NAD+ dose range
The amounts people commonly use, from the low end to the high end, with syringe units, schedule and half-life. The 6 published studies are one click away.
Small human studies Mitochondrial Also called Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
Common use ranges
From published clinic and pharmacy protocols. No drug label exists. Home shot numbers rest mostly on one compounding pharmacy page. IV numbers agree across clinics on 250 to 1000 mg per drip.
- Half-life
- Not measured in any published study
- How it is taken
- Shot under the skin (subcutaneous) at home. IV drip in clinics is listed separately.
- How long people use it
- Home shots: no fixed end. One clinic runs a first block of 4 to 6 weeks at 5 shots a week, then reviews. IV: a loading block of 4 to 6 sessions, then monthly upkeep.
- Mixing used for the units
- 1,000 mg vial + 2 mL water. 1 unit on a U-100 insulin syringe = 5 mg.
Pick your vial size and how much water you add. The units below change to match.
1,000 mg vial + 2 mL water: 1 unit = 5 mg
| Tier | Each dose | Syringe units1,000 mg vial + 2 mL water | How often | Schedule | Vial lastsat this tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting [1] | 20 mg | 4 units 0.04 mL | 2x a week | Start near 20 mg a shot, 1 to 3 times a week, then raise slowly to cut headache and nausea. The same pharmacy's FAQ gives 50 mg as another starting point. | 6+ weeks |
| Typical [2] | 100 mg | 20 units 0.20 mL | 2x a week | Work up to about 100 mg a shot, 2 to 3 times a week. Some people then drop to 100 mg once a week. | about 5 weeks |
| Higher [3] | 100 mg | 20 units 0.20 mL | 3x a week | 100 mg 3 times a week, about 300 mg a week. Providers often say not to go over about 300 mg a week at home. | about 3 weeks |
| IV clinic drip, typical (not a home shot) [4] | 250 mg | Not a syringe dose | 2x a week | 250 to 500 mg per drip, 2 times a week for 2 to 4 weeks, then about once a month. Clinics sell 250, 500 and 1000 mg drips that take about 1 to 2 hours or longer. | |
| IV clinic drip, higher (not a home shot) [5] | 1,000 mg | Not a syringe dose | once a day | 500 to 1000 mg a day for 7 to 10 days in a row, given slowly over 4 to 8 hours under a clinic's care. |
Good to know
- NAD+ injection is compounded and not FDA approved.
- Pharmacy vials are 500 mg or 1000 mg, usually 100 mg per mL.
- Going too fast causes flushing and nausea. Clinics slow the drip rather than cut the dose.
- Some clinics give 5 shots a week.
Sources for these amounts
- Starting: Empower Pharmacy, NAD+ injection
- Typical: Empower Pharmacy, NAD+ injection
- Higher: Empower Pharmacy, NAD+ injection
- IV clinic drip, typical (not a home shot): Peptide Protocol Wiki, NAD+ dosing · Sante Clinics, NAD IV
- IV clinic drip, higher (not a home shot): Peptide Protocol Wiki, NAD+ dosing · Empower Pharmacy, NAD+ injection
How long people use it: Perfect B, NAD protocol · Sante Clinics, NAD IV · Peptide Protocol Wiki, NAD+ dosing
Half-life: Grant et al 2019, Front Aging Neurosci, pilot IV NAD+ study
Take the NAD+ chart with you
Get a one-page printable chart for NAD+, with the syringe units for each vial and water mix. We can also email you when a new NAD+ study is published.
This page shows what labels, clinics and users report, and what studies gave. It is not medical advice and not a recommendation for anyone. Many of these compounds are not approved for human use. Check your own medicines and lab work with a licensed clinician before using anything.
See the science: 6 published studies
Amounts given to people in studies
How it was given: Into a vein (IV)
Only two small human studies.
Amounts given to animals in studies
Every study used for this page
Proof grade: Small human studies. Only small or uncontrolled human studies. Amounts are quoted as each study reported them. Where the abstract does not state an amount, the row says so.
| Study | Who was studied | Amount given, as reported | Route | How often | How long | What the authors reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMID 315721712019 | Human, healthy men 30-55 y (n=11: 8 NAD+, 3 control) | 750 mg NAD+ over 6 h, about 2 mg/min = 3 micromol/min | IV infusion | single infusion | 6 h infusion, sampled to 8 h | Plasma NAD+ rapidly cleared for first 2 h; urinary methylnicotinamide up at 6 h |
| PMID 417046782026 | Human, commercial clinic clients, retrospective (n not in abstract) | 500 mg NAD+ (comparator arm: 500 mg NR IV, a precursor) | IV | 4 consecutive days | 4 days plus 30 d follow-up | NAD+ IV caused GI symptoms, raised heart rate, chest pressure; mean infusion time 97 min vs 37 min for NR |
| PMID 385952932024 | Mouse neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (n not recorded; "mice" per text) | 5 mg/kg main dose; text lists 3 doses garbled as "5, 5, and 10 mg/kg" (likely 2.5, 5, 10, not confirmed) | IP | 30 min before surgery then every 24 h | until death (28-day observation) | Better neurobehaviour, higher body weight, less oxidative damage |
| PMID 222607972012 | Mouse, brain ischemia (n and wt not in abstract, ~0.025 kg assumed) | 50 mg/kg | not in abstract (cited elsewhere as IP) | timing not in abstract | 48 h readout | Smaller infarct, less edema |
| PMID 413808262026 | Rodent (species not in abstract), spinal cord I/R | 75 mg/kg | IP | at reperfusion | not in abstract | Less neuronal apoptosis |
| PMID 287791372017 | Mouse, status epilepticus model (n not recorded) | 100 mg/kg | IP | at 30 min, 12.5 h, 24.5 h after SE | 24.5 h | Suppressed epileptogenesis early; CA1 neuron loss reduced. Text cites 50 mg/kg ischemia and 100 mg/kg doxorubicin-liver papers |
How to read the study numbers
- One study, one group. Each figure is what one team chose for its own participants or animals.
- Route matters. An amount given into a vein (IV) is not the same as the same amount under the skin, in the nose or by mouth.
- Animals are not small people. An animal amount is shown as the study gave it. It is not a human amount.
- Short studies. Many studies ran days or weeks. They do not show what happens over longer use.
Common questions
What amounts of NAD+ were used in human studies?
In the studies listed here, people were given from 500 mg IV, 4 days in a row up to 750 mg IV over 6 hours. The amount used most often was 500 to 750 mg IV. These are what study teams chose for their participants under supervision.
Where do these NAD+ numbers come from?
From 6 published studies, each linked to its PubMed or ClinicalTrials.gov record. Every figure was checked against the study abstract or its open full text. Proof grade: Small human studies.
How long does NAD+ stay in the body?
No published study has measured the half-life of NAD+, so nobody knows exactly how long one dose stays in the blood.
Is this a recommendation for how much NAD+ to use?
No. This page shows the amounts reported by drug labels, clinics and users, next to what researchers gave in studies. It is not medical advice and not a recommendation for anyone. Talk to a licensed clinician before using any of it.