Do IV drips for hangovers and vitamin infusions actually work? Here's what experts say.

They can be spotted in Las Vegas and at select spots across the country, including festivals like Coachella: shops that give IV infusions to customers who are looking for relief from hangovers or just want a vitamin boost.

The practice has been popular with celebrities, including Adele and Chrissy Teigen, for years. More recently, Kelly Stafford, wife of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, shared a photo of herself getting an IV infusion on her Instagram Stories.

The photo was simple: It showed the mom of four, wearing mirrored sunglasses and a bucket hat, with a needle in her arm and an IV drip bag hanging behind her. Stafford noted her location as the Wynn Las Vegas and tagged NutriDrip, a concierge service that delivers IV vitamin infusions to customers across the country.

Stafford didn't say anything else in her post, including why she was getting the IV infusion. But it's only natural to have questions about what, exactly, these IV drips are and whether they're safe. Here's what you need to know.

What's in these IV drips?

NutriDrip isn't the only company that offers IV drip infusions: Bounce Hydration and a slew of different medispas across the country offer similar services. While Stafford didn't reveal which IV infusion she got, NutriDrip has a whole menu of options online, including a NutriCleanse drip, which contains glutathione (an antioxidant), vitamin C, vitamin B12, vitamin B complex, magnesium, calcium, taurine and "multi trace minerals." The company's Basic Recovery drip promises to help with "light hangovers, illness & dehydration" and contains an electrolyte solution along with your choice of pain or nausea medication, while the Ultimate Recovery infusion, which is designed to treat the "Vegas hangover," illness and dehydration, contains vitamin C, vitamin B complex, glutathione, vitamin B12, magnesium, taurine, carnitine, MTE-5 and your choice of pain or nausea medication.

NutriDrip did not respond to Yahoo Life's request for comment.

How does an IV drip infusion work?

Every company is slightly different, but NutriDrip says online that you'll have a health consultation with a "licensed medical provider" — a nurse practitioner, physician's assistant or registered nurse — before receiving your IV drip. The actual experience is similar to what you'd get if you were in a hospital or medical center and needed to receive fluids: An IV is inserted into a vein, usually in your arm, and you're given fluids from a bag directly into your bloodstream. The actual infusion takes between 30 and 60 minutes.

People have left reviews online swearing that the drips did everything from dramatically shorten a cold to help them recover from food poisoning.

Can an IV drip infusion help cure a hangover?

The big allure for many of these companies — and what many advertise — is the promise to cure a hangover. But is that possible?

Experts say it's unclear. "There are lots of anecdotal testimonies of positive improvement in symptoms after IV vitamin drip therapy," Dr. Sophia Tolliver, family medicine physician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Life. "However, there is not much evidence to support those claims on a broader scale."

Alcohol is a diuretic, she points out, which puts you at risk for dehydration after a lot of drinking. "Excessive alcohol consumption essentially limits the absorption of water in the body. This loss of fluid can lead to dehydration and an imbalance of electrolytes like sodium and potassium in the body," Tolliver explains. "These derangements could contribute to the symptoms of a hangover. The replacement of fluids could essentially help to improve this condition."

Dr. Richina Bicette, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, agrees. "One of the major contributors to a hangover is dehydration, and IV therapy can help with this, as they are able to give you large amounts of fluids relatively quickly," Bicette tells Yahoo Life. "However, there are other causes of a hangover, such as inflammation caused by alcohol or the congeners in alcoholic beverages, that cannot be treated by IV therapy and will only resolve with a tincture of time."

As for claims that IV drip therapy is a good way to get your vitamins, experts say you really don't need to go to those lengths to get the nutrients you need. "We can get all of our vitamins from foods — fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes — or, if needed, from oral vitamin supplements," Deborah Cohen, associate professor in the department of clinical and preventive nutrition sciences at Rutgers University School of Health Professions, tells Yahoo Life.

"Unless you are severely deficient, chances are you would have replenished what you were missing with eating regular meals," Tolliver says. "The caveat to this is that with a hangover, nausea can be an issue, so IV vitamin therapy bypasses the stomach and goes directly into a vein, resulting in possibly quicker repletion."

One infusion "may help a hangover acutely," Cohen says, "but one infusion will have little to no" impact on your overall health. "That would be like saying that if you take a vitamin supplement once, you are healthy and good to go," she adds.

What risks are associated with IV drips?

If your IV drip is administered by a medical professional, it's usually considered pretty safe, Dr. Jamie Alan, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University, tells Yahoo Life. But, she says, "there is always the risk of infection. There is also the risk of electrolyte imbalance if not done correctly, which can be quite serious."

You can also experience bleeding or an allergic reaction to the medications given, Bicette says, noting that there's a risk of vitamin toxicity if you have more than the daily recommended intake of certain vitamins.

There's a "risk to your wallet" too, Cohen says. "This method of obtaining vitamins is quite expensive," she points out. NutriDrip, for example, tends to cost in the $100 to $250 range, depending on where you're located. Bounce Hydration charges between $200 and $250.

So why have IV drip infusions become so popular?

They're a potential quick fix, and that's appealing for plenty of people, Bicette explains. "People are looking for quick fixes, fast results and instant gratification," she says. "IV therapy plays right into all of those things."

Alan acknowledges that it "does feel good to get hydrated," adding, "I am sure this feels great after a night of drinking."

While IV infusions are "probably generally safe for most people," Alan notes, "there are risks, and some of them can be quite significant, especially if these are not done properly. There is really nothing wrong with some good old-fashioned water or an electrolyte drink."

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