The short version
- One 16 g stick, per the label image on the Amazon listing: 45 calories, 500 mg sodium (22% of the Daily Value), 11 g sugar (all of it added), 370 mg potassium and five vitamins, most of them above 100% of the Daily Value.
- $24.00 for 16 sticks on Sep 30, 2026, which is $1.50 a stick, sold by Liquid I.V. and shipped by Amazon. Non-returnable, because it is food.
- It is a salt-and-sugar drink built on the oral-rehydration idea. That is exactly what you want after a long session in the heat and exactly what you do not need on a normal day at a desk.
Not a workout tool, though it rides in the same bag on long walks in summer.
A sodium-and-sugar mix for the sweaty days; plain water for the rest of the week.
Useful after a long session in the heat. It is not a nightly habit.
What the label shows
We read the Nutrition Facts panel from the label image on the Amazon listing for the Lemon Lime 16-stick pouch on Sep 30, 2026, and cross-checked it against the brand's own product page the same day. The numbers below are the Amazon listing's; the brand's page serves two panels, one of them slightly different, and we come back to that under the table.
| Ingredient | Amount per stick (16 g) | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 45 | All of it from sugar. There is no fat and no protein. |
| Sodium | 500 mg (22% DV) | The main reason this exists. The FDA calls 20% DV or more per serving "high", which is fine after heavy sweating and pointless otherwise. |
| Total carbohydrate | 11 g | From cane sugar and dextrose. Stevia leaf extract adds sweetness on top. |
| Total sugars, of which added | 11 g / 11 g (22% DV) | Roughly two and a half teaspoons. The sugar is part of the formula, not an afterthought (see below). |
| Potassium | 370 mg (8% DV) | The second electrolyte, from potassium citrate and dipotassium phosphate. |
| Vitamin C | 62 mg (70% DV) | Not an electrolyte; included, in the brand's words, as one of "8 vitamins and nutrients". |
| Niacin (B3) | 19.3 mg (120% DV) | Above a full day's value in one stick. |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 9.6 mg (190% DV) | Same story. No reason to drink a second stick for the vitamins. |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.93 mg (110% DV) | Above a day's value. |
| Vitamin B12 | 5.79 mcg (240% DV) | Above a day's value. |
| Third-party testing | None shown | The listing's label image carries vegan, certified gluten-free and Non-GMO Project Verified logos. We saw no USP, NSF or Informed Choice mark on the listing or the brand page. |
One honest wrinkle: we found three versions of the panel for the same 16 g Lemon Lime stick on Sep 30, 2026. The Amazon listing's image shows 45 calories, 500 mg sodium (22% DV) and 11 g total carbohydrate. The brand's own product page serves two different Nutrition Facts images: one shows 50 calories, 500 mg sodium (22% DV) and 11 g carbohydrate; the other, in the page's photo gallery, shows 50 calories, 560 mg sodium (24% DV) and 13 g carbohydrate. In all three, sugar is 11 g (all added), potassium 370 mg and the vitamins match. We could not tell which panel is on the pouch currently shipping, and the difference is small enough not to change any advice below. Read the pouch you receive.
Full ingredient list as printed: cane sugar, dextrose, citric acid, salt, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, dipotassium phosphate, silicon dioxide, stevia leaf extract (rebaudioside A), natural flavors, vitamins C, B3, B5, B6 and B12. The brand describes it as gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, dairy-free and soy-free.
What the evidence shows
The brand's headline claim is "faster hydration than water alone", and its second is "3x the electrolytes of the leading sports drink". Both are Liquid I.V.'s own wording [2]; we did not test either, and we did not identify which drink the comparison refers to. The idea behind the first claim is not mysterious. Pairing sodium with a sugar in water follows the oral rehydration solution principle, which the brand's FAQ explains in its own terms [3]. That principle was developed for people losing large amounts of fluid through illness; whether an ordinary adult after a workout gets any practical benefit over water and a normal meal is a different question, and the brand's page does not answer it.
The sports-medicine guidance is plainer. The 2017 National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement on fluid replacement says activity under an hour "should require no substances other than water", while sessions over an hour or with hard intervals "may benefit" from carbohydrate or electrolytes in the drink, "especially in extreme environments" [4]. It notes that sweat sodium varies enormously between people, roughly 10 to 100 mEq per liter (about 230 to 2,300 mg), so a fixed 500 mg stick is generous for some and partial for others. It also sets the goal of keeping the sweat deficit in a session under about 2% of body mass, and warns that drinking well beyond sweat losses can push blood sodium dangerously low, a reason to drink to thirst rather than to a schedule on ordinary days [4].
The numbers cut both ways. The FDA's Daily Value for sodium is under 2,300 mg, Americans average about 3,400 mg, and the agency's rule of thumb is that 20% DV or more in a serving counts as high [5]. At 22% DV, one stick is "high" by that rule: the point after a long, sweaty session, a cost on a day you sat still. The 11 g of added sugar is 22% of the 50 g Daily Value for added sugars [6]. A sugar-free version exists on the brand's site; we did not review it.
This is a deliberate 500 mg sodium dose. If a clinician has asked you to limit sodium, or you take medication that affects fluid or electrolyte balance, ask before adding a daily stick. If you are pregnant or nursing, the same. And if your training is our 20-minute routine and a few walks, you almost certainly do not need this at all; water and a normal diet cover it.
How to fit it into a simple week
This is a sequence for using the product sensibly, not a promise about how you will feel.
Make water the default
For the three 20-minute sessions and the short walks in our sample week, drink water when thirsty and leave the sticks in the cupboard.
Decide the night before which days qualify
A long walk in real heat, a session over an hour, or anything that leaves your shirt soaked is a stick day. A cool-weather 25-minute walk is not.
Mix one stick into 16 oz of water
That is the brand's direction. Sip it during or after the session rather than gulping it before, and keep drinking to thirst alongside it.
Count it in the day
Log the stick as 500 mg of sodium and 11 g of added sugar in your daily totals, and go easier on salty food that day if that matters to you.
Stop at one
The brand's own FAQ says the packet directs one stick per day. The vitamins are already past 100% DV in one serving; a second stick adds more sodium and sugar, not more benefit.
Price and where it is sold
On Sep 30, 2026 the Amazon listing showed $24.00 for the Lemon Lime pouch of 16 sticks (net 9.03 oz), which is $1.50 per stick. The listing page's product name reads "Liquid I.V. Hydration Electrolytes, Lemon Lime, 16 Count", while the pouch itself is printed "Hydration Multiplier Electrolyte Drink Mix"; they are the same product. The seller was Liquid I.V., with shipping from Amazon (fulfilled by Amazon), and the item was in stock. The listing states it is non-returnable for food-safety reasons. Nineteen flavors were listed in the same listing's flavor menu, two of them shown as unavailable that day. The brand's own site listed the same pouch at $24.99 one-time the same day. You can re-check the current price on the Amazon listing; it will have moved.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone a clinician has asked to limit sodium, and anyone on medication that affects fluid or electrolyte balance, should ask a pharmacist or clinician first.
- People who want zero sugar. This stick carries 11 g of added sugar by design; the brand sells a separate sugar-free line that we have not reviewed.
- People whose exercise is short and indoors. Water does this job, and a stick is $1.50 of salt and sugar you do not need.
- Parents looking for something for children. The brand's FAQ addresses that question itself; this entry is written for adults and takes no position on it.
Sources
- Amazon.com. Product listing for Liquid I.V. Lemon Lime, 16 count (ASIN B01IT9NLHW): title, price, seller, stock, return note and the Nutrition Facts label image. Accessed Sep 30, 2026.
- Liquid I.V. Lemon Lime Hydration Multiplier product page (claims, price, pack sizes, Nutrition Facts image). Accessed Sep 30, 2026. link
- Liquid I.V. FAQ page (oral rehydration solution explanation, one-stick-per-day direction). Accessed Sep 30, 2026. link
- National Athletic Trainers' Association. Position statement on fluid replacement for the physically active. Journal of Athletic Training, 2017 (open access via PubMed Central). link
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sodium in your diet: the Daily Value, average intake and the 5%/20% rule of thumb. link
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label: definition and the 50 g Daily Value. link
This entry is educational and is not medical advice. Ask a qualified clinician before starting any supplement or new exercise routine, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, have an existing condition, or take medication.