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Longevity + peptides
NAD+ Therapy
An honest look at NAD+. Before any decision about it.
NAD+ is discussed often in longevity and wellness marketing, usually with more confidence than the current evidence supports. Meet online with a licensed NORBU MD physician to talk through what NAD+ is, what supplementing it may and may not do, and whether it makes sense to consider for you.
$29 physician visit · 100% online · Board-certified physicians · Honest evaluation
The $29 fee covers the physician visit only. Medication, if considered, and any laboratory testing are separate and are not guaranteed.
NAD+ is not FDA-approved for anti-aging, longevity or performance indications. Many NAD+ products marketed directly to consumers are compounded and are not FDA-approved.
NAD+ at a glance
- What it is
- A coenzyme involved in cellular energy metabolism
- Marketed for
- Energy, recovery and cellular health claims
- Regulatory status
- Not FDA-approved for anti-aging or longevity indications
- Evidence level
- Limited and evolving for supplementation in otherwise healthy adults
- Requires
- Physician evaluation before any therapy is considered
- Results
- Individual response varies; no outcome is guaranteed
No dose, frequency, or outcome is published here. Whether NAD+ therapy is discussed further, and what any plan would look like, is a clinical decision made with a board-certified physician.
The basics
What is NAD+?
A coenzyme your cells already use
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD+, is a coenzyme present in every cell in the body. It participates in fundamental metabolic processes, including reactions that help cells convert nutrients into usable energy. It is not a hormone, a vitamin, or a drug in the way that term is commonly used.
Levels change with age and health status
Research has observed that NAD+ levels can decline with age and can be affected by factors such as overall health and lifestyle. That observation has driven substantial interest in whether raising NAD+ levels through supplementation or infusion could meaningfully affect health or aging.
Interest has outpaced settled evidence
NAD+ is marketed for energy, recovery, cognitive function and anti-aging in ways that often go beyond what current research supports. Some study in this area is genuinely promising; much of it is still early, preliminary, or has not been replicated in large, well-designed human trials.
It is not an anti-aging treatment
NAD+ is not FDA-approved for anti-aging, longevity, or performance-enhancement indications. NORBU MD does not claim that NAD+ therapy slows, stops, or reverses aging.
It is not a guaranteed energy fix
Fatigue and low energy have many possible medical causes. NAD+ is not automatically the answer to those symptoms, and a physician evaluates other, better-established explanations first.
Products vary widely, and many are compounded
Many NAD+ products marketed directly to consumers, including injectable and infusion forms, are compounded preparations. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved, even when the underlying molecule is naturally occurring in the body.
How it's discussed
What supplementing NAD+ is thought to involve.
01
Cellular energy metabolism
NAD+ participates in reactions cells use to generate energy and to support other metabolic processes, including some involved in DNA repair and cellular signaling.
02
The supplementation hypothesis
The reasoning behind NAD+ therapy is that restoring or raising NAD+ availability might support these underlying processes. This is a biologically plausible hypothesis, not an established clinical outcome.
03
What isn't yet established
Whether raising NAD+ levels through supplementation or infusion produces meaningful, measurable benefits for energy, recovery or healthy aging in generally healthy adults is not settled by current evidence, and it should not be presented as though it is.
Individual response varies, and no specific outcome — including improved energy, recovery or cognitive performance — is promised by NAD+ therapy.
Is it worth discussing?
The conversation starts with why you're asking.
Before NAD+ specifically is discussed, a physician looks at what might actually be driving the fatigue, recovery concerns or general symptoms that led you to consider it — because several of those causes are well-understood and treatable in their own right.
What a physician may consider first
- Sleep quality and duration
- Thyroid function and other endocrine factors
- Nutritional status, including iron and vitamin levels
- Mental health, stress and mood
- Cardiometabolic health
- Current medications and supplements
What else gets reviewed
- Overall medical history and any conditions that could make NAD+ therapy inappropriate
- Whether laboratory testing would meaningfully change the plan
- What you've already tried and how you responded
- Realistic expectations about what NAD+ therapy is, and is not, likely to do
- Whether continued monitoring is appropriate if therapy is considered
What discussing it looks like
Evaluation comes before any therapy.
- 01
Evaluation
Meet online with a NORBU MD physician and share your health history, current symptoms and what you're hoping to address.
- 02
An honest conversation
Your physician explains what is and isn't established about NAD+ supplementation, and discusses other, often better-supported explanations for your symptoms.
- 03
A decision, together
If NAD+ therapy is considered clinically appropriate for you, your physician discusses what that would involve. If it is not, your physician discusses alternatives.
- 04
Follow-up
If a plan is started, your physician can follow how you're doing and reassess whether continuing makes sense.
No specific timeline or outcome is guaranteed. Individual response varies, and NAD+ therapy may not be appropriate or recommended for everyone who asks about it.
Safety
What should I know before considering NAD+ therapy?
NAD+ therapy is not appropriate for everyone, and it is not risk-free simply because the molecule occurs naturally in the body. Route of administration, product source, and your individual health history all affect the relevant risks.
Effects that have been reported
- Discomfort, flushing or a warm sensation, particularly with infusion
- Nausea
- Headache
- Fatigue following infusion
- Injection- or infusion-site reactions
Because many NAD+ products are compounded and not FDA-approved, formal prescribing information with a complete risk profile may not exist for the specific product used. Tell your physician about your full medical history, current medications and supplements, and any prior reaction to an infusion or injection. Seek medical attention promptly for symptoms such as chest pain, severe or persistent nausea, difficulty breathing, or a significant reaction at an infusion or injection site.
Important Safety Information
Every prescription medication has risks, warnings, contraindications and possible interactions. Review the full prescribing information for any product prescribed to you, and tell your NORBU MD physician about all medications, supplements and health conditions before starting or changing treatment. Seek medical care promptly for any symptom that concerns you.
Understanding the product
Compounded NAD+ is not an FDA-approved product.
Much of the NAD+ marketed for wellness and longevity purposes — including injectable and IV formulations — is compounded rather than FDA-approved. That distinction is worth understanding plainly before considering it.
Not independently reviewed for this use
Compounded preparations are not reviewed and approved by the FDA for safety and effectiveness the way an approved drug product is.
Prepared by a licensed pharmacy
Compounding is performed by a licensed compounding pharmacy, typically to meet an individual patient's needs, based on a valid prescription.
Quality can vary by source
Because compounded products are not FDA-approved, sourcing matters. If NAD+ therapy is ever part of a plan discussed with you, your physician and the dispensing pharmacy will identify the product clearly before you decide to proceed.
Required disclosure
Every prescription medication has risks, warnings, contraindications and possible interactions. Review the full prescribing information for any product prescribed to you, and tell your NORBU MD physician about all medications, supplements and health conditions before starting or changing treatment. Seek medical care promptly for any symptom that concerns you.
Sources & medical references
- Understanding Unapproved Use of Approved Drugs 'Off Label' — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Human Drug Compounding — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD) — MedlinePlus — National Library of Medicine (MedlinePlus)
- NAD+ metabolism and its roles in cellular processes — review literature — National Library of Medicine (PubMed)
- Sermorelin — peer-reviewed literature index — National Library of Medicine (PubMed)
- Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone and Analogs — clinical background — National Library of Medicine (NCBI Bookshelf)
- Growth Hormone: Overview — Health Topics — National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH)
The NORBU standard
We'll tell you what the evidence actually supports.
NORBU MD is not a wellness storefront. If NAD+ isn't the right answer for what you're experiencing, your physician will say so — and help you find an approach that is better supported.
- Evaluation before therapy
- Symptoms are evaluated for their likely causes before any specific therapy, including NAD+, is discussed.
- Evidence stated plainly
- Your physician explains what current research does and does not support, without overstating it.
- Ongoing oversight
- If a plan is started, your physician can follow up, reassess, and adjust or stop treatment when appropriate.
Start with a physician
$29Physician visit
Get an honest answer about NAD+ therapy.
Meet online with a licensed NORBU MD physician for $29 to discuss your symptoms, health history and whether NAD+ therapy has a clinical rationale for you.
$29 physician visit
Start my $29 visit →The $29 fee covers the physician visit only. Medication and any laboratory testing, if considered, are separate and are never guaranteed.
Questions
NAD+ Therapy, answered.
What is NAD+?
NAD+, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is a coenzyme found in every cell in the body. It participates in fundamental metabolic processes, including reactions involved in converting nutrients into usable cellular energy.
Is NAD+ therapy FDA-approved for anti-aging?
No. NAD+ is not FDA-approved for anti-aging, longevity or performance-enhancement indications. NORBU MD does not claim that NAD+ therapy slows, stops or reverses aging.
Does NAD+ decline with age?
Research has observed that NAD+ levels can decline with age and can be affected by overall health and lifestyle. That observation is part of why supplementation has drawn interest, but it does not by itself establish that raising NAD+ levels produces a clinical benefit.
Does NAD+ therapy actually work?
The evidence for NAD+ supplementation in generally healthy adults is limited and still evolving. Some research is promising, but much of it is early or has not been confirmed in large, well-designed human studies. NORBU MD does not publish efficacy claims that go beyond that evidence.
Is compounded NAD+ the same as an FDA-approved medication?
No. Much of the NAD+ marketed for wellness and longevity purposes is compounded rather than FDA-approved. Compounded preparations are prepared by a licensed pharmacy but are not independently reviewed and approved by the FDA the way an approved drug product is.
Can NAD+ therapy improve my energy or recovery?
It's marketed that way often, but current evidence does not establish that supplementation reliably improves energy or recovery in otherwise healthy adults. A physician will also evaluate other, often better-supported explanations for fatigue before considering NAD+.
Who should not consider NAD+ therapy?
Suitability depends on individual health history. A physician screens for relevant medical conditions, current medications, and other factors that could make NAD+ therapy inappropriate, and it is not recommended for everyone who asks about it.
What are the side effects of NAD+ therapy?
Reported effects include discomfort, flushing or a warm sensation (particularly with infusion), nausea, headache, fatigue following infusion, and injection- or infusion-site reactions. Because many products are compounded, complete formal prescribing information may not exist.
How is NAD+ administered?
NAD+ is marketed in several forms, including injectable and infusion products. NORBU MD does not publish a universal administration method or dosing schedule here; any plan is individualized and discussed by your physician.
Is NAD+ therapy safe?
Safety depends on the individual, the product used, and how it's administered. It is not automatically risk-free simply because the molecule occurs naturally in the body. Your physician reviews your health history before considering it.
Will my NORBU MD physician prescribe NAD+ therapy?
Not automatically. NAD+ therapy is considered only where a physician identifies a clinical rationale for your individual situation. Requesting it does not guarantee it will be offered.
How much does the physician visit cost?
The physician visit is $29 and covers the online evaluation only. Medication and any laboratory testing, if considered, are billed separately and are not guaranteed.
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