Best NAD+ Supplements for Women

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) are the best-studied NAD+ supplements, and both raised blood NAD+ in placebo-controlled human trials. In a two-week head-to-head study, NR and NMN raised blood NAD+ to a similar extent, so choosing between NR and NMN comes down to fit. NMN is the form tested in a trial of postmenopausal women. NR has the most research behind it and is an easy NAD+ capsule to find. Prescription NAD+ through your clinical team suits a woman who wants a guided plan instead of a bottle she manages on her own.

Which NAD+ Supplements Raise Your NAD+ Levels?

NR and NMN raise NAD+ in human trials. Plain nicotinamide does too, but it comes with a catch. Your body makes most of its NAD+ from three forms of vitamin B3: nicotinamide, NR and NMN. A review of NAD+ boosters calls these three the most promising.

NR has good human data. In a six-week NR trial in healthy middle-aged and older adults, 500 mg twice a day raised NAD+ in blood cells by about 60% compared with placebo. People who started with lower NAD+ tended to get a bigger rise.

NMN has good human data too. In a 12-week NMN trial of 60 older adults, 250 mg a day raised blood NAD+ compared with placebo.

The first head-to-head study in people gave healthy adults 1,000 mg of NR, 1,000 mg of NMN, 500 mg of nicotinamide or a placebo once a day for 14 days. The authors concluded that NR and NMN raised blood NAD+ to a similar extent. Nestlé Research ran the study, and it was open-label, meaning participants knew what they were taking.

That same study is why plain nicotinamide is off the list. On day 1 and again on day 14, it caused a short-lived, more than eightfold spike in homocysteine, an amino acid in your blood, after the dose. NR and NMN did not cause that spike.

Niacin (nicotinic acid) is the B3 form behind the hot, itchy flush. At 50 mg a day and higher, it can make you flush and itch within 30 minutes, which is why it is not a popular NAD+ booster.

Should I Take NR, NMN or an NAD+ Injection?

Take NR if you want the most-researched, easy-to-buy capsule. Take NMN if you want the form that has been tested in midlife women. Choose prescription NAD+ if you want your clinical team to set the dose and keep track of how it goes.

NR has the deepest research bench. In mid-2022, ClinicalTrials.gov listed 73 trials for NR and 10 for NMN, and FDA has granted NR "Generally Recognized as Safe" status (review). It is also easy to find. Tru Niagen is NR, and on iHerb 30 capsules of 300 mg cost $40 and 90 capsules cost $100.

NMN is the form tested in women your age. In a 10-week trial of postmenopausal women with prediabetes who were overweight or obese, 250 mg of NMN a day raised muscle insulin sensitivity by 25%. Insulin sensitivity is how well your muscles pull sugar out of your blood. The placebo group did not change. NMN can be sold as a supplement in the US again: in September 2025, FDA reversed its earlier position and said NMN is not excluded from the dietary supplement definition.

Do not pick between NR and NMN based on how you expect to feel. The head-to-head study measured blood NAD+ over two weeks, not how people felt. Neither form has been shown to make you feel better than the other.

NAD+ injections are prescription only. At bmiMD, for example, you get them after an online consultation, a licensed compounding pharmacy makes them, and you typically inject 1 to 3 times a week for $119 to $159 a month, depending on plan length. bmiMD also notes that "The FDA does not review or approve any compounded medications for safety or effectiveness."

Will an NAD+ Supplement Give Me More Energy?

Trials have shown that NR and NMN raise blood NAD+. They have not shown that you get more afternoon energy, because none of these trials made energy their main measure. Base your expectations on what the trials measured.

What they measured is still encouraging. After 12 weeks on NMN, older adults slept better than the placebo group, scoring lower on daytime dysfunction and overall sleep quality on a standard sleep questionnaire. They also walked a short distance faster. The study's main test, a stepping test, showed no difference.

An NAD+ supplement will not slim you on its own. In the 10-week NMN trial in postmenopausal women, body fat, belly fat, liver fat, blood pressure and blood sugar did not change. If your jeans are the goal, NAD+ works best as one part of a bigger plan.

Give it time. The trials ran 6 to 12 weeks, and the NMN study tested people at 4 and 12 weeks. Judge a supplement over a couple of months, not a few days.

The NR trial also found early signs of lower blood pressure and less artery stiffness. The researchers said bigger trials still need to test both.

How Much NAD+ Should I Take, and Is It Safe?

Follow the label. The Tru Niagen label says to take one 300 mg capsule 1 to 3 times a day, and to check with a healthcare professional before taking more.

The trials used more. The NR trial used 1,000 mg a day, which is above the label dose, and the researchers said that dose should be treated as investigational until more safety work is done.

Side effects reported with NR, NMN and nicotinamide are mostly minor and fairly uncommon. They include nausea, diarrhea, flushing, rash, headache, tiredness and stomach discomfort. No long-term safety studies exist yet (review).

If you are pregnant, nursing or taking any medication, the Tru Niagen label says to get advice before you start. Ask your clinical team.

When Is Prescription NAD+ Worth It?

Prescription NAD+ is worth it when you want guidance as well as the NAD+ itself. No study has compared NAD+ injections with NR or NMN capsules head to head, so the reason to choose prescription NAD+ is the plan around it. Your clinical team sets your dose, and you have someone to tell when something feels off.

It suits a woman who wants NAD+ as part of a bigger plan for energy, weight or skin, not as one more bottle on the counter. Our clinical team can prescribe NAD+ if it fits your goal.

Tell your clinical team every medication and supplement you take, because NAD+ products carry a label warning for people on other medications.

Take the quiz to tell our clinical team what you want more of (energy, better sleep, a leaner body or clearer skin) and see whether NAD+ belongs in your plan.