NAD+ injections: Are they the next big thing?

We look at how NAD+ injections compare to other routes of administration.

For people who are deep into the science of anti-aging, the words nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (a.k.a. NAD) should be familiar. But if you’re a newcomer to the scene:

  • NAD refers to the coenzymes NAD+ and NADH, which need to be in balance for your cells to function efficiently. 
  • When your cells function efficiently, they’re better at carrying out biological processes that keep you functioning long-term.

NAD+ (and therefore your cellular function) naturally declines with age, leaving the older folks among us more vulnerable to diseases like diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration.

To maintain high enough levels of NAD+, you need to take it from external sources. And since NAD+ has poor oral bioavailability, an injection seems like the most sensible route of administration. Injections, though, are only a short-term solution. 

NAD+ injections vs. infusions

First, let’s define the terms.

An NAD+ injection is when an NAD+ solution is administered with a needle syringe into an area of muscle. Sometimes, people mistake this for an NAD+ infusion, which delivers the solution with an intravenous (IV) drip directly into the bloodstream. The confusion is understandable: both methods involve sticking your skin with something sharp. But think of them like this:

  • Injections are quick, like a shot at the doctor’s office.
  • Infusions are slow — around six hours to administer, if not longer.[1]

So when we say “injection,” we’re referring to the quick shot, not the slow drip. But here and there, we’ll be comparing the effects and costs of injections with those of other routes of administration, including infusions.

What happens when you inject NAD+?

So far, very little research has been done on the effects of NAD+ injections. In fact, researchers more often deliver NAD+ intravenously, via infusion, instead of intramuscularly.[2] (That alone might be enough to support infusions over injections.)

But we can do more here to provide a clearer picture. We can compare injections to infusions generally, not just in the confines of NAD+.

For example, we can look at a 2008 systematic review that measured the effects of insulin administered by infusion versus injection. The researchers found that insulin requirements and blood sugar levels were lower among infusion patients than in injection ones, even though the intramuscular patients had received more frequent administrations of medicine.[3]

We can also look at a roughly similar review of epinephrine administered intravenously versus intramuscularly, in which the researchers found intravenous administration to be much more effective for initial anaphylaxis treatment.[4] 

This pattern of results makes sense because slow intravenous administration ensures that all of the medicine gets absorbed in the bloodstream, whereas an intramuscular injection can cause erratic or incomplete drug absorption.[5] Plus, the absorptiveness of an intramuscularly administered drug can further decrease depending on variables like muscle density and needle placement.[6] This combination of lower bioavailability and shorter sustenance means you might have to get a fresh injection every week, if not more frequently.[7]

So, what happens when you get an NAD+ injection? Most likely, you get a rapid increase in your NAD+ levels that doesn’t last as long as an infusion. 

Benefits of NAD+ injections

Despite what we’ve said so far, NAD+ injections offer serious advantages over infusions:

  • Time: With an injection, the procedure is over in seconds. You won’t have to spend hours in a clinic to raise your levels.
  • Convenience: You can self-administer injections at home, the same way people do with insulin or peptides. So the frequency of administration is less of an issue. And that’s also another plus in terms of time savings.
  • Cost: Even with multiple doses per month, you’ll probably pay a lot less for NAD+ injections than you would for infusions. 

Most people would probably prefer the comfort of their home and to minimize the time they spend in medical buildings, all while saving some dollars. These advantages taken together sure make NAD+ injections seem like a cozier option. But the big downside, which we’ll discuss later, is that the science currently doesn’t support injections as a feasible route for meaningful NAD+ increases.

How much do NAD+ injections cost?

According to the Vaccine Alliance, NAD+ injections can cost as little as $105 to $350 per month for at-home administration, and as much as $40 to $200 per visit for in-clinic doses.[8] Exact pricing can depend on factors like:

  • Your dosing frequency: The more you need, the more you’re likely to pay. Once-a-weekers might spend closer to the low end of either range, but the opposite goes for the more frequent dosers.
  • Your retailer or clinic: Some online retailers or in-person clinics might offer doses at lower rates, or else bulk deals or subscription programs that yield long-term savings.

NAD+ therapy is ideally an ongoing treatment (you need continuous injections to sustain high levels), so the costs add up — $1,260 to $2,080 per year on the low end — but they’re still low in relative terms. In contrast, if you went the infusion route, you’d be looking at $250 to $1,500 per session, which amounts to at least $3,000 per year on a once-monthly dosing schedule.[8] 

Are NAD+ injections the next big thing?

NAD+ injections can be good, but they’re not great. Though an injection might spike your NAD+ for a while, they’re not likely to sustain high levels long enough to justify the potential harm to your budget or skin. Currently, they just lack the scientific support for us to say they’re the next big thing in longevity treatment.

Instead, we might worry that long-term use of NAD+ injections has the potential to cause problems. That’s because the way your cells use NAD+ causes an increase in a precursor called NAM, which can eventually elevate levels of harmful enzymes and byproducts associated with tumors and diseases.[9] [10] [11] With that in mind, we’d consider NAD+ infusions to be a wild card, too, in terms of helping you feel healthier and live longer. 

The alternative is an oral supplement — not of NAD+, but of bioavailable precursors that convert to NAD+ in the body. 

NMN and NR are your best options here. Contemporary research shows that with at least 300mg of NMN and 100mg of NR, you can effectively raise your NAD+ levels to see longevity benefits, plus a host of secondary effects.[12] [13] And in oral form, they can easily come packed with other ingredients that prevent those harmful enzymes and byproducts from hijacking your NAD metabolism. Innerbody Labs NAD+ Support is a great example of a NAD+ booster that provides clinical doses (700mg of NMN, 400mg of NR) and secondary ingredients that offset NAM accumulation (TMG and spermidine). 

Not to mention, it won’t cost you $105 to $350 per month. You don’t have to prick your skin or take hours out of your day just to swallow it, either.

Sources

[please make these be simple line breaks with this technique: put two spaces at the very end of each of these citations and then click Enter button to make a line break. (The two spaces are very important.)]

  1. Grant, R., et al. (2019). A pilot study investigating changes in the human plasma and urine NAD+ metabolome during a 6-hour intravenous infusion of NAD+. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 11, 481212.
  2. Campbell, J. M. (2022). Supplementation with NAD+ and its precursors to prevent cognitive decline across disease contexts. Nutrients, 14(15), 3231.
  3. Jeitler, K., et al. (2008). Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion versus multiple daily insulin injections in patients with diabetes mellitus: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetologia, 51, 941-951.
  4. Fujizuka, K., et al. (2022). Comparison of the efficacy of continuous intravenous infusion versus intramuscular injection of epinephrine for initial anaphylaxis treatment. Acute Medicine & Surgery, 9(1), e790.
  5. Tuttle, C. B. (1977). Intramuscular injections and bioavailability. American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 34(9), 965-968.
  6. Polania Gutierrez, J. J., & Munakomi, S. (2023). Intramuscular injection. StatPearls [Internet].
  7. Fahad, H. (2025). How often should you get NAD injections? Vaccine Alliance.
  8. Fahad, H. (2025). Cost of NAD injections in 2025. Vaccine Alliance.
  9. Conlon, N., & Ford, D. (2022). A systems-approach to NAD+ restoration. Biochemical Pharmacology, 198, 114946.
  10. Wang, W., et al. (2022). Complex roles of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase in cancer progression. Cell Death & Disease, 13(3), 1-13.
  11. Hwang, E. S., & Song, S. B. (2020). Possible adverse effects of high-dose nicotinamide: Mechanisms and safety assessment. Biomolecules, 10(5), 687.
  12. Huang, H. (2022). A multicentre, randomised, double blind, parallel design, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Uthever (NMN supplement), an orally administered supplementation in middle-aged and older adults. Frontiers in Aging, 3, 851698.
  13. Conze, D., Brenner, C., & Kruger, C. L. (2019). Safety and metabolism of long-term administration of NIAGEN (Nicotinamide riboside chloride) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of healthy overweight adults. Scientific Reports, 9, 9772.
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