The Hydration Drip is the drip people book most, and the one with the least in it: a liter of sterile IV fluid with electrolytes, placed by a licensed nurse, and nothing else. That is the point. Most of what an IV does for a tired, dried-out adult is done by the fluid, and every other drip on the menu is this bag with things added. So this is the page to read before any of the others.
What is actually in it
The Hydration Drip is $139 and contains one liter of sterile IV fluid with electrolytes: sodium, potassium, chloride and the other salts your nerves and muscles run on. No vitamins, no medication. The bag runs about an hour once the line is placed.
A liter is a little over four cups. The difference between the drip and four cups of water is not the amount, it is the route. What goes into a vein is in circulation as it runs; what you drink has to be absorbed by a gut that may be slow, unsettled, or already full. We wrote about that timing in how long do IV fluids take to work.
When fluids-only is enough
Fluids alone fit an adult who knows why they are behind and has nothing else going on. The usual reasons people book it:
- A long night out without much nausea. If the morning is mostly nausea and a pounding head, the Hangover Drip carries prescription nausea relief and pain relief and is the better match.
- A hard workout, a race, or a day of yard work in the heat that left you drained.
- Travel. A long flight or a road trip where you drank coffee and not much else.
- A cold that has you behind on fluids but not in trouble.
- A stomach bug that has settled enough to keep small sips down but left you wrung out. If the nausea is still active, the Stomach Bug Drip adds the medication for it; the stomach bug post draws that line in detail.
When to add something, and what it costs
Every add-on is $20, prescription medication included, so the ladder is $139 plus $20 for each ingredient you add. The two that get added to a plain bag most often are nausea relief and pain relief. Past two or three add-ons, one of the named drips is usually the same thing for less: the Nausea Relief Drip at $199 is fluids, electrolytes, B-complex and nausea relief; the Myers' Cocktail at $239 is the vitamin-and-mineral bag. If you are not sure, which IV drip should you get walks the whole menu.
Is an IV better than drinking water?
For most people, most of the time, no. Drinking works, it is free, and it is what we tell you to do first. An IV earns its place in three situations: your gut is not cooperating, so what you drink is not getting absorbed; you are well behind and want the deficit restored this afternoon rather than over a day of sipping; or you cannot keep up by mouth for a reason you already understand, like a long shift in the heat. Outside those, a bag of fluids is a convenience, and we would rather say that than sell it as more.
What we do not do is promise how you will feel afterward. We have not measured it, so we do not put a number or a time on it. When we have outcomes measured, we will show the method.
When an IV is not the answer at all
Some signs mean emergency care now, and no mobile service should be your first call: confusion or unusual drowsiness, fainting or nearly fainting, very little or no urine for many hours, a racing heart while resting, vomiting or diarrhea with nothing staying down for many hours, severe or one-sided abdominal pain, blood in vomit or stool, a high fever that will not come down, or hot skin with confusion after time in the heat, which can be heat stroke. Dehydration in an infant, a frail older adult, or someone with kidney disease, heart failure or uncontrolled diabetes is an emergency as well. An IV is elective wellness care and we are not a substitute for emergency care. If you are not sure which door you need, mobile IV, urgent care, or the ER is the page for that, or call (615) 592-6529 before you book.
Who this is not for
- Anyone 17 or younger. No exceptions, and a parent's consent does not change it.
- Pregnancy. Possible, but your obstetric provider signs off on elective IV hydration before the visit, so tell us before you book.
- Heart failure, significant heart or valve disease, kidney disease or dialysis. A bag of fluid is a real volume load and the right answer may be less, or none. Tell us before you book.
- Anyone 60 or older. IV fluid volume is capped at one liter every two weeks with no extra-fluid add-ons, so mention your age range when you book.
- Anyone taking a water pill, lithium, an ACE inhibitor or ARB, metformin, an SGLT2 medication or a blood thinner. All of these change what is safe when you are dehydrated. Bring the list.
- Anyone on chemotherapy, steroids or medication that suppresses the immune system. Any fever needs urgent medical review, not a drip.
How a visit works
You book a time, a Nurse Practitioner reviews your intake, and a licensed nurse comes to your home, hotel or rental. That review is a history review, and for some visits a brief video check-in: it is a screen, not a diagnosis. The bag runs about an hour once the line is placed, and you stay where you are for it. It is $139 flat, travel included across most of our service area, and if your address is farther out the exact amount is shown before you pay. IV hydration in Nashville shows what is bookable today.
A&M IV Co. is a Nurse Practitioner-owned mobile IV practice based in Brentwood, serving Nashville and Middle Tennessee.