Also called Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, NAD
A helper molecule your cells use to make energy. Levels drop with age.
NAD+ isn't a peptide. It's a helper molecule made from vitamin B3 that every cell uses, and clinics give it as shots or IV drips. Many people take pills of its building blocks instead, called NR or NMN.
Your cells need NAD+ to turn food into energy and to fix everyday damage. Levels drop as you get older, so the idea is that topping it up keeps those systems running. A shot or drip gets broken down fast in the blood, so it's unclear how much actually reaches your cells.
Some human studies
NR and NMN pills reliably raise NAD+ in the blood and seem well tolerated, and one small trial found NMN helped muscles respond better to insulin in prediabetic women. No one has shown clear benefits for energy, aging or lifespan in people. Research on shots and IV drips is very thin, and one small study found a drip gets cleared from the blood fast.
Why: This comes from clinics and online communities, not trials. Start at the low end, because bigger shots often cause flushing, cramps or nausea.
Why: A small study ran NAD+ in slowly over 6 hours. Clinics drip it slowly because going fast causes chest tightness, nausea and cramps.
Why: This is the dose from a trial in healthy middle-aged and older adults that compared it with a dummy pill. It raised NAD+ in the blood and people handled it well. NR is a building block, not NAD+ itself.
Start at the low end, and change one thing at a time. If you take medication or have a health condition, check with a doctor first.
Set up for a 100 mg vial. Change any number to match yours. New to this? Read how to mix a vial and mg vs mL vs units first.
Pick your dose and how long you'll run it. We'll count what you need.
Get help right away for swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing, chest pain, or a spreading, hot, red injection site.
Powder: keep in the fridge, out of light. Once mixed: fridge, use within about 2–4 weeks.
FDA: Not approved as a drug. NR is sold as a supplement. FDA confirmed in September 2025 that NMN can again be sold as a supplement.
Sport (WADA): NAD+ itself is not banned, but IV infusions or injections over 100 mL per 12 hours are prohibited (M2.2) unless given during hospital care.
No. It's a helper molecule made from vitamin B3. It gets lumped in with peptides only because clinics inject it.
Pills of NR or NMN have the most research in people and reliably raise NAD+ in the blood. Shots and IV drips have very little research behind them.
Running the drip fast causes flushing, a tight chest, cramps and nausea. Slowing it down usually helps.
Last checked 2026-10