Doctor making ‘hangover house calls’ to New York’s party-goers

By By Margot Peppers, Capital Bay January 21, 2014

A urologist in New York is making hangover recovery a little easier by rehydrating party-goers the morning after with IV drips.

For up to $249 a session, members of Dr Elliot Nadelson’s IV Doctor club receive house calls where they are given IVs which apparently cure a hangover in just 30 minutes.

But while Dr Nadelson touts his service as ideal for hard workers who like to let off steam, some medical experts believe the house calls do more harm than good.

‘Anyone drinking to the point where they need IV rehydration has a drinking problem,’ physician Dr Richard Besser told ABC News.

‘I would hope that as part of this service IV Doctor is also referring their patients for alcohol counseling.’

According to the IV Doctor website, Dr Nadelson’s team will travel to a member’s home, hotel room or office 24 hours a day, seven days a week, though they limit visits to about twice a month.

The IV drips they administer can be used to treat dehydration from the flu, overexertion and jetlag as well as a painful morning after a night of drinking.

Sessions range from $199 for the ‘Cleanse’, which consists of 1,000ml of solution, to $249 for the ‘Revive’, which gets you up to 2,000ml plus anti-nausea, anti-heartburn and anti-inflammatory medications.

‘New York is the city that doesn’t sleep,’ Dr Nadelson explained. ‘It’s the nightlife, culture, and financial epicenter of the world – so naturally people work hard and play harder.’

He says his treatment is so effective because IV hydration has a 100per cent absorption rate, as opposed to the oral intake of fluids and vitamins, which is about 50 to 60per cent.

This means that ‘IV hydration offers the fastest way to replenish needed fluids and electrolytes,’ states the website.

Dr Nadelson says his services are ideal for people living fast-paced lives in the working world, especially in a city like New York.

‘Our clients call us on demand because they need to resume their daily routine and don’t have time to nurse their hangover or get over their flu symptoms,’ he said

‘People are depending on them and they are depending on us.’

To ensure the safety of his clients, he obtains their health history before treatment and says that if a patient comes to him for an IV several times a week, he refuses them treatment.

He also writes on the website that most of his IV Doctor team have experience in hospital emergency rooms or intensive care units for at least two years.

Dr Nadelson isn’t the only doctor doling out IVs to patients who’ve had a few too many.

Hangover Heaven, a traveling bus-service based in Las Vegas, provides a similar service by making in-room calls at hotels on the Strip.

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