IV Infusions vs IM Shots Palo Alto

IV Infusions vs IM Shots Palo Alto

You may be wondering what’s the difference between an infusion and IM Shots. Here we explain what each one is, and how it may affect you.

What is an Infusion in Palo Alto?

An infusion is when fluids, medication, or blood is given through a catheter directly into a vein. A medical professional does this by using a needle to guide the catheter into a vein. The needle is then removed leaving the plastic catheter behind in the vein.

A lot of patients think that there’s a needle in their arm throughout the whole infusion but just the plastic catheter remains.

What is IM Shot in Palo Alto?

An injection refers to the administration of medication using a needle and syringe. For example, if you’ve been given a flu shot or a vaccine, it was an IM Shot.

In fact, there are several types of IM Shots:

1. Intramuscularly- This is when an injection is done in the muscle.
2. Subcutaneously- When an injection is administered into the fatty tissue.
3. Intradermally- This is when injections are given in the top layer of the skin.

How are they different?

The big difference between an infusion and injection is the period of administration. On the one hand, injections are often done within minutes. On the other hand, infusions can take anywhere between 10 minutes to an hour.

IV therapy and IM boosters are essentially different delivery mechanisms for the same thing: both are therapies that supply hydration, vitamins, and minerals directly into your body, bypassing the digestive system so they are fully and immediately absorbed.

IV infusions are administered intravenously, meaning a needle and drip is used to transport the nutrients directly into your bloodstream, which takes between 20 and 30 minutes.

IM boosters on the other hand are intramuscular injections, administered directly into muscle tissue – it’s one simple shot and is therefore great for those on a tight schedule. IM injections are also recommended for when the vitamins and minerals you want need to be released slowly into the body.

What are the Benefits of IV Vitamin Therapy and IM Booster Injections?

The direct delivery of fluid through insertion directly into your veins or into a large muscle (as for IM boosters) means that it bypasses the digestive system, allowing for maximum absorption of key vitamins and minerals – leading to faster and more effective results. Infusions and boosters are a safe and perfect perk-me-up if you are prone to exercise fatigue, stress or lethargy.

These therapies also give us the opportunity to administer a high dose of nutrients into your system. Vitamins and minerals like magnesium, vitamin C are great for a wide range of benefits like boosting your immune system, reducing your blood pressure and helping with a healthy glow, but they really need to be taken in regular, high doses to truly see these benefits.

It is of course possible to take these vitamins and many others orally in a supplement, but an infusion or booster has three key benefits over simply taking a tablet. First, as you may have heard of before, is that only a small percentage of nutrients in oral supplements are absorbed by your body in the digestive system and the rest goes to waste. It can also take up to two days to be completely digested and spread throughout your body to your cells which is where the difference is made. 

IM and IV therapies on the other hand deliver your nutrients directly into your bloodstream instead, and so you’ll start experiencing the positive effects on your body almost immediately.