AIBU to have been shocked of the selling of IV drips in our shopping centre.

[Trialanderror02]

Hi
bit of background my DD has intestinal failure, and so requires IV nutrition via a central line every day for 14 hours. This has landed us in many tricky dangerous situations over the years. Her IV nutrition bags are for fluids / vitamins / micro elements / metals / glucose. This bags are yellow fluid not usual IV saline bags.
We were shopping yesterday for pyjamas in Westfield’s and I was shocked to discover in a pop up seating area with IV stands and 2 women taking selfies attached to these exact looking IV bags, apparently this is a thing 🙈 I looked at the “ menu “ which literally looked like a cocktail bar menu. You could design you own IV bag by adding certain elements for more money etc.
Am I behind the times to be shocked about this casually being sold in the middle of a shopping centre ?
One of them is called a party drip.

www.theivbar.co.za/

This is a menu for just one of them. There are many different chains though, this is just my local one.

@Toddlerteaplease I’m aware of what vamin is ? 🤣
That’s is exactly what is on offer in an extent. I have a vamin bag in front of me with the ingredients in and the menu from the IV drip place it’s ridiculous. Unless you are low in any of the minerals / vitamins / metals etc it isn’t going to make a dam bit of difference and if you are low in them then this won’t change that for one drip long term.
But in terms of ingredients yes it is the same stuff we rely on.

Mad normally, but in the middle of a pandemic????

Surely if they are at risk of being dehydrated they should be on fluids? If they're coming into hospital they must be in a really bad way. Do you actually refuse to rehydrate your patients or were you joking?

@fuckfuckingcovid19 rehydrate someone in A&E so that they don't feel hungover the next day? Why should they? Would you seriously advocate for people going to A&E because they are drunk (and bear in mind, anyone can turn up and A&E and be seen) and getting IV fluids to sober them up/rehydrate them for the next morning? This is the sort of nonsense that fills up accident and emergency departments up and down the country on a Friday and Saturday night, costing the taxpayer millions per year and clogging up the system so that genuine patients have to wait ages to be seen.

Drunk teenager wasting NHS resources - send them home after a good bloody talking to, unless there is a genuine accident or emergency which needs to be seen to.

When I was a junior Dr flat sharing with other juniors a long long time ago it was not unknown for us to put up bags of IV fluids purloined from A&E for one another the morning after a mess night usually with a chaser of anti-emetic, a painkiller and a ppi. Not something I would now condone but it did arguably improve our ability to work.

However it is incredibly stupid to pay to have someone put up an IV in a shopping centre. There would be no guarantees of cleanliness or proper storage of the stuff,I doubt the customers or staff have much idea what is in the bag and whilst it's unlikely to be anything that could harm most people I can envisage it could be harmful for some people with other illnesses or taking certain drugs. There's presumably nothing to stop people going back repeatedly and they could get fluid overloaded or electrolyte imbalances which are very dangerous for your heart

I really am amazed that this is allowed. It must be classed as a vitamin supplement and not a drug I guess. Or else a Dr (or another prescriber) must be prescribing it which is a very risky thing for their registration.

We also currently have a box of off the shelf bags in our cupboard that was recently delivered in case of a shortage of production due to covid. Followed by a call from
Hospital telling us after reviewing she wouldn’t survive on the shelf bag for more than 24 hours so would need to be admitted in to hospital for designer fluids.
But apparently there’s places like this that can make them all in bulk 🤣🤷‍♀️

@SchrodingersImmigrant

I've heard about these. Tbh in my mind there is no difference to this and letting a non medical staff inject face with who knows what... Or salons do vit b12 injections.

Surprising number of people trusts non medical stuff to put things into their bodies👀 I don't trust even the medical staff😂

There's a huge difference between a subcutaneous injection and insertion of an IV line, though, in terms of what can go wrong with actually inserting the pointy bit.

I wonder what their procedures are in the event of anaphylaxis?

@theld spot on and also there is an element that these are not saline IV fluids that are normally given through canula. Our hospital would never put this through a short line now I have had a similar bag burst and land on my arm that yellow stuff burns you don’t want that through a canula that tissues .

[quote Trialanderror02]@isthismylifenow it wouldn’t make you feel better unless you were actually low in any of the stuff you just paid for lol
Also even it did make you temp better you would need it every day for it actually make w difference to your life unless you are hungover and then yes the fluid context would make you feel better. It’s a giant dangerous scam and absolutely shocked.[/quote]
I agree with you 100%.

The worrying thing is, is that they always seem to be quite busy.

They have been around about 2 or so years now, in the shopping centers etc. When I first saw one I was equally shocked. Folks were just sitting there in an arm chair hooked up to an iv, whilst doing a bit of people watching seeing everyone walk by.

I wasn't sure what would happen with the covid issues, but my local one is still open and seems to be trading well.

@theld only thing I will say is this is not a IV saline drip ! There is a difference between these drips and a going to a&e and getting a saline drip.

Just had a look, here's the link. Apparently it's trained medical professionals administering it (NMC Registered Nurses & GMC Registered Doctors). At eye watering prices!

getadrip.co.uk/

I would guess (sincerely hope) there is at least some kind of medical screening checklist. I mean they have those for a massage at a beauty salon even.
They likely get you to sign to say you are aware of risks and want to go ahead anyway so if anyone is harmed I suppose that's how they'll get away with it.

There yellow bags which have been called "banana bags" as a nickname for years and are used for hangover cures or just rich celebs getting a weekly dose of vitamins etc. Its not a new thing.

@AwaAnBileYerHeid which is what I find most shocking in our country. Not a single doctor I thankfully deal with would confine this or make money from it. I also don’t agree with it being in shopping malls in pop ups. My daughter was absolutely so shocked bless her. Which might be a personal reason but enough for me to say if you want to run then fine but get an actual shop 🤣

Also known medically as vamin bags which keep people alive.

I was disgusted a few years back when there was an IV vitamin shortage in America but these companies were still selling IVs as hang over cures or beauty treatments all while some TPN patients were becoming critically unwell due to lack of vitamins :( there was apparently a saline shortage in the UK but these places continued

@Trialanderror02 I was being sarcastic!

@DaisyDreaming yep during covid as I say we have off the shelf saline bags hidden in our cupboard not knowing whether our kids will have time be admitted to the hospices and hospital over the coming months.

There's a huge difference between a subcutaneous injection and insertion of an IV line, though, in terms of what can go wrong with actually inserting the pointy bit.

Sorry. I didn't meant as the injection part only. More of the "do you know what's really in it and do you know it can't make you sick".

I follow a minor reality TV star on Instagram who has posted before about having a 'Vitamin drip' done. Lots of celebrities apparently have them regularly.

@Trialanderror02
I dont understand your annoyance and constant "but we use them to keep her alive" mantra.
So? Are the people paying for these IV treatments preventing your daughter from getting hers to keep her alive? No. They arent.

This isnt a one or the other scenario. Your daughter still gets the treatment she needs. Other people can pay to have a drip which they may or may not need, and may or may not feel any benefit from. That's up to them. It's not affecting your daughters treatment in any way.

Banana bags are fabulous for migraines. I had a really severe one last time I was in the States. (Probably from flying/travelling/dehydration). Got that and some Toradol(?) and felt so much better super quickly.

@WhereverIGoddamnLike read the comments ! This wasn’t a big think in the U.K as much as America people were genuinely going through lack of ingredients !
As well as in covid scenario we were fully prepared for this scenario.
Also yes as I said it’s a personal reason but why should kids and adults who endure so much have to watch as they do their casual shopping people choosing to do it ? If you read my comments above I clearly stated they should get a shop if they want to do it.

If there are shortages, but businesses are still allowed to purchase these to sell commercially then regulations need to be altered.

These businesses are legal. They arent doing anything wrong. The supply chain iant their job.

If you dont want people to make money from something then campaign to have commercial use of IV fluids banned. Or maybe campaign for more production.

Wow I am amazed that registered Drs and nurses are willing to get involved with this stuff but clearly they are.

The contents of the energy one are very much like Pabrinex which is the yellow 'banana bag' given to alcoholics to prevent brain damage when withdrawing. There is a well known risk of anaphylaxis from that and it is very painful if it goes out of a vein. Given that the benefits for normal people really aren't there I honestly cannot believe that the GMC allows Drs to prescribe this stuff outside a licensed indication. They are taking a huge risk if anything ever goes wrong as the person may say they were not consented properly which I am certain they can't be otherwise why would anyone agree to this???