NAD+
ND+ · 500 mg · 2–3x weekly
SCIENCE • STRENGTH • LONGEVITY
Before you draw anything. Every figure in this document assumes a 500 mg vial reconstituted with 5.0 mL of bacteriostatic water. Change either number and every unit measurement here changes with it. Confirm the milligram strength printed on your vial first.
NAD+ is a coenzyme rather than a peptide. It is handled the same way — lyophilized powder, reconstituted with bacteriostatic water, injected subcutaneously — but it behaves differently in two respects that matter: the draw volumes are far larger than a peptide dose, and injection speed has more effect on comfort than anything else in this document.
RECONSTITUTION
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Vial | 500 mg |
| Bacteriostatic water | 5.0 mL |
| Concentration | 100 mg/mL |
| Conversion | 1 unit = 1 mg · 50 units = 50 mg · 100 units = 100 mg |
| Route | Subcutaneous |
| Timing | Morning |
| Reconstituted storage | 2–8 °C, 14–30 days |
| Powder storage | Room temperature, dry and dark, or refrigerated. Do not freeze unless the label allows it. |
Why 5 mL. At 100 mg/mL the syringe units read one-to-one against milligrams — 50 units is 50 mg, no conversion step and nothing to get wrong. That is worth more than a smaller injection volume. If you prefer smaller volumes, 2.5 mL gives 200 mg/mL and halves every draw, but you lose the direct read.
| BAC water | Concentration | 50 mg draw | 75 mg draw | 100 mg draw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 mL | 100 mg/mL | 50 units | 75 units | 100 units |
| 2.5 mL | 200 mg/mL | 25 units | 37.5 units | 50 units |
- Let the vial and the bacteriostatic water reach room temperature.
- Swab both stoppers with alcohol and let them dry.
- Draw 5.0 mL of bacteriostatic water into a sterile syringe.
- Aim the stream at the inside wall of the glass, never directly at the powder — NAD+ foams readily.
- Roll or swirl gently until fully dissolved. Never shake.
- Confirm the solution is clear. Discard if it is cloudy, yellowed, or browned.
- Label with concentration and date, then refrigerate.
DOSING SCHEDULE
| Phase | Amount | Units | Frequency | Weekly total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment | 50 mg | 50 | 1–3x weekly | 50–150 mg |
| Titration | 75 mg | 75 | 1–3x weekly | 75–225 mg |
| Maintenance | 100 mg | 100 | 2–3x weekly | 200–300 mg |
Start at the assessment amount regardless of experience with other compounds. Tolerance to NAD+ is specific to NAD+, and the assessment dose exists to find out how you respond to the injection itself before the volume goes up. Increase by roughly 25 mg once a phase is tolerated.
Weekly ceiling. Common planning caps subcutaneous NAD+ around 300 mg per week. Higher daily loading models exist — 100 to 200 mg daily for seven to ten days — but those come from supervised clinic settings and carry a materially higher side-effect rate. They are not a home protocol.
Vial coverage
| Amount per injection | Doses per 500 mg vial | At 3x weekly |
|---|---|---|
| 50 mg | 10 | About 3 weeks |
| 75 mg | 6 | About 2 weeks |
| 100 mg | 5 | Under 2 weeks |
At maintenance dosing a single vial does not cover a full month. The reconstituted solution holds 14 to 30 days refrigerated, so a vial is generally consumed inside its own stability window — but plan vial count against injection count rather than against calendar weeks.
INJECTION TECHNIQUE
Inject slowly. This is the whole technique. Stinging, burning, and a flushing sensation are the normal response to subcutaneous NAD+, and they are driven more by injection speed than by amount. Push over 5 to 10 seconds, longer if needed. Most reports of an intolerable injection trace back to pushing it fast.
- Rotate sites across the four abdominal quadrants, the back of the upper arm, and the outer thigh. Repeated use of one site causes nodules.
- Morning dosing. NAD+ can feel stimulating through energy-pathway activation, and later injections disrupt sleep for a meaningful share of people.
- Buffered product stings less. Unbuffered NAD+ reconstitutes acidic, around pH 3 to 4, which is the source of most of the burn. Buffered product sits nearer physiological pH. The dosing math is identical between the two.
- A flushing sensation or brief warmth after injection is expected and passes.
- Skip a missed dose and resume at the next scheduled session rather than doubling up.
Reported effects
- Injection-site stinging, burning, redness, or temporary nodules.
- Nausea, headache, or flushing during early titration — usually dose- and rate-dependent.
- Temporary fatigue in the first few sessions, which some people find counterintuitive given what the compound does.
- Sleep disruption when injected later in the day.
CAUTIONS
- Active malignancy. NAD+ supports cellular proliferation, and that applies to cancer cells as much as healthy ones. This is the most serious contraindication on the list.
- Severe liver or kidney impairment — high-dose protocols add metabolic burden.
- Concurrent high-dose niacin. Both load the same pathway.
- Existing glucose-lowering medication. NAD+ may increase insulin sensitivity over time, which warrants closer glucose monitoring.
- Known sensitivity to bacteriostatic water preservatives.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding — insufficient safety data.
When to stop
Side effects that do not resolve with slower injection or a lower amount are a reason to pause and reassess rather than push through. Severe shortness of breath, chest pain, or any sign of an allergic reaction means stopping immediately and seeking care.
Supplies
- U-100 insulin syringes. A 100 mg draw at 100 mg/mL fills a full 1 mL barrel, so size accordingly — 0.5 mL barrels work for 50 mg draws and are easier to read.
- Bacteriostatic water, 10 mL bottle. One bottle reconstitutes two 500 mg vials.
- Alcohol prep pads and a sharps container.
Record keeping
Log the date, amount, and site for every injection, alongside any symptoms and how fast you pushed. Injection speed is the variable most worth tracking here — the log is what tells you whether a bad session was the amount or the technique.