What is a Myers' cocktail, and what does the evidence show?

What a Myers' cocktail is

A Myers' cocktail is a mix of vitamins and minerals given into a vein; its typical components, which vary by provider, are magnesium, calcium, B vitamins and vitamin C.[1][2][3] In its 2024 position statement on hydration and vitamin infusions, the American College of Clinical Pharmacology wrote that 'there is no standardization of the mixtures administered'.[3]

Uses and evidence

In Ali 2009, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial in 34 adults with fibromyalgia, fibromyalgia scores improved in both the group given weekly Myers' cocktail infusions for 8 weeks and the placebo group, and the difference between the groups was not statistically significant on any outcome measure.[4]

At the end of 8 weeks of treatment in Ali 2009, the average Total Survey Sites Score fell by 18.7 points with the Myers' cocktail and 16.6 points with placebo (p = 0.60), and the average Fibromyalgia Intensity Score fell by 1.1 points and 0.9 points (p = 0.50).[4] The authors of Ali 2009 concluded that 'The efficacy of IVMT for fibromyalgia, relative to placebo, is as yet uncertain', using IVMT for intravenous micronutrient therapy, the Myers' cocktail.[4] The authors of Ali 2009 wrote that no significant differences were seen between the groups 'in part because of the high placebo response and the small sample size'.[4]

Of the 34 adults analyzed in Ali 2009, 16 received the Myers' cocktail and 18 received placebo, and all but one were women, with a mean age of about 51.[4] Ali 2009 was supported by grants from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the US National Institutes of Health, and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and its authors declared no competing interests.[4]

In Massey 2007, a pilot study with no comparison group, 7 people with therapy-resistant fibromyalgia were given a modified Myers' formula once a week for 8 weeks and reported a 60% reduction in pain and an 80% decrease in fatigue, and the abstract states that no participant reported complete or lasting resolution of pain or fatigue.[5]

Other conditions and searches for trials

Dr. Alan Gaby, who used an IV vitamin and mineral formula building on the work of the late Dr. John Myers, wrote in a 2002 review of the published research and his own clinical experience that his modified Myers' cocktail has been found effective against acute asthma attacks, migraines, fatigue, fibromyalgia, upper respiratory tract infections and other disorders.[1]

In Lonsdale 1999, two groups of patients who sought a nutritional approach, chosen at random, each received a single IV infusion of either a lower-dose formula sometimes known as a Myer's Cocktail (30 patients) or a higher-dose formula (34 patients), and controls received no treatment.[6] The abstract of Lonsdale 1999 reports one outcome, a ratio of two chemicals, ATP and ADP, in red blood cells: in both infusion groups a low starting ratio rose and a high starting ratio fell, and this was not seen in the controls.[6] The abstract of Lonsdale 1999 reports no symptom or other clinical outcome, and its authors describe the change in the ratio as a regression toward the mean.[6]

We found three published trials of a Myers' cocktail: Ali 2009, which had a placebo group; Lonsdale 1999, which had a control group that received no treatment; and Massey 2007, which had no control group (PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov; September 30 and October 1, 2026). We found no published controlled trial of a Myers' cocktail that measured symptoms or other clinical outcomes in any condition other than fibromyalgia (PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov; September 30 and October 1, 2026). We found no systematic review or meta-analysis of Myers' cocktail trials (PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov; September 30 and October 1, 2026).

We found no randomized trial of an IV vitamin or mineral drip with several ingredients for energy or tiredness in people without a deficiency (PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov; October 1, 2026).

What reviewers and professional bodies say

A 2023 review in the UK's Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin states: 'There is a lack of high-quality evidence to suggest that high-dose vitamin infusions are necessary or offer any health benefit in the absence of a specific vitamin deficiency or medical condition.'[7] The 2023 Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin review also states: 'There may be harms from taking high (non-physiological) quantities of some vitamins and minerals.'[7]

The Merck Manual Professional Edition, in a page on Myers' cocktail last updated in July 2025, says that there is insufficient scientific evidence that IV vitamin therapy has the beneficial effects claimed for it or is effective for treating any disease.[2]

A 2020 report from the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health on IV multivitamin therapy for hospital or outpatient patients, such as people with malabsorption or patients after surgery, burns, trauma, intoxication or serious infection, found one systematic review, and that review 'did not include any primary studies with relevance to the research questions for this report'.[8] The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health's 2020 report on IV multivitamin therapy also states: 'No evidence-based guidelines were identified with relevance to the research questions.'[8]

The American College of Clinical Pharmacology's 2024 position statement says there is little evidence that hydration and vitamin infusions provide benefit because clinical trial data are lacking, except for some specific therapeutic situations.[3] The authors of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology's 2024 position statement declared that they have no conflicts of interest associated with it.[3] The American College of Clinical Pharmacology's 2024 position statement on hydration and vitamin infusions ends with this conclusion: 'The college therefore concludes that there is little to no evidence that the benefits outweigh the risks for hydration and vitamin infusions.'[3]

Evidence summary by use

Evidence levels in this table follow our grading key. Established means consistent results from randomized trials or a systematic review of them, or that a guideline or expert body says something. Emerging means some controlled human evidence that falls short of that, such as small or short trials or mixed results. Experimental means no controlled human evidence, only case reports, uncontrolled series, laboratory findings or an author's experience. Evidence against means a controlled trial tested the claim as its main result in the people the cell names and did not find the effect, and the cell names no trial that found that effect. 'No support found' means the searches named in that row found no study that supports the claim.

In this table, Not published means we found no published data for that cell, and Not reported means the studies we reviewed did not report it.

Limitations

The trials described on this page were small: Ali 2009 analyzed 34 adults, Massey 2007 enrolled 7 people, and the two infusion groups in Lonsdale 1999 had 30 and 34 patients. Ali 2009 compared one Myers' cocktail recipe with placebo in people with fibromyalgia, so its result says nothing about other recipes, other conditions or people without fibromyalgia.

The abstracts of Massey 2007 and Lonsdale 1999 do not report who funded the studies.[5][6]

The magnesium sulfate injection labels we reviewed cover treating magnesium deficiency and preventing or treating seizures in preeclampsia and eclampsia, not headaches or migraine, energy, immune support, general wellness or longevity (checked October 14, 2026).

The calcium injection labels we reviewed cover treating acute symptomatic hypocalcemia (low blood calcium), not energy, immune support, skin health, headaches, hangovers, exercise recovery, general wellness or longevity (checked October 1, 2026).

The Ascor and generic ascorbic acid injection labels cover short-term treatment of scurvy, not immune support, energy, skin health, cancer, sepsis or longevity (as of September 30, 2026).

FDA status of magnesium, calcium and vitamin C products

The FDA information in this section covers specific magnesium, calcium and vitamin C injection products, one ingredient at a time. None of it describes a Myers' cocktail as a mixed infusion. A clinic may make its infusion from other products or other forms of these ingredients, and we do not know which a given provider uses.

The FDA status table lists magnesium, calcium and vitamin C injection products whose labels we reviewed, with how each is given and the uses in its prescribing information.

Regulatory status checked October 14, 2026. Sources: dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/…/lookup.cfm; dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/…/lookup.cfm

Regulatory status checked October 1, 2026. Sources: dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/…/lookup.cfm; dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/…/lookup.cfm; dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/…/lookup.cfm; www.fda.gov/…/download; www.fda.gov/…/download; www.fda.gov/…/compounding-and-fda-questions-and-answers

Regulatory status checked September 30, 2026. Sources: dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/…/lookup.cfm; dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/…/lookup.cfm; www.fda.gov/…/download; www.fda.gov/…/download; www.fda.gov/…/compounding-and-fda-questions-and-answers; www.fda.gov/…/fda-notification-regarding-ascorbic-acid-injection

Side effects and risks

The American College of Clinical Pharmacology's position statement says there is evidence of risks, albeit from case reports, with numerous accounts of adverse events ranging from relatively minor infusion site reactions to thrombophlebitis, cellulitis, hematoma and blood clots, and also to cases of fungal infection and septic shock.[3]

The Merck Manual page on Myers' cocktail states: 'If the infusion is administered too quickly, it can lower blood pressure (probably due to the magnesium), which can lead to light-headedness and fainting.'[2] The Merck Manual page on Myers' cocktail also states: 'In people with abnormalities in blood levels of magnesium or potassium, infusions containing magnesium or, less commonly, potassium, can cause arrhythmias or muscle weakness.'[2]

The Merck Manual page on Myers' cocktail also states: 'There are also reports of severe adverse reactions, including death from infections introduced into the bloodstream from contaminants due to improper equipment sterilization.'[2] In Ali 2009, one participant in the Myers' cocktail group reported feelings of dyspepsia, insomnia, depression and a rise in blood pressure over the course of 3 weeks.[4]

A 2011 case report (Livshits 2011) describes a 47-year-old man who developed a massive breakdown of red blood cells, with a hemoglobin of 3.3 g/dL and acute renal insufficiency, after an infusion of a vitamin complex that the report says contained vitamins B and D complex, free amino acids, magnesium and taurine; the report's abstract does not call it a Myers' cocktail.[9] In Livshits 2011, the man's G6PD enzyme level was significantly reduced when he recovered, and the authors suggest that such an infusion may reveal previously unknown G6PD deficiency.[9]

A 2021 case report (D'Souza 2021) describes a 52-year-old woman with no past medical history who developed nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after an intravenous vitamin infusion and was found to have a bloodstream infection with Pseudomonas fluorescens, a bacterium that is not commonly found in humans; the report's title calls the case nearly fatal.[10]

A 2025 case report (Gorla 2025) describes a woman with one kidney who became short of breath within hours of an elective vitamin infusion, went into cardiac arrest after reaching an emergency department, and then needed dialysis for kidney failure and surgery to remove part of her bowel.[11] According to the Gorla 2025 report, the infusion was one liter of sterile water with magnesium and B vitamins, followed by half a liter of saline with 15 grams of vitamin C, and the authors name suspected destruction of red blood cells, the high dose of vitamin C and her single kidney as contributing factors, and state that they received no outside funding.[11]

A case report shows that a harm happened after a treatment, not how often it happens or that the treatment caused it.

Talk to a licensed clinician about whether IV vitamin and mineral infusions are appropriate for you.

If you have severe symptoms, call 911 or seek emergency care. Report side effects to FDA MedWatch.

Alternatives

The American College of Clinical Pharmacology's 2024 position statement says that 'from a purely pharmacological point of view, even in cases of vitamin deficiency, there is no evidence that IV infusion is superior to oral administration'.[3]

Provider directory

You can connect with a licensed provider to ask about an evaluation.

Find a Provider

A licensed clinician decides whether treatment is appropriate. Treatment is not guaranteed.