is a wellness treatment for healthy adults who want hydration and a vitamin top-up around travel, a heavy period of work, illness recovery or training, and it is not a treatment for any medical condition. I am a GP as well as an aesthetic doctor, and every drip in this clinic follows a health check, is prescribed by me, is given through a sterile cannula with monitoring, and comes with a plain statement of what the evidence supports: a drip hydrates reliably and corrects a low vitamin level quickly; it does not cure a hangover, detoxify anything, prevent illness or replace sleep and food. Where a health check suggests something that needs investigating, I say so and arrange the blood tests rather than sell the drip.

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GMC

Registered Doctor

MRCS

Royal College of Surgeons

Health check
Before every drip

ABOUT IV THERAPY

What an IV drip is, and what the evidence supports

An intravenous infusion places a small plastic cannula in a vein, usually at the elbow or the back of the hand, and runs a bag of sterile fluid through it under gravity or a pump. The fluid is a saline or dextrose base to which vitamins and minerals are added: vitamin C, the B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, glutathione and others, in doses and combinations that have been used in hospital medicine for decades. Because the infusion bypasses the gut, the whole dose is available immediately, which is the one advantage a drip has over a tablet: a large dose of vitamin C by mouth is mostly excreted, whereas the same dose by vein reaches the blood in full.

What the evidence supports is narrower than the marketing. Intravenous fluid rehydrates a dehydrated person faster than drinking, and that is measurable. Intravenous vitamins correct a deficiency quickly, and in someone who is deficient, the effect on energy and wellbeing is real. In someone who is not deficient and not dehydrated, the evidence that a vitamin drip does anything a good meal and a night’s sleep would not is weak, and a doctor should say so. Most people who feel better after a drip were dehydrated, were short of sleep and sat still for an hour, or were low in something the drip contained. I am content with all three, and I will not tell you it was the glutathione.

What IV therapy does not do: it does not treat or prevent any illness, it does not detoxify, boost immunity or cure a hangover, it does not replace a balanced diet, and it is not a substitute for the blood tests that find out why you are tired. Persistent tiredness has causes, iron deficiency, thyroid disease, poor sleep, low mood, that a drip covers over; as a GP I look for them. Iron infusion is a medical treatment for confirmed iron deficiency and sits on its own page; NAD+ therapy is a separate infusion with its own page.

THE DRIPS I OFFER

Five blends, chosen at the health check

Each is a base of sterile fluid with a defined set of vitamins and minerals. The health check decides which, and whether a drip is the right thing at all.

Hydration

Saline with electrolytes. After travel, illness, heat or a long run. The one drip whose effect is beyond dispute.

Vitamin C

High-dose vitamin C in a hydration base. For recovery after illness or before a demanding period.

Energy

B-complex, B12, magnesium and vitamin C. For a stretch of long days and short nights, once the causes of tiredness have been considered.

Immune

Vitamin C, zinc, B vitamins and glutathione. A vitamin top-up around winter and travel. It does not prevent infection.

Myers' cocktail and anti-ageing

The classic blend of magnesium, calcium, B vitamins and vitamin C; or a glutathione-led antioxidant blend.

THE TREATMENT

What happens at the health check and the drip

The health check takes 15 minutes before a first drip. I ask about your health, medications, allergies, kidney function, heart conditions and any pregnancy, and about why you want a drip, because the answer sometimes points to something that needs a blood test rather than an infusion. I check your blood pressure and pulse. I choose the blend and the dose with you and prescribe it. Where a health check raises a question, I offer blood tests through the clinic; a vitamin D, B12, iron, thyroid and full blood count panel tells us more about your energy than any drip.

The drip takes 30 to 60 minutes. A fine cannula is placed, usually in the arm, with a brief scratch. The bag runs at a controlled rate while you sit in a reclining chair, read, work or sleep. Some blends produce a cool sensation along the arm and a metallic or vitamin taste; magnesium can cause a warm flush. You are monitored throughout and can leave straight afterwards. Vitamin B12 and biotin are also available as a quick intramuscular injection for patients who want the vitamin without the hour.

I do not give drips to anyone who has not had a health check, and I do not run infusions in patients’ homes or at events, because a reaction, though rare, needs a clinic to manage it.

“IV drips are a wellness treatment and I treat them as such: a proper health check first, a sensible blend, and a sterile, supervised drip. They hydrate and top up vitamins; they are not a cure for anything, and if you are tired I would rather find out why.”

Dr Chiké Emeagi, MRCGP, GMC 4418489

WHICH DRIP FOR WHICH GOAL

Matching the drip to the reason

Each row is a reason people come with the honest answer. The realistic-result column is what I say in the room.

The reason	What I offer	What it does	When you feel it	How often	Realistic result
Dehydration after travel, heat, illness or sport	Hydration drip	Restores fluid and electrolytes directly	During the drip	As needed	The one reliable effect of a drip; you feel it within the hour
Recovery after a cold or flu	Vitamin C drip	Delivers a dose of vitamin C the gut could not absorb	Same day	1 to 2	Faster feeling of recovery in some; not a treatment for the infection
A run of long days and poor sleep	Energy drip	Replaces B vitamins and magnesium that are used up under stress	Same day to 48 hours	Monthly at most	A lift that is real in someone who was depleted; sleep matters more
Winter, travel, a busy household	Immune drip	Vitamin and mineral top-up	Days	Monthly at most	A top-up, not protection; it does not prevent colds
Dull skin, general wellbeing	Myers’ cocktail or anti-ageing drip	Magnesium, calcium, B vitamins, vitamin C; or glutathione-led antioxidants	Days	Monthly at most	Modest; the skin responds more to sleep, SPF and a retinoid
Persistent tiredness	Blood tests first	Finds iron, B12, vitamin D, thyroid or other causes	1 week for results	Once	The correct answer more often than a drip
Confirmed low B12	B12 injection	Intramuscular B12 that bypasses the gut	Days to weeks	As prescribed	Corrects the deficiency; a medical treatment
Confirmed iron deficiency	Iron infusion	Replaces iron stores in one or two infusions	2 to 6 weeks	Once, repeated if needed	A medical treatment with its own page
Interest in cellular energy and healthy ageing	NAD+ infusion	A coenzyme infusion given slowly over two hours	Days	Single or short course	Evidence still developing; its own page says so
A hangover	Nothing	A drip rehydrates; it does not remove alcohol or its by-products	Hours	None	Water, food and sleep do the same; I do not sell hangover drips

Vitamin and mineral doses follow published intravenous nutrition references and are prescribed individually. The clinic does not offer drips marketed for detox, weight loss, hangovers or the prevention of illness, because the evidence does not support the claims.

DRIPS AND COURSES

How drips are combined and spaced

Most patients have a drip occasionally around a specific need. Courses are rarely necessary.

Plan	For whom	Spacing	Typical cost
Single hydration drip	After a long flight, illness or an endurance event	As needed	£200
Vitamin C drip x2	Recovery after a viral illness	1 week apart	£400
Energy drip monthly for 3 months	A defined demanding period, blood tests normal	Monthly	£600
Blood tests, then a drip if appropriate	Persistent tiredness	Tests first; drip only if nothing needs treating	Consultation £50 plus laboratory fees
B12 injection course	Confirmed B12 deficiency	As prescribed	£40 per injection
Myers’ cocktail before an event	General wellbeing and skin before a wedding or shoot	3 to 5 days before	£250

Costs are from the clinic price list. Blood tests are charged at laboratory cost.

WHAT TO EXPECT

What a drip feels like, and what it changes

A hydration drip is felt during the infusion: the headache and heaviness of dehydration lift within the hour, which is why it suits the day after a flight or a bout of illness. Vitamin blends produce a sense of wellbeing in the hours and days after in some patients and nothing noticeable in others, and the difference is usually whether the patient was depleted. B12 injections in someone who was deficient change energy over one to three weeks.

The honest expectations: a drip is not a treatment for anything, a drip in a well-nourished, well-hydrated person does little that is measurable, the effect of a vitamin blend lasts days to a couple of weeks, and no drip compensates for sleep, food and exercise. What a sensible patient can expect is reliable rehydration when they need it, a vitamin top-up around a demanding period, and a GP who will tell them when their tiredness needs a blood test rather than a bag.

I record blood pressure, pulse and the blend given at every visit, and I review the pattern if drips become frequent, because frequent drips are a sign that something else needs attention.

AFTER THE DRIP

Recovery, side effects and aftercare

During the drip. A brief scratch on cannulation; a cool feeling along the arm; a vitamin or metallic taste; a warm flush with magnesium. All normal. The rate is slowed if you feel unwell.

Afterwards. A small bruise or tenderness at the cannula site for a day or two. You can drive and work immediately. Drink normally.

What to report. Redness spreading from the cannula site, a fever, or any breathing difficulty or rash in the hours after the drip, which are rare and need assessment. You have my direct number.

IV therapy is not given in pregnancy or breastfeeding, in kidney disease, heart failure, G6PD deficiency for high-dose vitamin C, or with certain medications, which the health check covers.

IS THIS FOR ME?

Is an IV drip right for you?

A drip suits a healthy adult with a specific, short-term reason. The health check confirms it.

A good candidate

A healthy adult after travel, illness, heat or an endurance event. A demanding period with normal blood tests. A confirmed vitamin deficiency where the gut route is poor. Someone who understands that a drip is a top-up and not a treatment.

Better with a different first step

Persistent tiredness, hair loss, breathlessness or low mood: blood tests first, because iron, thyroid, B12 and vitamin D deficiencies and depression are common and treatable. Frequent drips: a review of why, rather than another bag.

Not suitable

Pregnant or breastfeeding. Kidney disease or heart failure, where fluid and electrolyte loads matter. G6PD deficiency for high-dose vitamin C. Anyone expecting a drip to treat, prevent or cure an illness, because it will not.

PRICING

What IV therapy costs

Every price includes the health check, the cannula and consumables, the prescribed blend and monitoring. The £50 consultation fee is redeemed against treatment. Blood tests are charged at laboratory cost.

Treatment	What it does	Price
IV drip: Hydration, Vitamin C, Energy or Immune	30 to 60 minutes	£200
IV drip: Myers’ cocktail or anti-ageing	45 to 60 minutes	£250
Vitamin B12 or biotin injection	Intramuscular, 5 minutes	£40
NAD+ infusion	See the NAD+ page	£350
Blood test panel	Iron, B12, folate, vitamin D, thyroid, full blood count	Laboratory cost, quoted at consultation
Health check	Before a first drip	£50, redeemed against treatment

Prices are from the clinic price list.

WHY US

Why choose Hampstead Aesthetics for IV therapy

IV drips in London are sold in lounges, hotels and homes, often by practitioners who cannot assess the kidney function of the person they are cannulating and who have no way to investigate the tiredness that brought them in. I am a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners and a GMC-registered doctor (4418489), so a drip here starts with a medical health check, is prescribed rather than picked from a menu, is given in a clinic with the equipment to manage a reaction, and is declined when a blood test is the better answer.

Every health check and every prescription is mine, and every drip is supervised by me. The clinic is on West End Lane in West Hampstead, NW6, two minutes from West Hampstead station, and sees patients from Swiss Cottage, St John’s Wood, Belsize Park, Primrose Hill and across North London.

THE BASICS

What does more than any drip

Seven to eight hours of sleep, which no infusion replaces. Two litres of fluid a day, more in heat and after exercise, from water and food rather than caffeine. Protein at each meal, vegetables at most, and oily fish twice a week, which supplies the vitamins a drip contains at a fraction of the cost and with the fibre a drip lacks. Vitamin D, 1,000 to 2,000 units daily from October to April, which most people in London are short of and which a drip does not fix. Alcohol within the guideline of 14 units a week. Movement every day. If you are doing all of that and are still tired, the answer is a blood test, and I will arrange it.

PATIENT REVIEWS

What patients say

Google 4.8 ★★★★★

Dr Chike is a skilled injector and always careful not to overdo anything. When I started to notice a bit of volume loss and the first signs of stress on my face he helped restore my confidence.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr Chike, he is professional and knowledgeable and truly skilled in facial anatomy and proportions. My results look natural and beautifully balanced.

Dr Chike is the only person I would trust with my treatments. He has vast experience, is kind and provides holistic care, I cannot recommend him more.

TRUSTED BRANDS

Clinically validated products we use

Infusion vitamins and minerals are sourced from licensed UK pharmaceutical suppliers and prepared under aseptic technique. Every drip is prescribed individually by Dr Chiké after a health check.

WHO IS YOUR PRACTITIONER

Medical Governance & Practitioner Verification

Dr Chike Emeagi - GMC Registration No. 4418489

At Hampstead Aesthetics, every IV drip is prescribed and supervised by Dr Chike Emeagi, a fully registered medical doctor and GP whose qualifications and licence to practise are publicly verifiable.

MRCGP - Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners
MRCS - Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
MSc Aesthetic Medicine - Postgraduate master's degree in aesthetic clinical practice
GMC Licensed - Full licence to practise, verifiable on the public medical register

You are encouraged to verify Dr Chike’s registration directly on the https://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/4418489 GMC’s online medical register before booking. Any doctor practising without a valid GMC licence is doing so illegally.

DOCTOR LED TREATMENT

Why Doctor Led Matters

An intravenous infusion places fluid and medicines directly into the circulation. Fluid overload in someone with a heart or kidney condition, a reaction to an infused component, infection at the cannula site and air embolism are all rare and all serious, and all are managed by a doctor in a clinic rather than a practitioner in a hotel room. The vitamins and minerals in a drip are prescribed, and the prescription is a medical decision that follows a health check.

At Hampstead Aesthetics I carry out the health check, prescribe the blend, supervise every infusion, and arrange blood tests when the reason for the drip suggests something that needs investigating.

YOUR SAFETY

Emergency Safety Protocols

Anaphylaxis kit on site — full adrenaline protocol for allergic reaction.
ACE-certified practitioner — I hold emergency complication management certification.
999 escalation protocol — written procedures for emergency hospital transfer.

Every product and device is CE-marked and sourced from authorised UK distributors. The clinic holds full professional indemnity insurance covering all treatments.

CONSENT

Consent, Privacy & Your Rights

Before treatment you have a full written consultation covering medical history, contraindications, realistic outcomes and the specific risks of each treatment in your plan. Treatment only proceeds with informed, documented consent. If you have a concern, raise it with me directly; if it is not resolved, you can escalate to the General Medical Council.

Your consultation, treatment and review are all conducted by the same doctor. There are no hand-offs.

Reviewed September 2026. Dr Chike Emeagi, GMC No. 4418489. Regulatory position correct at date of review; licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England is subject to change.

FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

What does IV therapy actually do?

It puts fluid, vitamins and minerals directly into the bloodstream, so a dehydrated person is rehydrated within the hour and a deficient person receives a dose the gut could not absorb. In a well-hydrated, well-nourished person it does little that can be measured. Those are the honest limits, and any clinic claiming that a drip detoxifies, boosts immunity or treats illness is claiming more than the evidence allows.

Is IV therapy safe?

In a clinic, after a health check, with a sterile cannula and a doctor present, yes: the risks are a bruise at the site and, rarely, a reaction to a component, which is why monitoring matters. Drips given in homes, hotels and events without a medical assessment carry risks that are avoidable. I give drips only in the clinic and only after a health check.

Which IV drip is best for energy?

If you are depleted, the Energy blend of B vitamins, magnesium and vitamin C. But persistent tiredness usually has a cause, and iron deficiency, low B12 or vitamin D, thyroid disease, poor sleep and low mood are all more common than vitamin depletion in someone eating normally. As a GP I would rather test for those first than sell you a drip that covers them.

Do IV drips help with a hangover?

A hydration drip rehydrates, and dehydration is part of a hangover, so you may feel better sooner. It does nothing to the alcohol or its by-products, and water, food and sleep achieve the same result. I do not market hangover drips, because the claim is larger than the effect.

Does an immune drip prevent colds?

No. Vitamin C, zinc and B vitamins support normal immune function, and a deficient person benefits from replacing them, but no drip has been shown to prevent infection in a well-nourished adult. I offer the Immune blend as a vitamin top-up and describe it as that.

How long does a drip take?

Thirty to sixty minutes for a vitamin or hydration drip, plus the fifteen-minute health check before a first visit. A vitamin B12 or biotin injection takes five minutes. An NAD+ infusion takes around two hours and has its own page.

How often can I have IV therapy?

For a specific reason, a hydration drip as often as the reason arises. For vitamin blends, monthly at most, and if you find yourself wanting one more often than that, something else needs looking at, which is a conversation I would rather have than book another drip.

Does it hurt?

A brief scratch as the cannula goes in, then nothing beyond a cool sensation in the arm and a vitamin taste. Magnesium can cause a warm flush that passes. If you feel unwell during the drip the rate is slowed.

Can I have a drip if I am pregnant?

No. Intravenous vitamin therapy is not given in pregnancy or breastfeeding, because the doses are not established as safe and there is no reason to take the risk. Oral supplements and a good diet are the answer, and your midwife or GP can advise.

Is a B12 injection better than a drip?

For B12 specifically, yes: an intramuscular injection of B12 is a standard medical treatment, takes five minutes, and is what the NHS uses. It is appropriate when a blood test has shown a deficiency or when absorption from the gut is poor. It costs £40.

Will I need blood tests?

Not for a hydration or vitamin drip after a normal health check. If the reason for the drip is tiredness, hair loss, breathlessness or low mood, I recommend a blood panel first, because the result changes what the right treatment is. Tests are charged at laboratory cost.

How much does IV therapy cost in London?

At Hampstead Aesthetics a Hydration, Vitamin C, Energy or Immune drip is £200, a Myers’ cocktail or anti-ageing drip £250, a B12 or biotin injection £40 and an NAD+ infusion £350. The £50 health check fee is redeemed against treatment.

Where in London do you offer IV therapy?

At Hampstead Aesthetics on West End Lane, West Hampstead, NW6, two minutes from West Hampstead Overground, Thameslink and Jubilee line stations. Drips are given in the clinic only, not at home or at events.

Arrange your IV therapy health check

If you want a drip for a specific reason, a 15-minute health check confirms it is safe and chooses the blend; if you are tired and do not know why, the same appointment is where I arrange the blood tests that answer it. Patients come from West Hampstead, NW6 and across North London. Related: Iron infusion, NAD+ therapy, Medical weight management.

VISIT US

Our London Clinic

Nearest Tube: West Hampstead (Jubilee Line) · 2 min walk

Overground: West Hampstead Overground · 3 min walk

Parking: Pay & Display on West End Lane

Proudly serving clients from:

West Hampstead · Hampstead · Primrose Hill · St John’s Wood · Belsize Park · Camden · Swiss Cottage · Finchley Road · Maida Vale · Queen’s Park · Highgate · Kentish Town

Reviewed by Dr Chiké Emeagi, MBBS, MRCGP, MRCS, GMC No. 4418489.

Last reviewed September 2026. This page is for information only and does not replace a medical consultation. IV vitamin therapy is a wellness treatment and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Results vary between individuals and are not guaranteed. All treatments carry potential risks, which are discussed before any procedure. Prices are taken from the clinic price list at the date of review. Hampstead Aesthetics, 269 West End Lane, West Hampstead, London NW6 1QS.

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