What are the Fluids in IV Hydration? The Drip in The Youngstown Drip
What is in a drip?”
“Is it safe?”
“Is it natural?”
To answer these questions, at The Youngstown Drip we made a list of signature drips that are comprised of vitamins and fluids. Perfectly safe. No additives, no preservatives. You may already know a little about vitamins, but you may not know about the IV fluids. The water has slight additions of sodium, chloride, and lactate that make it effortless for your body to absorb. It makes it easier because they are the exact components found in your blood, so the sodium chloride or lactated ringers (the two types of fluids we use) effortlessly begins to work with your body to hydrate it.
The Difference Between Normal Saline and Lactated Ringers
What is are these “fluids” and why are you giving them to me?
Normal Saline and Lactated Ringer’s are fluids used in IV hydration. These are crystalloids, meaning that these solutions contain crystals of salt or sugar dissolved in water. They are used to replace fluids in the body because of having the ability to traverse the cell membrane altering fluid levels or providing fluid expansion. Simply speaking, the crystals are already found in our bloodstream, so these fluids get a VIP pass into your body. Your body recognizes that these fluids are beneficial and quickly puts them to work hydrating your system.
Normal Saline
As the name indicates, normal saline has more concentration of salt, comes with 154mM sodium and chloride ions with an osmolarity of 308 mOsm/L and pH averaging of 5.0. Normal saline is used in replacing the fluids your body may be lacking due to mild dehydration. Often people are habitually dehydrated, drinking too much coffee in the morning. Not that I’m pointing any fingers here…
Lactated Ringer’s
While normal saline has the same amount of sodium chloride found in the chemical makeup of your blood (0.9%) Lactated ringers contains more of the same electrolytes that normal human blood contains. The electrolytes present are sodium, and chloride, lactate, calcium, and potassium. The osmolarity is 272mOsm/L, and it has a pH of 6.5. The more alkaline the fluid is, the faster it rehydrates you! Lactate is metabolized in the liver, which is why we check for liver issues before giving this.
Similarity and Differences Between NS and LR
Both solutions are primarily used in hydration therapy and are isotonic, which means that they have almost the same osmotic pressure as the blood. It also means that having a balanced solute to the solvent ratio (isotonic), these solutions will not cause swelling or shrinkage of body cells. Why is that important? We want to keep you normal! Giving you a solution that will easily assimilate into your body means you keep feeling great.
The difference between the two solutions is that LR does not stay longer in the body as NS does, so it can be used to treat medical conditions like extreme dehydration without fluid overload. This is why we love to use Lactated Ringers with our weight lifting and bodybuilding friends after a great show! They get hydrated easily and safely and can avoid many of the downsides of trying to make weight, such as severe dehydration, overheating, and even rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown).
How do They work?
The solutions are given intravenously, and it directly goes into the blood from where it diffuses into the body cells that need hydration therapy. The solutions help to achieve and maintain body fluid balance.
Often, if your body is used to being chronically dehydrated, it may feel different to be fully hydrated. If you feel tired after an infusion, it’s simply your body acclimating to a new normal. For example, if your new job forces you to get up at 5 am when normally you slept until 11 am, your body will tell you that you’re doing something wrong. But you’re not! You’re doing something different. Soon you wake up at 5 am on your days off because that’s your body’s new normal. And when you continually stay hydrated, your body will adjust to your new normal and you will start feeling better than ever!
Vitamin Infused IV Hydration
Vitamins are essential for human health, and sometimes diet alone can’t meet the body’s vitamin requirements. Vitamin-infused hydration therapy is the safest and most effective way to provide the body with the required vitamins that make you look and feel great.
The Youngstown Drip offers hydration therapy with vitamin-infused normal saline and lactated ringers. If you are thinking of feeling revitalized by getting IV vitamins or hydration therapy, contact We would love to serve Youngstown at the Youngstown Drip located in the Red Lotus Wellness Center at 45 Manor Hill, Ste 300 in Canfield.
Can’t wait to see you there!
