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Information for Patients: ‘Myer’s’ vitamin injections

Intravenous micronutrient therapy (IVMNT) and specifically use of the “Myers’ Cocktail”, was developed by the late Dr. John Myers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. While there has been limited research conducted on the Myer’s vitamin injections, this therapy has been used clinically for the treatment of a variety of conditions including chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, depression, acute and chronic muscle spasm, asthma, hives, allergic rhinitis, congestive heart failure, angina, ischemic vascular disease, acute infections, endocrine disorders, and senile dementia.

The precise mechanism of action of IVMNT is unknown apart from the effects of the individual constituents. Lonsdale, et al. examined the hypothesis that Myers’ Cocktail improves cellular energy and attempted to support this by measuring erythrocyte ADP/ATP ratios before and after treatment. The results concluded that while this may be one component to its effectiveness, there appears to be other undeciphered factors at work. Others have hypothesized that intravenous administration of the nutrients at supra-physiologic concentrations (ie. higher concentrations than if the nutrients were absorbed orally) causes them to pharmacolgically alter metabolism and stimulate cellular health.

In the cases of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and chronic fatigue (CFS) Magnesium administered intravenously has been shown to ameliorate pain in a number of conditions. Magnesium is important for over 300 different enzyme reactions, and in healthy states, magnesium levels are second only to potassium intracellularly. Magnesium has been found to be low in the serum and erythrocytes and high in the hair of FMS patients, suggesting some imbalance of magnesium regulation in this population.

Gaby hypothesizes that the reduced levels of intracellular magnesium found in FMS patients plays a role in the etiology, and in order to adequately replenish the cells with magnesium, it is necessary to attain extremely high levels in serum, possible only with IV administration. Reed found parenteral magnesium therapy to have a beneficial effect in treating two groups of patients; those with acute sprains, contusions, or soft tissue injuries, and those with chronic muscular complaints including myofascial pain, relapsing soft tissue injuries and fibromyalgia.

Migraine headache's appear to share some features with FMS such as irregularities of serotonin, the extensive dysregulation in pain modulation and generalized hyperalgesia.

Like FMS patients, migraine patients have been found to have reduced red and mononuclear blood cell magnesium levels.

Two double-blind studies have shown that chronic oral magnesium supplementation may reduce the frequency of migraine headaches and one pilot study demonstrated that IV magnesium can resolve an acute migraine. Magnesium concentration plays a role on the modulation of serotonin receptors, nitric oxide synthesis and release,

and a variety of other neurotransmitters.

Although FMS is associated with serotonin irregularities, studies investigating the use of SSRIs have demonstrated limited effect.

Based on research to date, some conjecture can be made regarding the role of magnesium, however the possible role of the other constituents of the IVMT solution have not been investigated extensively. Nonetheless, vitamin B-12 injected intramuscularly has been used experimentally to treat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), a syndrome closely associated with FMS. In one un-blinded trial, 2,500–5,000 mg of vitamin B-12, given by injection every two to three days, led to improvement in 50–80% in a group of people with CFS, with most improvement appearing after several weeks. It is felt that oral or sublingual administration would not achieve the effects seen with injectable B-12.

IVMT Safety

IVMT is a safe treatment, as it is very simply the administration of vitamins and minerals using either standard IV infusion or bolus technique (syringe injection).

The potential for adverse reactions from IVMT lies mainly in the method of administration rather than the substance administered, i.e. any type of IV therapy holds some risk of local (hematoma, thrombosis, phlebitis, thrombophlebitis, infiltration, extravastion, local infection, venous spasm) and/or systemic complications (septicemia, circulatory overload, pulmonary edema, air embolism, speed shock, catheter embolism).

These complications are rare, and are avoided by using proper technique and by screening patients for whom IV therapy is contraindicated.

There exist reports of allergic reaction to the thiamine (B-1) used in the solution, most often manifested as a hypersensitivity reaction.

Complications are best avoided by the pre-administration and observation of an intradermal injection of a small amount of thiamine. Otherwise, there are no known serious side effects of IVMT.