Myers’ Cocktail: Intravenous Nutrients

Myers' Cocktail in Halifax

What Is A Myers’ Cocktail?

The Myers’ Cocktail, is a combination of Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, Vitamin C, magnesium and calcium administered intravenously. The Myers’ Cocktail was first performed by Dr. John Myers MD and later championed by Dr. Alan Gaby MD after Myers’ death in 19841.

NutrientImpact On Health
CalciumMaintains strength of cartilage and bone
MagnesiumMuscle contraction, relaxation and blood flow
Vitamin B1Nerve signaling and energy maintenance
Vitamin B2Prevention of migraines and energy maintenance
Vitamin B3Balancing of sex hormones: testosterone and estrogen
Vitamin B5Adrenal hormone production; muscle and skin repair
Vitamin B6Clear mental functioning and energy maintenance
Vitamin CJoint cartilage health and immune system function

The Myers’ Cocktail works by increasing the blood concentration of several essential vitamins and minerals beyond that which can be achieved when supplementing orally. For example, Vitamin C given intravenously has been found to reach blood concentrations more than 50 times greater2 than what can be achieved when given orally.

Conditions Treated by the Myers’ Cocktail

Dr. Alan Gaby MD has published an account1 of his experience of treating 800-1,000 patients with the Myers’ Cocktail over 11 years, giving a total of approximately 15,000 infusions. Some of the conditions which he found to be managed well by this treatment include acute asthma attacks, migraines, fatigue, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, acute muscle spasm, upper respiratory tract infections, chronic sinusitis, seasonal allergies and cardiovascular disease. He also observed improvements in athletic performance.

One component of the Myers’ Cocktail, Magnesium, is something that many people are deficient in3. Having low levels of magnesium has been linked to several health conditions, including cardiovascular disease4, migraines5 and diabetes6. Recent research has also found that magnesium is useful in treating high blood pressure7, acute migraine8 and heart attack9. Another component of the mixture, Vitamin C, has fatigue reducing10, anti-viral11 activity and is useful in the treatment of cancer12, when given intravenously. While each of the nutrients present in the Myers’ Cocktail has a unique action in the body their combination will typically correct nutrient deficiencies, boost energy and improve immune function.

Myers' cocktail. Intravenous nutrient treatment

Clinical Experience With the Myers’ Cocktail

I have found that the Myers’ Cocktail has been a very helpful treatment for several health conditions including Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, upper respiratory infections and post-viral fatigue. When treating other conditions, including heart disease, peripheral artery disease, cancer and post-concussion symptoms I will use a different combination of nutrients but still retain many of the core ingredients of the Myers’ Cocktail. The Myers’ Cocktail is also quite beneficial for athletic performance but an individualized intravenous nutrient treatment is the most reliable way to increase athletic performance.

My experience with this treatment is that after getting the IV patients will often feel a boost of energy, increased ability to fight off a lingering infection and patients with fibromyalgia may experience a decrease of fatigue and pain for 1-3 weeks.

Safety of the Myers’ Cocktail

There are no documented major adverse effects of Myers’ Cocktail infusions. Available safety data has reported mild adverse effects and overall excellent safety1,13. In practice the most common adverse effects I have observed include lightheadedness, low blood pressure and discomfort at the site of infusion. The lightheadedness which patients experience is typically brief and transient, as is lowering of blood pressure, while pain at the infusion site is easily preventable with modification of administration speed or solution concentration.

Myers’ Cocktail Treatments in Halifax

If you are interested in receiving Myers’ Cocktail treatments and are located in the Halifax area, please contact MacLeod Naturopathic at 902-820-2727 to book an initial naturopathic visit to discuss your options.

References

  1. Gaby AR. Intravenous nutrient therapy: the “Myers’ cocktail”. Altern Med Rev. 2002 Oct;7(5):389-403.
  2. Padayatty SJ, Sun H, Wang Y, Riordan HD, Hewitt SM, Katz A, Wesley RA, Levine M. Vitamin C pharmacokinetics: implications for oral and intravenous use. Ann Intern Med. 2004 Apr 6;140(7):533-7.
  3. “Nutrient Intakes Percent of population 2 years old and over with adequate intakes based on average requirement”. Community Nutrition Mapping Project. 2009-07-29. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  4. Joosten MM, Gansevoort RT, Mukamal KJ, van der Harst P, Geleijnse JM, Feskens EJ, Navis G, Bakker SJ; for The PREVEND Study Group. Urinary and plasma magnesium and risk of ischemic heart disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Mar 13.
  5. Samaie A, Asghari N, Ghorbani R, Arda J. Blood Magnesium levels in migraineurs within and between the headache attacks: a case control study. Pan Afr Med J. 2012;11:46.
  6. Kao WH, Folsom AR, Nieto FJ, Mo JP, Watson RL, Brancati FL. Serum and dietary magnesium and the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Arch Intern Med. 1999 Oct 11;159(18):2151-9.
  7. Kawano Y, Matsuoka H, Takishita S, Omae T. Effects of magnesium supplementation in hypertensive patients: assessment by office, home, and ambulatory blood pressures. Hypertension. 1998 Aug;32(2):260-5.
  8. Bigal ME, Bordini CA, Tepper SJ, Speciali JG. Intravenous magnesium sulphate in the acute treatment of migraine without aura and migraine with aura. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Cephalalgia. 2002 Jun;22(5):345-53.
  9. Gyamlani G, Parikh C, Kulkarni AG. Benefits of magnesium in acute myocardial infarction: timing is crucial. Am Heart J. 2000 Apr;139(4):703.
  10. Suh SY, Bae WK, Ahn HY, Choi SE, Jung GC, Yeom CH. Intravenous vitamin C administration reduces fatigue in office workers: a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Nutr J. 2012 Jan 20;11:7.
  11. Schencking M, Vollbracht C, Weiss G, Lebert J, Biller A, Goyvaerts B, Kraft K. Intravenous vitamin C in the treatment of shingles: results of a multicenter prospective cohort study. Med Sci Monit. 2012 Apr;18(4):CR215-24.
  12. Vollbracht C, Schneider B, Leendert V, Weiss G, Auerbach L, Beuth J. Intravenous vitamin C administration improves quality of life in breast cancer patients during chemo-/radiotherapy and aftercare: results of a retrospective, multicentre, epidemiological cohort study in Germany. In Vivo. 2011 Nov-Dec;25(6):983-90.
  13. Ali A, Njike VY, Northrup V, Sabina AB, Williams AL, Liberti LS, Perlman AI, Adelson H, Katz DL. Intravenous micronutrient therapy (Myers’ Cocktail) for fibromyalgia: a placebo-controlled pilot study. J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Mar;15(3):247-57.