Skip to content
PEPTIDESUNCENSORED

NAD+

/N · A · D plus/aka Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, NAD, Beta-NAD

A coenzyme, not a peptide, that every cell needs for energy metabolism and DNA repair, and whose levels appear to fall with age in some tissues.

OralSubcutaneousIV (clinic)Daily2×/wkNot a peptide
Open in cycle visualizer

NAD+: educational research discussion. Not medical advice. Not a protocol for you.Details

Reported range
250–2,000 mg (oral precursors)
Frequency
Daily (oral)
Cycle length
Continuous; trials ran 6–12 weeks
Half-life
Not meaningful; rapid turnover
Route
Oral, SC or IV (clinic)

Reported figures describe what is published or discussed. None of them is a dose for you.

Mechanism

What it is proposed to do

NAD+ carries electrons in energy metabolism and is consumed by sirtuins, PARPs (DNA repair enzymes) and CD38. In animals, falling NAD+ tracks with ageing, and raising it improves some age-related measures in mice. Cells mostly build NAD+ from precursors: oral NMN and NR are converted inside cells. Extracellular NAD+ is generally thought to be broken down to smaller precursors before cells take it up, so how much infused NAD+ reaches tissues intact is unclear. In a 6-hour IV study, plasma NAD+ did not rise at all for the first 2 hours.

  1. 01

    NAD+ or precursor

    Oral NMN or NR, or SC/IV NAD+

    established
  2. 02

    Cellular NAD+ pool

    Oral precursors raise blood NAD+ in human RCTs

    established
  3. 03

    Sirtuins · PARPs · mitochondria

    NAD+-dependent enzymes; benefit from boosting shown mainly in animals

    proposed
  4. 04

    Healthier ageing

    Human outcome effects small or mixed so far

    proposed
EstablishedProposed from animal or cell data

Half-life. Not a useful single number. Infused NAD+ is taken up and metabolized so fast that plasma levels did not rise for the first 2 hours of a 6-hour infusion. Oral precursor trials dose daily for weeks.

Dosing & cycles

What is reported, and where it comes from

Numbers below are labeled FDA label, clinical trial range or commonly reported range. They describe the published and discussed landscape. They are not instructions and not a protocol for you.

Dosing studio

Every figure is labeled by where it comes from.

This is not your dose

Scale view: NMN trial dose

100
150
200
250
300
350
400

Probe at 250 mg: at the listed figure Drag it to read the scale. It does not pick a number for you.

Typical cycle, as a calendar

Trial pattern: daily oral precursor

6–12 weeks in trials

Precursor trials give a fixed daily dose for weeks and measure blood NAD+ and metabolic markers. None ran long enough to test ageing outcomes.

OffLow / startMid / loadingHigh / maintenance

Cycle patterns

Trial pattern: daily oral precursor

6–12 weeks in trials

Precursor trials give a fixed daily dose for weeks and measure blood NAD+ and metabolic markers. None ran long enough to test ageing outcomes.

Daily oral
Week 1Week 12

Community pattern: SC 2× weekly

Ongoing; no standard length

A common injection rhythm in clinic protocols. The spacing is convention; no study compares schedules.

SC · 2×/week
Week 1Week 12

Stacks

What it gets combined with

Why people pair things, and what nobody has tested.

NAD+ + longevity peptides

3 compounds
NAD+MOTS-cEpitalon
Why people combine these
Pitched as one protocol covering NAD, mitochondria (MOTS-c) and telomeres (epitalon).
Caution
Each piece has thin human outcome data. Combining them makes it impossible to tell what, if anything, did something.
What is unknown
No published human data on this combination: dosing, interactions and long-term effects are all unstudied.

NAD+ + 5-amino-1MQ

2 compounds
NAD+5-Amino-1MQ
Why people combine these
5-amino-1MQ inhibits NNMT, an enzyme that uses up nicotinamide, an NAD+ building block. The pitch is that it spares the NAD pool.
Caution
Mouse-level reasoning. We found no published human trials of 5-amino-1MQ.
What is unknown
No published human data on this combination: dosing, interactions and long-term effects are all unstudied.

Evidence

How much of this is known

Evidence grade

C

Thin human data

Human data thin (pilots, uncontrolled, or none completed). Strong animal data and a lot of anecdote.

How we grade

Graded C overall. Evidence that oral precursors raise NAD+ is solid; evidence for health outcomes is modest, and injected or IV NAD+ rests on pilot data.

Human trial status

Oral NR at 1,000 mg/day raised NAD+ in blood cells by about 60% in a 2018 crossover trial of 24 adults aged 55–79, with blood pressure trends that did not reach significance. NR at 2,000 mg/day for 12 weeks did not improve insulin sensitivity in 40 obese men. NMN at 250 mg/day for 10 weeks improved muscle insulin sensitivity in 25 prediabetic women (2021). For IV NAD+, the main published data are a 2019 metabolism pilot in 8 men and small uncontrolled clinic reports.

Limitations

  • Raising a blood NAD+ number is not the same as a health benefit.
  • Precursor trials are small and short (6–12 weeks).
  • IV and SC NAD+ lack controlled trials for any outcome.
  • Much of the ageing rationale comes from mouse studies.

Sources to read

Links open PubMed, DailyMed, FDA or trial-registry searches. We do not cite what we have not described accurately.

Safety

Side effects, cautions, status

Commonly reported effects

  • IV infusions: flushing, chest tightness or pressure, nausea, abdominal cramping and a racing heart are commonly reported, mainly at fast infusion rates.
  • In one small 2026 retrospective clinic report, all six people given 500 mg IV NAD+ reported symptoms such as cramping, nausea, chest pressure or raised heart rate.
  • Oral NR and NMN were well tolerated in trials of up to 12 weeks, including 2,000 mg/day of NR. Mild GI upset is occasionally reported.
  • Long-term effects of chronically raising NAD+ are unknown. Tumors also use NAD+, a theoretical concern with no human data either way.
FlushingNauseaGI upsetHeart rate increaseUnknown long-term profile

Who should be extra cautious

  • Active cancer. Tumor cells depend on NAD+ too. Whether raising it matters is unknown; the concern is theoretical.
  • Heart conditions. Chest pressure and raised heart rate are reported during fast IV infusions.
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Not studied for precursor supplements at trial doses or for injected NAD+.
  • Tested athletes. IV volumes over 100 mL per 12 hours are prohibited outside hospital settings (WADA M2.2).
  • Clinic IV drips. Product quality, sterility and medical oversight vary by provider.

Legal & regulatory status

Not an FDA-approved drug in any form. Oral NR is sold as a dietary supplement, and in late September 2025 FDA declared NMN lawful in dietary supplements, reversing its 2022 position. Injectable and IV NAD+ are offered by wellness and IV clinics without an approved indication.

WADA. NAD+ itself is not named on the Prohibited List. The delivery method can be the violation: IV infusions or injections of more than 100 mL per 12 hours are prohibited (M2.2) except in hospital treatment, surgical procedures or clinical investigations, and many clinic drips exceed that volume. Confirm with your federation.

Storage & handling, high level

Oral precursors are shelf-stable supplements, and supplement content is not FDA-reviewed before sale. Injectable NAD+ is sensitive to heat and light. Sterility and product quality matter more than any number on this page.

Reconstitution and injection technique are clinical skills. The reconstitution calculator does arithmetic only.

FAQ

Questions people ask about NAD+

Is NAD+ a peptide?
No. It is a coenzyme built from vitamin B3 components. It sits in this atlas because clinics and forums sell it alongside peptides, often in the same protocols.
NAD+, NMN or NR: what is the difference?
NAD+ is the molecule cells use. NMN and NR are precursors that cells convert into NAD+. Precursors are oral supplements with the better trial record for raising NAD+ levels. NAD+ itself is usually injected or infused, and has much less data.
Do IV NAD+ drips work?
Unknown. The best-known study was a 6-hour infusion in 8 healthy men that tracked metabolism, not benefit. Plasma NAD+ did not rise for the first 2 hours, which suggests the body clears it fast. No controlled trial shows an IV drip does more than an oral precursor.
Why do fast drips cause chest tightness?
Fast infusions are commonly reported to cause flushing, chest pressure, nausea and cramping, which usually ease when the rate is slowed. The mechanism is poorly characterized; blood vessel dilation is the usual proposed explanation.
Is NMN legal to sell as a supplement?
Yes, since late September 2025, when FDA declared NMN lawful in dietary supplements, reversing a 2022 position that had excluded it. Supplement status says nothing about effectiveness.

The monthly Evidence Brief

Keep up with the evidence

One email a month: new trials, grade changes and FDA or WADA updates across the whole atlas, NAD+ included. You get the free guide right away.

Cover of the free guide, 10 Peptide Claims, Fact-Checked

Free guide · PDF

10 Peptide Claims, Fact-Checked

13 pages · sent to your inbox right away

Email only. Unsubscribe from any email in one click. We do not sell or rent your address. Nothing we send is medical advice. Privacy