NAD+ IV drips — $1,000 placebo or cellular shortcut?
So I’ve been seeing NAD+ IV therapy pop up everywhere lately – my local medspa charges $950 for a session and claims it’ll boost energy, improve cognition, and basically turn back the clock on aging. I’m 38F and honestly my energy has been trash since starting a really demanding job last year. I’m already on tirzepatide (down 22lbs, feeling good there) but the fatigue is real.
The clinic showed me all these before/after testimonials and talked about mitochondrial function and cellular repair. Sounds amazing but also sounds like expensive snake oil? They want me to do a series of 4 treatments to start.
Has anyone here actually done NAD+ IVs and felt a real difference? Or is this just the latest wellness trend that empties your wallet? I’m trying to figure out if this is legit science or if I should just take a B-complex and call it a day. Would love to hear real experiences before I drop a grand on this.
I did a series of 6 NAD+ IVs last spring and honestly? The first two sessions were rough – took like 3 hours each and I felt pretty nauseous during the infusion. But by session 3-4 I definitely noticed better mental clarity and wasn’t hitting that 2pm crash anymore. The effects lasted maybe 6-8 weeks after I finished the series.
That said, $950 is steep. I paid $450/session which was already a lot. I’ve since switched to sublingual NAD+ patches and feel like I get 70% of the benefit for way less money. Just my experience tho, everyone’s different.
I’m gonna be the skeptic here – most of the NAD+ studies showing real benefits are either in mice or using oral/sublingual forms, not IV. The bioavailability argument sounds good in theory but there’s not a ton of human data backing up these crazy price tags.
Mike mentioned the nausea which is super common and happens because you’re flooding your system too fast. Some people swear by it but I think you’d get similar results from NMN or NR supplements at like $40/month. Just because something costs more doesn’t make it more effective imo.
I’ve done 3 NAD+ IVs so far and I’m continuing. For context I’m 51M doing TRT and also experimenting with BPC-157 for some joint issues. The NAD+ definitely gives me an energy boost but I can’t say if it’s placebo or real – does it matter if I feel better either way?
One thing peptide_curious said is true tho, the research is still pretty early. My functional medicine doc said if budget is an issue, try NMN first and see how you respond. If you do go the IV route, make sure they’re doing it slow enough that you don’t feel like garbage during the infusion.