What is Cold & Flu Support IV therapy?
It is a physician assessment carried out while you have symptoms, followed by fluid, electrolyte and symptomatic support. It carries no claim of shortening the illness; the aim is to make you more comfortable and to make sure nothing serious is being missed. Sessions at IV Point take 30–45 minutes and are run by an anesthesiology specialist.
How Do We Receive Sick Clients?
We start with this section, because it is important — and rarely discussed elsewhere.
Other clients receive infusions at our clinic on the same day, and some of them may be immunocompromised. Bringing a person with an active infection into that environment alongside them is not right.
Cold and flu visits are therefore handled under a separate arrangement:
- A separate appointment slot — you are not booked in the same time window as other clients
- A separate treatment room
- Masks — for you and for our team
- Room and equipment cleaning after the session
That is why telling us your symptoms when you book matters. It is not an obstacle — it is part of the system.
Will This Shorten My Illness?
We want to answer this openly, because setting the right expectation is, to us, part of good medicine.
The roles of vitamin C and zinc in normal immune-cell function are well defined,2,3 and there is evidence that regular vitamin C use can modestly shorten the duration of the common cold.1 For treatment started after symptoms begin, however, studies have not yet shown a clear shortening of illness1 — which is why we do not quote you a number of days; research in this area is ongoing.
Our real contribution lies elsewhere: helping you get through the illness period in noticeably more comfort, and making sure nothing serious is being missed.
So What Does This Treatment Do?
Three things — and all three are real.
1. Assessment. This comes before the drip and is often the most valuable part. Fever, sore throat and weakness are usually a simple viral infection — but they can also be pneumonia, strep throat, sinusitis, a urinary tract infection or a flu complication. Telling these apart is an examination’s job.
2. Fluid and electrolyte support. When fever, sweating, poor appetite and nausea come together, a fluid deficit forms. That deficit markedly worsens headache, weakness and dizziness. Giving fluid corrects this directly — and for people who can’t keep fluids down, the IV route is a practical solution.
3. Symptomatic support. If judged necessary, a painkiller is given for fever and body aches. That does not shorten the illness, but it does help you feel better.
In short: our focus is less on the length of the illness than on how you get through it — we make you more comfortable and make sure nothing serious is being missed.
About the Formula
Contents and doses are set after the examination, according to your picture on the day.
- Fluid and electrolyte base: sterile isotonic sodium chloride solution. Correcting the fluid deficit is the protocol’s main purpose
- Vitamin C: involved in the normal function of immune cells2
- B-vitamin complex: a cofactor in energy metabolism
- Zinc: for its role in immune-cell function3
- An NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory): added after physician assessment if fever and body aches are prominent. It is a medication, which makes physician-planned administration mandatory
Why aren’t doses listed here?
Doses are set individually and according to your picture on the day; we do not publish a standard dosing chart. The contents and doses to be used are explained to you before the session.
With These Symptoms, Go to the ER — Not to Us
This is the most important information on this page. In the following situations, what you need is not an infusion but urgent assessment:
- Shortness of breath, rapid breathing, running out of breath while speaking
- Chest pain or a feeling of pressure in the chest
- Blueness of the lips or nails
- Confusion, extreme drowsiness, being difficult to wake
- Severe headache and fever with a stiff neck — can be a sign of meningitis
- A rash that does not fade under pressure
- Vomiting too severe to keep fluids down, reduced urine output
- A seizure
- Getting worse again after starting to improve — the typical course of post-flu bacterial pneumonia
In addition, flu can run more severely in these groups, and early physician assessment is needed: over 65, pregnancy, chronic lung or heart disease, diabetes, immunosuppression.
Who Might Consider This Supportive Treatment?
- Adults with cold or flu symptoms who want to be assessed and made more comfortable
- People who cannot keep up adequate oral fluids because of fever, sweating or poor appetite
- People who can’t take oral medication because of nausea
Note: if your symptoms are mild and you can drink fluids, rest, plenty of fluids and an oral painkiller are enough for most people. This treatment is most meaningful when fluid intake is genuinely compromised.
Who Is It Not Suitable For?
General:
- Anyone with any of the emergency signs above — go directly to an emergency department
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding — separate assessment required
- Kidney failure
- Heart failure and serious heart disease — because of the risk of fluid overload
- Known allergy to any component
If an NSAID is to be added:
- A history of gastrointestinal bleeding or ulcer
- Kidney failure
- Anticoagulant (blood thinner) use
- Aspirin or NSAID allergy
- NSAID-triggered asthma
- Marked dehydration — an NSAID adds load on the kidneys; the fluid deficit is corrected first
Tell us about every medication you take. If you have taken a painkiller or a flu remedy at home, be sure to say so — many flu remedies already contain paracetamol, and doses can stack without you noticing.
Possible Side Effects
- Temporary redness, tenderness or bruising at the IV site
- Nausea or dizziness with a fast infusion
- Temporary nausea or a metallic taste from zinc
- If an NSAID is added: stomach upset and the other side effects of that agent
- Allergic reaction to a component (rare)
You are monitored throughout the treatment.
Before, During and After
Before: tell us your symptoms when booking — it is needed to arrange the separate slot and room. Tell us what you have taken at home, your chronic conditions and, if applicable, pregnancy.
During: 30–45 minutes, resting in a separate room.
After: keep resting at home and keep up your fluids. If your symptoms worsen, or any of the emergency signs above appears, go to a healthcare facility without delay.
References
- Hemilä H, Chalker E. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013;(1):CD000980. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23440782
- Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and immune function. Nutrients. 2017;9(11):1211. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29099763
- Wessels I, Maywald M, Rink L. Zinc as a gatekeeper of immune function. Nutrients. 2017;9(12):1286. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29186856
Written and medically reviewed by: Ömer Fatih Şahin, MD Specialist in Anesthesiology & Reanimation — Last updated: 27.08.2026
The content on this page is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical treatment. If your symptoms worsen, or any of the emergency signs listed above appears, go to a healthcare facility without delay.
