Before Garba, Gujaratis are spending thousands on Navratri IV drips

Ayee haloo! Yup, it’s that time of the year when you pull out your colouful chaniya cholis, get your jewellery sorted, and book your passes for garba and dandiya nights. But amidst all the Navratri fervour, there’s one more appointment people are squeezing into their schedules: an IV drip.Yes, the kind that goes straight into your vein.Across clinics in Gujarat, ‘Navratri IV drips’ are becoming the latest festive-season pick-me-up. Think energy boosts to keep you going through those exhausting garba and dandiya nights, and hydration drips promising that extra festive glow. The goal? Dance all night, fast through the day, and still show up looking fresh for the next round of garba! Take a look at some of the viral videos:Sounds bizarre? Sure, but IV drips have already made it to the Indian wedding scene. Last year, a viral video showed dressed-up guests hooked up to drips at a wedding. Alanna Panday’s wedding celebrations had a similar moment. Of course, IV drips aren’t exactly new to the wellness scene. They’ve been making the rounds for a while, especially in the beauty space, with celebs like Arjun Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor and Kendall Jenner speaking about their IV therapy sessions for overall wellness.Gujarat gets garba-ready with IV dripsAnd in Gujarat, where Navratri means dancing till the wee hours, fasting through the day and doing it all over again the next night, keeping up with the festive frenzy can be exhausting. Enter IV drips - the latest addition to the garba-ready routine.From Ahmedabad and Surat to Rajkot and beyond, videos of clinics offering Navratri-themed IV drip packages are making the rounds, with options targeting everything from hydration and immunity to glowing skin.What's in the IV bag?There's no fixed recipe for a festive-special drip.According to Dr Mrugesh Prajapati, MD in Anaesthesiology, whose Ahmedabad clinic, Optimise IV, is also offering special Navratri drip packages, there are potentially thousands of ways to combine vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids and other supportive molecules in an IV drip.“Our formulations may include pharmaceutical preparations containing glutathione, vitamin C, vitamin B-complex and other supportive micronutrients, depending on the patient's medical assessment,” he told India Today.Dr Monika Tibrewal, dermatologist and cosmetologist at Ahmedabad’s SkinEra – Skin and Cosmetic Clinic, which is also offering IV drips for Navratri, says, “The main purpose is to provide targeted nutritional and hydration support. Depending on the formulation and the individual’s needs, patients may experience benefits such as improved energy levels, better hydration and an overall feeling of wellbeing.” People are increasingly opting for IV therapy for overall wellness (AI Generative) These sessions involve doctor-supervised IV treatments tailored to an individual’s health, lifestyle and nutritional needs. While the effects are often temporary, IV therapy can help address dehydration, certain electrolyte imbalances and specific nutritional deficiencies when medically indicated.But things get a little tricky when you’re perfectly healthy and just want an extra boost to power through those garba nights.So, can anyone get these?“No, IV drips are not recommended for everyone. We first assess the patient’s concerns, medical history and individual requirements before recommending one. They can be considered for patients looking for nutritional or hydration support, low energy, or certain skin and wellness concerns. The formulation is always personalised, and the treatment is given only when we feel it is appropriate and under medical supervision,” Dr Tibrewal said.Dr Prashant Sinha, senior consultant and head of emergency medicine at PSRI Hospital, New Delhi, highlights that Navratri fatigue may come from too little sleep, missed meals, hours of dancing or dehydration. So, an IV may help by replenishing fluids, without the added vitamins necessarily giving an extra energy boost.“For a healthy person who is eating well and does not have a nutritional deficiency, there is not enough good evidence to say that these vitamin drips will give them more energy or a better skin glow,” he says.Having said that, experts are observing a burgeoning demand for these treatments, especially before weddings and festive seasons.Who is signing up and for how much?According to Dr Prajapati, interest earlier largely came from NRIs, frequent international travellers, entrepreneurs and professionals familiar with IV wellness services abroad. Now, younger adults and first-time users are enquiring too.“I believe increased social media visibility, international exposure and growing awareness of personalised wellness are contributing to this shift."Dr Tibrewal reports a similar appetite for treatments linked to energy, hydration and appearance. While clients are mostly women aged around 25–45, men are also showing interest. Ahead of Navratri, there's a rise in demand for IV therapy in Gujarat (Getty) Prices vary by clinic and formulation, from around Rs 5,000 per drip at Dr Tibrewal’s practice to Rs 4,000–15,000 at Optimise IV. The number and frequency of sessions depend on individual needs, medical assessment and response to treatment.But, as with every trend, this one has its fair share of sceptics.Not everyone is soldThese festive drips have also drawn flak for promising an instant glow and energy boost, with critics questioning the idea of turning a medical procedure into pre-party prep.Dr Nishita Ranka, medical director and founder of Dr Nishita’s Clinic for Skin, Hair & Aesthetics, Hyderabad, flags specific risks with high-dose vitamin C for people with kidney problems or G6PD deficiency, an inherited condition that can make red blood cells vulnerable to damage. She also warns that inserting a needle into a vein can also cause bruising, infection or inflammation.Dr Sinha, meanwhile, wants you to keep your expectations in check when it comes to that instant glow."Your skin does not suddenly become healthier just because vitamins have been put directly into your bloodstream. If someone has a genuine nutritional deficiency, treating that deficiency can certainly improve their overall health and sometimes their skin or hair as well. But that is very different from giving vitamins intravenously to a healthy person simply for cosmetic reasons."And well, the promise of instant glow is a conversation for another time.Meanwhile, Dr Prajapati acknowledges these risks, saying safety depends on appropriate patient selection, pharmaceutical quality, dosing and monitoring. His clinic, he says, emphasises medical screening, sterile techniques, ingredient compatibility and emergency preparedness.“There is also an important distinction between a substance being naturally present in the body and its safety when administered intravenously at a particular concentration,” he explains.What about approval?But that's not all. Beyond safety, the backlash is also about what is approved and not by the regulatory bodies in India.In India, pharmaceutical products and injectable preparations are governed by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and applicable rules, with regulatory responsibilities shared between the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and state drug authorities.Dr Ranka explains that the medicines used in IV drips are regulated, but there are gaps in rules specifically covering wellness drip packages. A medicine’s approval for treating an illness does not automatically cover its use for festive glow or skin lightening. Using it beyond its approved purpose is called “off-label” use. That does not automatically make it illegal, but it also does not mean the advertised beauty benefits are approved or proven.Therefore, before signing up, is it essential to understand - What is in the drip? Why do I need it? Is it approved for this use, and what evidence supports the promised benefits?Before you book that sessionThe attraction is understandable. Festive calendars are packed, and nobody wants to sit out their favourite song.But Dr Sinha stresses, “There is also no shortcut to replacing sleep, good nutrition and adequate hydration.” Both Dr Sinha and Dr Ranka reserve IV therapy for a clear medical need.Ranka also raises a larger concern: “there is a cultural cost that nobody prices in. We are teaching a generation that a cannula is a reasonable step before a party. That is a strange threshold to have moved."For healthy revellers, their advice is less glamorous: sleep, hydrate, eat well and allow time to recover.And if you are still considering a drip, let a medical assessment decide whether it belongs on your festive checklist.- Ends