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Does NAD+ IV therapy work?

An older man in a tan sweater talks while a woman in a charcoal cardigan listens in a bright office
Two people talking in an office.

The short answer

The evidence for NAD+ IV therapy in healthy adults is experimental: in Europe PMC searches through October 1, 2026, we found no controlled trial showing that an NAD+ infusion improves energy, thinking or any other health outcome in healthy adults. We did not find an FDA-approved NAD+ drug product for any use (checked September 27, 2026).

What NAD+ is

NAD+ is a coenzyme cells use in energy metabolism, and enzymes involved in DNA repair consume NAD+.[1] The role of NAD+ in cell biochemistry is not evidence that NAD+ IV therapy changes energy, DNA repair or any other process in the body. Studies have found lower NAD+ levels in some tissues and in the blood of older people compared with younger people.[2][3]

NAD+ IV infusion studies

Apart from uncontrolled case series on addiction, two trials in people with heart failure and one trial of injections in people with sudden sensorineural hearing loss, the studies of NAD+ by IV or injection that we were able to read reported blood NAD+ levels, other blood markers, infusion times or side effects in small groups of people, not health benefits. A peer-reviewed pilot trial that we found in searches of PubMed and Europe PMC on October 1, 2026 measured blood NAD+ after an NAD+ infusion: in 8 healthy men, a single 6-hour, 750 mg infusion raised plasma NAD+ by 398% at hour six, with no change in the first two hours.[4] In the 2019 pilot study of 8 healthy men, infused NAD+ appeared to be broken down in the bloodstream, and in searches of PubMed and Europe PMC on October 1, 2026, we found no published result in people showing that an NAD+ infusion raises NAD+ inside cells or tissues. In the 2019 pilot study, no adverse events were observed in 8 healthy men given a slow NAD+ infusion of about 2 mg per minute over 6 hours.

We also read a one-page 2018 conference abstract, which we read only as an abstract and which PubMed and Europe PMC lookups by DOI and title on October 1, 2026 did not return: it describes a study in which 8 healthy adults aged 70 to 80 received repeated IV doses of NAD+ over 6 days with no control group described, and it reports changes in the blood NAD+ metabolome, in markers of oxidative stress and inflammation, and in gene activity in blood cells, without giving figures.[5]

In a chart review of clients at one commercial wellness setting, all 6 people who received 500 mg NAD+ infusions daily for 4 days reported moderate to severe abdominal cramping, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, increased heart rate, throat pain, congestion and chest pressure during infusion.[6] In the same chart review, NAD+ infusions averaged 97 minutes because symptoms forced slower infusions, while nicotinamide riboside infusions at the same 500 mg dose averaged 37 minutes.[6] In searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no published study that established a safe infusion rate or dose for NAD+ IV therapy.

A non-peer-reviewed preprint pilot in healthy adults gave single 500 mg infusions and found that 3 hours after the infusion blood NAD+ was higher after a nicotinamide riboside infusion than after an NAD+ infusion.[7] The authors of the 2024 preprint report that the NAD+ infusion did not significantly raise whole-blood NAD+ within 24 hours: the average rise at 24 hours was 2%, from dried blood spot samples that were usable for 6 to 9 of the 10 people given NAD+ at each time point.[7] In the 2024 preprint pilot, nicotinamide riboside infusions caused fewer and less severe reactions than NAD+ infusions, and white blood cell and neutrophil counts rose after NAD+ infusions, which the authors say suggests an inflammatory response.[7]

A 2026 randomized, placebo-controlled trial at a single hospital tested IV NAD+ in 180 adults with heart failure caused by ischemic cardiomyopathy: half received 10 mg of NAD+ a day by IV infusion for 7 days and half received a placebo infusion, all on top of standard heart-failure treatment.[8] One month after treatment, the heart's pumping measure (left ventricular ejection fraction), which was the trial's main outcome, had risen on average from 41.0% to 45.4% in the NAD+ group and from 40.2% to 42.4% in the placebo group, and the difference between the groups at 1 month was statistically significant.[8] The trial's other results did not differ significantly between the groups: the blood marker NT-proBNP, symptom class, heart size on ultrasound, and cardiac events and heart-failure hospital stays over 6 months, and the authors say the trial was too small to detect differences in those events.[8] The 2026 heart-failure trial received a research grant and its study drug from Kaifeng Knature Pharmaceutical.[8]

A smaller 2024 trial at one hospital randomized 60 hospitalized adults older than 60 with heart failure to 50 mg of NAD+ a day by IV or to saline for 7 days, on top of usual treatment; the paper says the trial was registered retrospectively, on August 3, 2023, and lists Knature Company as a funder and thanks the company for providing the NAD+.[9] The authors of the 2024 trial report that left ventricular ejection fraction and the blood marker NT-proBNP improved more in the NAD+ group but that the differences in improvement rates were not statistically significant; their comparison of NT-proBNP levels across the follow-up visits found a statistically significant difference between the groups, and survival and hospital readmissions over 1 year did not differ significantly.[9]

These two trials do not establish NAD+ as a treatment for heart failure, and trials of 10 mg and 50 mg a day in people with heart failure do not show what NAD+ IV therapy does in healthy adults or at the higher doses given in the studies of healthy adults and clinic clients.[5][8][9]

We did not find an FDA-approved NAD+ drug product for any use (checked September 27, 2026).

In the 2026 heart-failure trial, which used 10 mg a day, one person in the NAD+ group had minor dizziness that passed in about an hour and one person in the placebo group had chest discomfort; the authors did not attribute the dizziness directly to NAD+ but stopped the NAD+ as a precaution.[8]

NAD+ injection study

A small safety analysis with NAD+ injection groups that we found in searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026 has not yet been peer reviewed, was funded by the maker of nicotinamide riboside, and reports two early trials of injections into a muscle, under the skin or into a vein.[10] Studies of NAD+ given by IV infusion are described separately, in the section on NAD+ IV infusion studies. In the first trial of the 2026 injection preprint, 45 adults received NAD+, nicotinamide riboside or placebo by IV push, intramuscular or subcutaneous injection, so each NAD+ group had only 4 to 6 people.[10] The 2026 injection preprint describes the people in its first trial as sedentary adults aged 40 to 65 with a BMI of 25 to 34.9, no diagnosed chronic illness and mild to moderate fatigue at screening, and each NAD+ or nicotinamide riboside injection contained 100 mg.[10]

The authors of the 2026 injection preprint report that the injections were associated with some discomfort but did not produce any concerning safety signals.[10] In the authors' tally of symptom descriptions during the injections, which they call descriptive only and which covers all three injection days, the totals for NAD+ and nicotinamide riboside were 14 and 5 by IV push (5 people in each group), 5 and 9 by injection into muscle (4 and 6 people) and 7 and 8 by injection under the skin (6 and 4 people); the placebo groups, of 5 people each, had totals of 2, 6 and 5.[10] Five minutes after the injections the totals for NAD+ and nicotinamide riboside were 8 and 2 by IV push, 6 and 6 into muscle and 7 and 5 under the skin, and the placebo totals were 3, 2 and 4.[10] The injection-site pain and soreness rates reported in the 2026 preprint come from its second trial, which tested nicotinamide riboside only, so those rates do not describe NAD+ injections.[10]

In searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no published blood NAD+ results or pharmacokinetic data for NAD+ injections, and no published result from a health-outcome trial of NAD+ injections in adults with no diagnosed illness.

A 2026 trial at one hospital added a daily 5 mg NAD+ injection into muscle to standard treatment for adults with sudden sensorineural hearing loss; among the 38 people analyzed, hearing improved more in the NAD+ group, but the comparison group received no placebo injection, 7 of the 45 people randomized were lost to follow-up, and the trial received a research grant from Knature Biopharmaceutical.[11]

We grade the heart-failure and hearing-loss results as emerging evidence, for people with those conditions only: each trial was run at a single hospital, all three name a Knature company as a funder, the heart-function measurement that differed between groups in the larger heart-failure trial showed no significant difference in the smaller one, and the hearing-loss trial gave its comparison group no placebo injection.

We did not find an FDA-approved NAD+ drug product for any use (checked September 27, 2026).

Study table: NAD+ given by IV infusion or injection

StudyYearDesignNPopulationRoute and doseDurationFunding and company tiesFinding
Braidy 2018 (conference abstract)2018Reported only as a one-page conference abstract, which describes no control group8Healthy adults aged 70 to 80IV, 1,000 mg, repeat dose6 daysThe abstract gives no funding or conflict statement; one author's affiliation is an organizationThe blood NAD+ metabolome, markers of oxidative stress and inflammation (the abstract does not name the sample), and gene activity in blood cells, reported without figures; no health outcome
Grant et al. 20192019Pilot randomized controlled trial, single infusion11 (8 given NAD+, 3 controls)Healthy men aged 30 to 55IV infusion, 750 mg at about 2 mg per minuteSingle 6-hour infusionCo-funded by NAD+ Research Inc.; one author directs that company and is medical director of an IV NAD+ clinicPlasma NAD+ unchanged for 2 hours, then 398% higher at 6 hours; no adverse events observed
Hawkins et al. 2024 (preprint)2024 (preprint)Pilot trial in two parts: a randomized, placebo-controlled first study and a randomized second study that compared NAD+ with nicotinamide riboside infusions; preprint, not peer reviewed37 randomized and analyzed in the first study (10 given NAD+) and 16 in the second (8 given NAD+)Adults aged 40 or older in good general health; the second study enrolled men only500 mg IV infusion of NAD+ or nicotinamide riboside; the first study also had 500 mg oral nicotinamide riboside and saline IV placebo groupsSingle doseFunded by the maker of nicotinamide riboside; four authors are employees of that company, and the company contracted the institute that ran the studyNicotinamide riboside infusions caused fewer, milder reactions and higher blood NAD+ 3 hours after infusion; white blood cells and neutrophils rose after NAD+ infusion; the NAD+ infusion did not significantly raise whole-blood NAD+ within 24 hours (average rise 2% at 24 hours); NAD+ infusions averaged 3 hours and 3 minutes in the first study (10 people given NAD+) and about 99 minutes in the second (8 men given NAD+)
Reyna et al. 20262026Retrospective chart review, no placebo group14 (6 given NAD+, 8 given nicotinamide riboside)Clients of one commercial wellness settingIV infusion, 500 mg daily, NAD+ or nicotinamide riboside4 daysFunded by Restore Hyper Wellness; nicotinamide riboside donated by its makerAll 6 NAD+ clients had moderate to severe symptoms during infusion; NAD+ infusions averaged 97 minutes vs. 37 for nicotinamide riboside
Nkrumah-Elie et al. 2026 (preprint)2026 (preprint)Safety analysis of two small phase 1 trials; preprint, not peer reviewed45 in the trial with NAD+ groups (4 to 6 people per NAD+ group)Sedentary adults aged 40 to 65 with a BMI of 25 to 34.9, no diagnosed chronic illness and mild to moderate fatigue at screening100 mg of NAD+ or nicotinamide riboside, or placebo, by IV push, intramuscular or subcutaneous injectionOnce a day for 3 daysFunded by the maker of nicotinamide riboside, which contracted the research institute that ran the trial with NAD+ groups; five authors are employees of that companySome discomfort with injections across all products and routes; no concerning safety signals reported; symptom tallies are given for each group and the authors call them descriptive only
Yu et al. 20262026Randomized, placebo-controlled trial at one hospital180Adults with heart failure caused by ischemic cardiomyopathyIV infusion, 10 mg daily, added to standard heart-failure treatment7 daysA research grant and the study drug from Kaifeng Knature Pharmaceutical, plus two other research fundsLeft ventricular ejection fraction at 1 month averaged 45.4% with NAD+ and 42.4% with placebo (up from 41.0% and 40.2%), a statistically significant difference; no significant difference in NT-proBNP, symptom class, heart size, or cardiac events and heart-failure hospital stays over 6 months
Gao et al. 20262026Small randomized controlled trial at one hospital, described by its authors as double-blind; the comparison group received no placebo injection45 randomized, 38 analyzedAdults with sudden sensorineural hearing lossInjection into muscle, 5 mg daily, added to standard treatmentDaily during a hospital stay that lasted a median of 7 days; the paper does not say whether injections continued in the 7 days of outpatient treatment that followedA research grant from Knature Biopharmaceutical, plus one other research fundAmong 38 people analyzed, hearing improved by an average of 40.2 dB HL with NAD+ and 23.1 dB HL without, a statistically significant difference; 7 of 45 randomized were lost to follow-up; no placebo injection
Pei et al. 20242024Randomized, saline-controlled trial at one hospital; described by its authors as double-blind; the paper says it was registered retrospectively, on August 3, 202360 randomized, 58 analyzedHospitalized adults older than 60 with heart failureIV, 50 mg daily, added to usual heart-failure treatment7 daysA grant from Knature Company, which the authors thank for providing the NAD+, plus two national hospital research grantsAuthors report larger improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction and NT-proBNP with NAD+ that were not statistically significant as improvement rates; their comparison of NT-proBNP levels across visits was statistically significant; survival and readmissions over 1 year did not differ significantly

The studies in healthy adults, adults with mild to moderate fatigue or clinic clients, other than the 2018 conference abstract, which gives no funding or conflict statement and lists an organization as one author's affiliation, were each funded, co-funded or authored by people or companies that sell IV NAD+ services or nicotinamide riboside products. The three trials in people with a medical condition each name a Knature company as a funder and used NAD+ from Kaifeng Knature Pharmaceutical, and the two heart-failure papers say a Knature company supplied or provided the NAD+; the papers do not say how the Knature companies they name are related.

If you have severe symptoms during or after an NAD+ IV infusion or injection, seek emergency care or call 911. You can report side effects to FDA MedWatch.

The NAD+ IV therapy side effects breakdown covers the side effects of NAD+ IV therapy in more detail.

Oral nicotinamide riboside and NMN trials

Findings from oral NR and NMN trials do not transfer to NAD+ IV therapy, because the products and routes are different. A 2023 review of 25 human trials of oral nicotinamide riboside found consistent rises in blood NAD+, no rise in muscle NAD+, and no effect on insulin sensitivity, blood sugar or body composition.[12] The size of the blood NAD+ rise after oral nicotinamide riboside varied widely from person to person in the trials reviewed.

In trials lasting up to about six months, oral nicotinamide riboside and NMN were generally well tolerated; longer use has not been tested in the trials we read.

Trials of oral nicotinamide riboside and NMN tested different products taken by mouth, so their results do not show whether NAD+ IV therapy works.

Study table: Oral nicotinamide riboside (NR) and NMN trials

StudyYearDesignNPopulationRoute and doseDurationFunding and company tiesFinding
Martens et al. 20182018Randomized crossover trial24Healthy middle-aged and older adultsOral nicotinamide riboside, 1,000 mg a day6 weeksManufacturer-funded or manufacturer-suppliedNAD+ in blood cells rose about 60%; blood pressure change not significant after statistical correction
Liao et al. 20212021Randomized, double-blind trial48Recreational runners in a training programOral NMN, 300, 600 or 1,200 mg a day6 weeksChinese national research grant; authors declared no conflicts of interestNo change in VO2max; some breathing-threshold measures improved at the two higher doses
Kim et al. 20222022Randomized, placebo-controlled trial108Older adults in JapanOral NMN, 250 mg a day, taken in the morning or evening12 weeksManufacturer-funded or manufacturer-suppliedDrowsiness improved in the evening NMN group, but also in the evening placebo group; no between-group difference in sleep quality
Berven et al. 20232023Randomized, double-blind safety trial20People with Parkinson's diseaseOral nicotinamide riboside, 3,000 mg a day4 weeksPublic research funders in Norway; nicotinamide riboside and placebo supplied by ChromaDexBlood NAD+ rose about 3.7-fold; only mild side effects; homocysteine rose slightly
Orr et al. 20242024Randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial20Older adults with mild cognitive impairmentOral nicotinamide riboside, increased step by step to 1 g a day10 weeksNot reported in the abstractBlood NAD+ rose 2.6-fold; thinking-test scores did not change
Wu et al. 20252025Randomized controlled trial58People with long COVIDOral nicotinamide riboside, 2,000 mg a day24 weeks in total: nicotinamide riboside for 20 weeks, or placebo for 10 weeks and then nicotinamide riboside for 10 weeksManufacturer-funded or manufacturer-suppliedBlood NAD+ was 2.1 to 3.1 times baseline over 20 weeks of nicotinamide riboside (2.1 times at week 20); no difference from placebo in cognition or fatigue
Martens et al. 20262026Randomized controlled trial42 who completed the trialOlder adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairmentOral nicotinamide riboside, 1,000 mg a day12 weeksNational Institute on Aging and National Institute of General Medical Sciences grants; nicotinamide riboside and placebo supplied by Niagen Bioscience (formerly ChromaDex)Blood NAD+ nearly doubled; no improvement in cognition, total brain blood flow or blood pressure

What the research shows, claim by claim

In searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no published result comparing health outcomes after NAD+ IV therapy with health outcomes after oral NAD+ precursors. We did not find an FDA-approved NAD+ drug product for any use (checked September 27, 2026).

Energy and fatigue

In searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no published result from a controlled trial of NAD+ IV therapy for fatigue, and the trials of oral NAD+ precursors that we read did not show a clear effect on fatigue. In a trial of 58 people with long COVID, one group took 2,000 mg a day of oral nicotinamide riboside for 20 weeks and the other took placebo for 10 weeks before switching to nicotinamide riboside; nicotinamide riboside raised blood NAD+ but did not improve fatigue, sleep or mood compared with placebo.[13] In the long COVID trial, 32.4% of the group assigned to 20 weeks of nicotinamide riboside had dropped out by 10 weeks and 51.4% by 20 weeks, compared with 14.3% of the other group at both points, and the authors say the dropouts may have reduced the trial's ability to detect a difference between groups.[13] Small trials of oral NADH, often combined with coenzyme Q10, in people with chronic fatigue syndrome have had mixed results, and NADH taken by mouth is a different product from NAD+ IV therapy.[14][15][16]

Claims about slowing aging

In searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no published result from a trial of NAD+ IV therapy, nicotinamide riboside or NMN in adults without a serious illness that measured lifespan or death from any cause. In a large mouse lifespan study run at three sites, nicotinamide riboside given from middle age did not extend lifespan in male or female mice.[17] Two small oral-supplement trials reported changes in epigenetic or blood "biological age" scores, but those scores are lab markers, not proof of slower aging.[18][19]

Cognition and memory

In searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no controlled trial of NAD+ IV therapy for thinking or memory among the studies we could read, and small trials of oral nicotinamide riboside in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and in people with long COVID raised blood NAD+ but did not improve cognition. Small phase I trials of oral nicotinamide riboside in people with Parkinson's disease raised NAD+ levels, and results from people with Parkinson's disease do not apply to healthy readers.[20]

Addiction recovery

NAD+ infusions have been promoted for addiction recovery since the 1960s, but the reports we were able to read are uncontrolled case reports and case series.[21] In searches of PubMed and Europe PMC on October 1, 2026, we found no controlled trial of NAD+ for a substance use disorder or withdrawal that we could read. PubMed lists three controlled trials of NAD in people with alcohol-related conditions, published in 1966, 1969 and 1971; the records have no abstracts and we have not been able to read the papers, so we cannot say how NAD was given or what the trials found. Anyone going through withdrawal should be under the care of a licensed clinician. A case series of about 104 people treated with IV NAD+ for addiction was reported in 1961, as described in a 2020 review.[21] A 2024 case series gave 50 people infusions of NAD+ combined with enkephalinase, with no comparison group.[22]

Athletic performance and recovery

In searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no trial in people of NAD+ IV therapy for athletic performance or recovery after exercise; trials of oral NMN and NR that we read have shown mixed results, and a 2025 meta-analysis found no benefit for muscle mass or function in trials of adults averaging over 60. In a 6-week trial of 48 recreational runners who were also training, oral NMN did not change VO2max, although some breathing-threshold measures improved at the two higher doses.[23] A 2025 meta-analysis of 10 randomized trials in adults with an average age over 60 found that current evidence does not support NMN and NR for preserving muscle mass and function.[24]

Blood sugar, cholesterol and weight

In searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no published result from a trial that tested NAD+ IV therapy as a treatment for blood sugar or weight, and most trials of oral NMN and nicotinamide riboside that we read have not found changes in blood sugar, cholesterol or body weight. A 2026 meta-analysis of 15 randomized trials found that oral NMN did not change fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, cholesterol or body weight.[25] One small 10-week trial found that oral NMN improved muscle insulin sensitivity in postmenopausal women with prediabetes who were overweight or obese.[26]

Blood pressure

In searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no trial that tested NAD+ IV therapy as a treatment for blood pressure, and in the 2026 chart review, blood pressure did not change significantly over 4 days of infusions in the 6 clients given NAD+.[6] A 2026 meta-analysis found a small drop of about 2.4 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure with oral NMN, which its authors call a preliminary signal that needs larger trials.[25]

Inflammation

In searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no controlled trial result showing that NAD+ IV therapy lowers inflammation, and in a 2024 preprint pilot, white blood cell and neutrophil counts rose after NAD+ infusions, which the authors say suggests an inflammatory response.[7] A one-page 2018 conference abstract that describes a study of repeated IV doses of NAD+ over 6 days in 8 healthy adults aged 70 to 80, with no control group described, reports lower concentrations of C-reactive protein and interleukin 6, gives no figures and does not name the sample in which they were measured.[5]

Some trials of oral nicotinamide riboside have reported lower inflammatory markers in blood or sputum. In searches of PubMed and Europe PMC on October 1, 2026, we screened by title every record that matched nicotinamide riboside with inflammation terms, and we read the abstracts of the trials of oral nicotinamide riboside on its own that measured an inflammation marker. In these small trials the abstracts reported lower circulating cytokines in older men and in people with Parkinson's disease, lower sputum interleukin 8 but unchanged plasma interleukin 6 in people with COPD, and reduced Th17 immune responsiveness in people with psoriasis.[27][20][28][29] In two small trials of oral nicotinamide riboside in people with heart failure, the abstracts reported lower expression of inflammatory genes in blood cells in one and, in the other, an association between larger NAD+ rises and lower expression of one such gene.[30][31] Other abstracts reported no change in plasma inflammation markers in adults with overweight or obesity, and higher plasma interleukin 2 with nicotinamide riboside than with placebo in people with chronic kidney disease.[32][33] The Parkinson's disease abstract also reports mild clinical improvement in people whose brain NAD levels rose, which it associates with altered brain metabolism and does not link to the cytokine change.[20] The abstract of an open-label trial in people with ataxia-telangiectasia, which had no placebo group, reports improved coordination and eye movements and says nicotinamide riboside was associated with suppressed interferon response genes and with gene networks correlated with neurological improvement.[34] A 2023 paper whose abstract mainly describes laboratory work on human T cells also reports blunted Th17 immune responsiveness in healthy volunteers given oral nicotinamide riboside, and the abstract gives no design or size for that trial.[35] We checked who supplied the nicotinamide riboside only in the heart failure trial published in 2022, the chronic kidney disease trial and the ataxia-telangiectasia trial, and in each ChromaDex, which makes it, supplied the product.[31][33][34] In the other abstracts of trials of oral nicotinamide riboside on its own that we read from our searches of PubMed and Europe PMC on October 1, 2026, none reported a clinical benefit tied to a change in an inflammation marker.

Cellular and mitochondrial claims

Animal studies suggest NAD+ affects how mitochondria work, but the human trials of oral nicotinamide riboside covered by a 2023 review did not reproduce mitochondrial improvements in muscle, and in searches of PubMed and Europe PMC on October 1, 2026, we found no published measurement of NAD+ in human tissue after NAD+ IV therapy.

Hangovers, immunity, jet lag, skin and hair

In searches of PubMed and Europe PMC on October 1, 2026, we found no study in people of NAD+ IV therapy for hangovers, immunity or jet lag. Our review did not search for studies of NAD+ IV therapy for skin or hair, so this page makes no claim either way about skin or hair.

A theoretical cancer concern

Laboratory studies have raised a theoretical concern that raising NAD+ could affect cancer cells, and our searches did not look specifically for studies of that concern in people.[36][37]

Limitations of the research

Outside the uncontrolled addiction case series, the peer-reviewed studies of NAD+ infusions in healthy adults or clinic clients that we found in searches of PubMed and Europe PMC on October 1, 2026 are a pilot randomized trial that gave NAD+ to 8 men once and a chart review in which 6 people received NAD+ for 4 days.[4][6] In the study table of NAD+ by IV infusion or injection, Hawkins 2024 and Nkrumah-Elie 2026 are preprints, which have not been peer reviewed, and Braidy 2018 is a one-page conference abstract.[7][10][5] The 2019 NAD+ infusion study was co-funded by NAD+ Research Inc., and one author directs that company and is medical director of a clinic that provides IV NAD+.[4] The seven trials in the oral nicotinamide riboside and NMN study table lasted from 4 weeks to 24 weeks, and a 2022 review reported that, at the time of writing, there were no long-term human safety trials of nicotinamide riboside or NMN.[36] Several of the oral nicotinamide riboside and NMN trials were funded or supplied by the companies that make those products.

We have not been able to read some reports, so they are not among the studies described here: the three alcohol-related trials from 1966 to 1971, controlled trials of NAD from 1967 to 1969 in schizophrenia and acute hepatitis, and two Chinese-language reports of injectable NAD+ in heart failure that the 2026 heart-failure trial cites. Also not among the studies described here are studies of NADH, which is a different molecule, and two 2004 trials in chronic heart failure of a combination product that PubMed indexes under NAD, of which we read only the abstracts. ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials of NAD+ by infusion or injection that had posted no results in the registry when we searched on October 1, 2026: comparisons with nicotinamide riboside in adults the records describe as in good general health, including the registration of the 2024 preprint's trial, which lists an energy scale and a tolerable infusion rate among its outcomes, and the registration of the first trial in the 2026 injection preprint; a 7-day infusion course for blood-vessel aging that had not started recruiting; and trials in people with medical conditions, one of which has since been published. The 2024 preprint reports infusion times for its trial and gives no result for the energy scale,[7] and the 2026 injection preprint says its fatigue and sleep results will be reported elsewhere.[10]

Where this page says we found no study or no published result, the statement rests on searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov run on October 1, 2026 and on earlier Europe PMC searches run on September 27, 28 and 30, 2026; we did not search Embase, the Cochrane Library, Chinese-language databases or the Chinese clinical trial registry. A higher blood NAD+ level is a lab measurement, not a health outcome, and none of the trials we read showed that raising blood NAD+ makes people healthier.

FDA / regulatory status

We did not find an FDA-approved NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) drug product. FDA's compounding lists (updated May 14, 2026 and March 21, 2025) treat it as a substance that is not part of an approved drug.

Compounded NAD+ products, including IV infusions and injections, are not FDA-approved. FDA states: 'Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved. This means that FDA does not verify the safety, effectiveness or quality of compounded drugs before they are marketed.' As of FDA's list updated May 14, 2026, NAD and its reduced form, NADH, are on FDA's list of substances still under evaluation for use in pharmacy compounding, and another form, beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide disodium salt trihydrate, is on FDA's list of substances nominated without adequate support. These listings are not FDA approval, and they are not a finding that NAD+ is safe or effective.

We could not confirm whether a prescription is required for NAD+ from FDA sources as of September 27, 2026.

Regulatory status checked September 27, 2026. Sources: www.fda.gov/…/download; www.fda.gov/…/download; www.fda.gov/…/download; www.fda.gov/…/fda-reminds-compounders-use-ingredients-suitable-sterile-compounding; www.fda.gov/…/compounding-and-fda-questions-and-answers

Providers who list NAD+ IV therapy

We did not find an FDA-approved NAD+ drug product for any use (checked September 27, 2026).

Compounded NAD+ is not FDA-approved. See FDA's statement.

Find a Provider

A licensed clinician decides whether treatment is appropriate. Treatment is not guaranteed.

Related reading

References

  1. Covarrubias AJ, Perrone R, Grozio A, Verdin E. NAD+ metabolism and its roles in cellular processes during ageing. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2021;22:119-141. doi:10.1038/s41580-020-00313-x. Accessed 2026-09-27.
  2. Massudi H, Grant R, Braidy N, Guest J, Farnsworth B, Guillemin GJ. Age-associated changes in oxidative stress and NAD+ metabolism in human tissue. PLoS One. 2012;7:e42357. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0042357. Accessed 2026-09-27.
  3. Clement J, Wong M, Poljak A, Sachdev P, Braidy N. The plasma NAD+ metabolome is dysregulated in "normal" aging. Rejuvenation Res. 2019;22:121-130. doi:10.1089/rej.2018.2077. Accessed 2026-09-27.
  4. Grant R, Berg J, Mestayer R, Braidy N, Bennett J, Broom S, Watson J. A pilot study investigating changes in the human plasma and urine NAD+ metabolome during a 6 hour intravenous infusion of NAD+. Front Aging Neurosci. 2019;11:257. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2019.00257. Accessed 2026-09-27.
  5. Braidy N, Clement J, Sturges J, Liu Y, Poljak A, Sachdev P. Intravenous NAD+ effectively increased the NAD metabolome, reduced oxidative stress and inflammation, and increased expression of longevity genes safely in elderly humans. J Cell Neurosci Oxid Stress. 2018;10(3):779. doi:10.37212/jcnos.610084. Accessed 2026-10-01.
  6. Reyna K, Heinzen G, Patel N, Ritter M, Siojo A, Legere H, Pojednic R. Intravenous infusion of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) versus nicotinamide riboside (NR): a retrospective tolerability pilot study in a real-world setting. Front Aging. 2026;7:1652582. doi:10.3389/fragi.2026.1652582. Accessed 2026-09-27.
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