*The FDA has not approved intravenous ketamine or NAD+ for the treatment of any psychiatric or pain condition. These articles reference off-label use. Like all medical treatments, the discussed therapies carry risks and benefits. Speak with a doctor at Clarus Health to learn if these therapies may be right for you.
NAD+ IV Therapy: the Difference Between IV and Oral
What is the most effective way of boosting NAD+ levels for health and performance?
NAD+ therapy is a powerful tool in optimizing our health and performance. There are many ways of boosting NAD+ in our body, but only one way is direct and fast-acting. Learn the difference below from Dr. Kaveh.
NAD+ is Best Absorbed Through IV
NAD+ therapy is effective in multiple conditions, including brain fog, fatigue, long COVID, Parkinson's disease, and potentially many other neurodegenerative conditions. Unfortunately, NAD+ is not absorbed well through the gastrointestinal tract, meaning it cannot be taken orally. This is why NAD+ infusions are the most effective way of boosting NAD+ levels in the body.
IV NAD+ Rapidly Boosts NAD... with Noticeable Results
In our experience, most patients experience relatively rapid improvement in symptoms after just 3-5 NAD+ infusions. While there is great variability in how patients respond to NAD+ therapy, keeping NAD+ infusions close together helps optimize the initial NAD+ load.
After benefits are realized with the initial load, IV boosters can be spaced out weeks apart.
IV Ketamine + NAD is Provides Clarity and Pain Relief
Combining Ketamine with NAD allows for improving the comfort of NAD+ infusions, as well as augmenting its pain relief. Patients with chronic pain, in particular, benefit from the combination therapy of Ketamine and NAD. This may be in part due to NAD's effect on augmenting wound healing.
Oral "NAD Precursors" are Substitutes
Many companies market "NAD precursors" to boost NAD levels without IV infusions. These are laudable goals. The original use of these vitamin B3 precursors was to treat diseases like pellagra. Examples of such precursors include:
- Nicotinamide Riboside (NR): an efficient method to indirectly increase NAD levels
- Nicotinic acid (NA): at very high doses (100x pellagra prevention doses) is used to treat cholesterol diseases but has significant side effect of flushing
- Nicotinamide (Nam): at high doses may inhibit sirtuins and actually accelerate aging
- Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN): an intermediate between NR and NAD, not as extensively studied as NR and Nam
- Tryptophan: this is the least efficient way of boosting NAD+ levels
Downsides of Oral NAD Precursors
These oral precursor molecules appear to boost NAD+ levels when taken continuously every day. This is an altogether different approach than the direct IV infusion method of NAD+. Oral precursors have several potential risks:
- Leg cramps, burning skin, abdominal discomfort from Nam and NR
- Production and accumulation of toxic metabolites from the precursor metabolism
- The use of daily NAD+ boosters raises theoretical concern for stimulating cancer cells because of the continuous elevation in NAD+ levels
This is in contrast to powerful, but infrequent, "NAD+ pulses" with IV boosters. Side effects of IV NAD+ are far less frequently reported.
Learn More About IV NAD+ Therapy
IV NAD+ is the most direct way to support your NAD metabolism. Contact Clarus Health to learn more about our BR+ certified NAD+ therapy in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Anthony Kaveh MD
Dr. Kaveh is a Stanford and Harvard-trained anesthesiologist and integrative medicine specialist. He has over 800,000 followers on social media and has guided hundreds of patients throughout transformative healing experiences. He is an authority on Ketamine, NAD, and SGB therapies. He is a registered continuing education lecturer in the Bay Area.
