Drink up, New Yorkers — for a couple hundred dollars a doctor will deliver a hangover cure right to your front door.
The “miracle elixir” comes in the form of an IV drip chock-full of vitamins, minerals and medications, according to a representative for The I.V. Doctor.
“We’ve had patients tell us they feel better instantly. One even said he felt ready to run a marathon,” said spokesman AJ Klein.
“If you’ve had one-too-many drinks, we’re an easy call and we’ll hook you up.”
The I.V. Doctor sends medical professionals on a house call to hook the IV up to patients’ arms. It takes 45 minutes for the concoction — which is made up of sodium chloride, potassium and an anti-nausea medication — to enter the system.
The powerful potion provides “the equivalent of a gallon of water,” helping ease headaches, dry mouths and queasy stomachs, company reps boast. The service runs $199 to $249 and is headed by a licensed urologist.
Most clients are wealthy Manhattan men who want to party at night and still function well at work the next day, Klein explained.
“It’s a lot of 40-year-old guys, businessmen and bankers,” he said. “It’s a luxury.”
Patients can also opt to add B12 — which helps boost energy — along with anti-inflammatory meds, which help with pain. And the firm also offers hydrating drips for patients with jet lag and the flu.
The “hydration therapy” service is available to residents in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. Appointments must be set up using the company Web site.
They’re not the only firm that aims to help wealthy New Yorkers “hair the dog.”
Cure Urgent Care — an Upper West Side health facility, set to open in May — plans to offer the same type of hydrating IV, though on-site only. The concierge-style service will also provide treatment for minor maladies such as broken bones and asthma.
“There’s a paradigm shift within emergency medicine,” CUC co-founder Dr. Jake Deutsch told neighborhood news blog DNAinfo.com. “People are realizing that going to the hospital isn’t always the best solution.”
At the soon-to-open treatment center, patients will first have their blood tested to determine which of any vitamins they may lack. Doctors will then hook them to an IV in one of two hydration rooms, Deutsch said.
Hangover house calls
The typical IV drip used to treat hangovers includes:
- 1,000 milliliters of “lactated ringers,” made up of sodium chloride, potassium and lactate
- Anti-nausea meds (e.g., Zofran)
- Anti-heartburn meds (e.g., Pepcid)
- Anti-inflammatory/ pain/headache meds (e.g., Toradol)
- Vitamin B12