Vitamin injections: a worrying practice

The use of vitamin injections to alleviate fatigue or hangovers is growing rapidly in French-speaking Switzerland. The trend raises many questions about its real benefits and potential health risks. More and more specialised “clinics” are offering infusions of vitamin solutions, sometimes with nursing services available at home 24/7 to perform the infusions. The practice is often aggressively promoted on social networks, and is aimed primarily at a young, affluent audience. Swiss public television RTS identified clinics active in this niche in Lausanne, Geneva and Gstaad. But the practice is not confined to Switzerland. It's an international phenomenon, a business popularised by celebrities, influencers and jet-setters. Risk of kidney stones Are the benefits of these infusions real? According to Pedro Marques-Vidal, professor at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) there are no studies to prove it. Worse still, the very high dose of vitamin C in some infusions presents proven risk ...