Key Takeaways
- NAD+ is a coenzyme every cell uses to turn food into usable energy, and it supports enzymes that maintain DNA.
- An IV drip delivers NAD+ through a vein at an infusion clinic, where the clinician sets the rate and session length.
- LIV also offers NAD+ as an injection, a nasal spray and oral drops.
- A licensed provider reviews your health history and helps you choose the format that fits your life.
Maybe you've seen NAD+ drips on a wellness menu and wondered what's actually in the bag. The bag holds NAD+, a coenzyme your cells already use every day, and a drip is only one way to take it.
What Is NAD+ IV Therapy?
It's NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) given into a vein through an IV.
What Does NAD+ Do in Your Cells?
More than 400 enzymes need it to do their work, more than for any other vitamin-derived coenzyme. Your body makes it from niacin (vitamin B3), and it's the main active form niacin is turned into. Here's some of what that work looks like:
- Feel more in the tank: Every cell you have converts food into usable energy, and that conversion runs on NAD+.
- Built to bounce back: Your DNA takes small hits every day. The enzymes that repair it spend NAD+ to do the work.
- Firing on all cylinders: Cells coordinate through enzymes that manage stress and signaling. Those enzymes depend on NAD+.
Sirtuins, a family of enzymes that help control which genes are switched on, need NAD+ to work too.
Levels also change as you get older. In a small study of healthy adults aged 20 to 87, plasma NAD+ was significantly lower in people in their early 50s than in people in their 20s, and levels were lower with age across that whole range. Lower levels with age have also been measured in human skin from newborn to age 77.
These are age comparisons in healthy adults, not results from any NAD+ treatment.
Why Do People Choose an Infusion?
Usually for practical reasons: a gut that doesn't reliably absorb what you swallow, or not wanting another daily pill.
No study we hold shows that one way of taking NAD+ works better than another. That means the right format is the one that suits your body and your routine.
Other Ways to Take NAD+
You can also take NAD+ as an injection, a nasal spray or oral drops. LIV offers all three, and each one contains NAD+, the same active ingredient.
FOUR DOORS, ONE ROOM
The route changes, the molecule does not.
- Intravenous through a vein
- Injection under the skin
- Nasal spray into the nostril
- Oral dropper by mouth
All four deliver the same coenzyme. Your route is chosen on absorption, tolerance and what fits your life.
What Is a Session Like?
You'd go to an infusion clinic, where the clinician running your session sets the rate and how long it lasts. LIV's NAD+ formats are different: you use them at home, on the schedule your provider sets.
Side Effects and Safety Notes
With LIV's formats, tell your provider about any side effects before changing your dose. LIV's protocol lets your provider keep the same strength and prescribe it less often.
Before you start any NAD+, your provider will ask about:
- Your medicines and supplements: include everything you take in your health form.
- Nicotinamide riboside: if you already take it, your provider may decide not to prescribe NAD+ alongside it.
How LIV Can Help
You fill out a short health form online, and a licensed provider reviews it within 48 hours and decides whether NAD+ is right for you. If it does, a state-licensed compounding pharmacy prepares your prescription. Shipping is free, and delivery usually takes 3 to 5 days after approval, though compounding can add time.
Your provider reviews your plan before every refill at no extra cost, and you can change formats later if you'd prefer another one. There's no membership fee, and you can skip a shipment or cancel from your account.
Ready to see whether NAD+ fits your plan? Start with a short online health form.
Related reading: The wider NAD+ supplement guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Is IV NAD+ better absorbed than other forms?
No study we hold compares the routes on that. The right route depends on how well your gut absorbs medicine, what you'd prefer and how you tolerate it.
Which NAD+ formats does LIV offer?
LIV offers NAD+ as an injection, a metered nasal spray and liposomal oral drops. All three contain NAD+, the same active ingredient, and each is prescribed after a licensed provider reviews your health history. Your medicine is delivered to your door.
How long does an NAD+ infusion take?
The clinic running it sets the rate and session length, so ask them how long to plan for.
Will NAD+ make me feel more energetic?
There is not enough evidence to know whether NAD+ improves day-to-day energy. NAD+ helps cells use energy from food, but that alone does not tell us how you might feel after taking it. The cell-role descriptions on this page explain what NAD+ does in cells; they do not establish improved energy, recovery or focus from LIV's NAD+ products. Talk with your provider about tiredness or other changes so they can review what may be causing them.
What do the NAD+ age studies show?
The plasma study by Clement and colleagues was a cross-sectional study of 29 healthy adults aged 20 to 87 (group mean ages 22.8, 52.8 and 76.9), a small sample of largely Caucasian US participants. It describes how NAD+ levels differ by age. Its findings aren't results from LIV's NAD+ products and don't show that raising NAD+ improves energy, aging or any health outcome.
What does compounded mean for my NAD+?
It means a licensed pharmacy prepares your NAD+ for you alone, rather than making it in large batches. The FDA does not approve compounded medicines for safety, quality or how they are made.
What should I tell my provider before starting?
Your full list of medicines and supplements, including nicotinamide riboside if you take it, and whether you have trouble absorbing medicine through your gut. Mention liver or kidney problems, pregnancy or a planned procedure too. Your provider reviews your history and tolerance before recommending a format.
References
Clement, J., Wong, M., Poljak, A., Sachdev, P., and Braidy, N. (2019). The plasma NAD+ metabolome is dysregulated in "normal" aging. Rejuvenation Research, 22(2), 121-130. Details checked 2026-10-01. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/rej.2018.2077
National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. (n.d.). Niacin: Fact sheet for health professionals. Read 2026-08-20. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Niacin-HealthProfessional/
Massudi, H., Grant, R., Braidy, N., Guest, J., Farnsworth, B., and Guillemin, G. J. (2012). Age-associated changes in oxidative stress and NAD+ metabolism in human tissue. PLoS ONE, 7(7), e42357. Read 2026-08-20. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0042357
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