How much bacteriostatic water do I add to NAD+?

For a 250mg vial, adding 2.5mL of bacteriostatic water gives you 100mg/mL concentration. A 50mg dose = 50 units (0.5mL) on an insulin syringe. This is the most common dilution for standard dosing.

Can I use sterile water instead of bacteriostatic water for NAD+?

You can, but bacteriostatic water contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol which prevents bacterial growth. With sterile water, you must use the entire vial within 24 hours. Bacteriostatic water extends shelf life to 28 days refrigerated.

How do I know if my reconstituted NAD+ has gone bad?

Look for cloudiness, floating particles, yellowing, or an unusual smell. Properly reconstituted NAD+ should be completely clear and colorless. NAD+ is less stable in solution than many peptides — if anything looks off, discard the vial.

What size syringe should I use for NAD+ injections?

For doses up to 100mg (1mL at standard concentration), use a 1mL (100 unit) insulin syringe with a 29-31 gauge needle. For doses above 100mg, you may need a 3mL syringe with a fine gauge needle.

guidesMarch 6, 2026•The Peptide Catalog

How to Reconstitute NAD+: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

NAD+ reconstitution guide: 2.5mL BAC water into a 250mg vial = 50 units per 50mg dose. Dilution charts, storage, and common mistakes to avoid.

NAD+ Reconstitution Guide

How to Reconstitute NAD+

NAD+ for subcutaneous injection comes as a lyophilized (freeze-dried) white powder in a sealed vial. Before you can inject it, you need to reconstitute it with bacteriostatic water. The process is identical to other peptides with one key difference: NAD+ is dosed in milligrams (not micrograms), so the math works a little differently.

This guide walks you through mixing, measuring doses, and storing your NAD+ so nothing goes to waste.

What You Need

Before you start, gather everything:

NAD+ lyophilized vial (typically 100mg, 250mg, or 500mg)
Bacteriostatic water (BAC water) — not sterile water, not saline
Insulin syringes — 1mL (100 unit), 29-31 gauge
Alcohol swabs — for cleaning vial tops
A clean, flat workspace

Why bacteriostatic water? It contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol that prevents bacteria from growing in your solution. Regular sterile water has no preservative, so the vial must be used within 24 hours. BAC water gives you up to 28 days refrigerated.

Note on NAD+ stability: NAD+ is less stable in solution than many peptides. Prompt refrigeration after reconstitution is especially important. Some users reconstitute smaller vials (100-250mg) to ensure they use the solution within 2-3 weeks rather than pushing the full 28-day window.

Step-by-Step Reconstitution

Step 1: Clean Everything

Wipe the tops of both vials (NAD+ and BAC water) with alcohol swabs. Let them air dry for 10 seconds. This prevents contamination — skip it at your own risk.

Step 2: Draw Your Bacteriostatic Water

Using a fresh insulin syringe, draw your desired amount of BAC water. The amount you add determines your concentration (see the dilution charts below).

For most people, 2.5mL into a 250mg vial is the sweet spot. It gives you 100mg/mL — clean, round numbers for standard doses.

Step 3: Add Water to the NAD+ Vial

Insert the needle into the NAD+ vial at an angle, aiming at the glass wall — not directly at the powder. Let the water trickle down the side of the vial gently.

Do not squirt water directly onto the powder. While NAD+ is more robust than many peptides, gentle technique preserves molecular integrity.

Step 4: Let It Dissolve

Gently swirl the vial with a slow rotating motion. Do not shake it. NAD+ typically dissolves quickly — within 1-2 minutes into a perfectly clear, colorless solution.

If particles remain after 5 minutes of gentle swirling, the NAD+ may be degraded. A properly manufactured NAD+ dissolves easily.

Step 5: Store Correctly

Refrigerate immediately at 36-46°F (2-8°C). The reconstituted solution is stable for up to 28 days with bacteriostatic water, though using it within 21 days is ideal given NAD+'s relative instability in solution.

Dilution Charts

100mg Vial

BAC Water Added	Concentration	50mg Dose	100mg Dose
0.5mL	200mg/mL	25 units (0.25mL)	50 units (0.5mL)
1mLRecommended	100mg/mL	50 units (0.5mL)	100 units (1mL)

250mg Vial

BAC Water Added	Concentration	50mg Dose	100mg Dose
1.25mL	200mg/mL	25 units (0.25mL)	50 units (0.5mL)
2.5mLRecommended	100mg/mL	50 units (0.5mL)	100 units (1mL)
5mL	50mg/mL	100 units (1mL)	200 units (2mL)

500mg Vial

BAC Water Added	Concentration	100mg Dose	200mg Dose
2.5mL	200mg/mL	50 units (0.5mL)	100 units (1mL)
5mLRecommended	100mg/mL	100 units (1mL)	200 units (2mL)

Why these water amounts? They all produce a 100mg/mL concentration, making dose calculation simple: 1 unit on the syringe = 1mg of NAD+. A 50mg dose = 50 units. A 100mg dose = 100 units (full 1mL syringe).

The Math (So You Can Do It Yourself)

Here's the formula for any vial size and any amount of water:

Concentration = Vial Size (mg) ÷ Water Added (mL)

Then to find your injection volume:

Units to inject = Desired Dose (mg) ÷ Concentration (mg/mL) × 100

Example: 250mg vial + 2.5mL water = 100mg/mL. For a 50mg dose: 50 ÷ 100 × 100 = 50 units.

Don't want to do math? Use our Reconstitution Calculator — plug in your vial size, water amount, and desired dose, and it does the rest.

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Common Mistakes

Shaking the Vial

While NAD+ is more structurally robust than large peptide chains, shaking creates foam that makes accurate volume measurement difficult and can introduce air bubbles that interfere with injection. Always swirl gently.

Using Too Little Water

Adding 0.5mL to a 250mg vial gives you 500mg/mL. That means a 50mg dose is only 10 units — harder to measure accurately on an insulin syringe. Use enough water to keep doses above 25 units for accurate measurement.

Leaving It at Room Temperature

NAD+ degrades faster in solution than most peptides. Every hour at room temperature reduces potency. Pull the vial out, draw your dose, put it back. Don't leave it on the counter.

Reusing Needles

Each puncture through the rubber stopper dulls the needle and increases contamination risk. Fresh syringe every time — they cost pennies.

Freezing Reconstituted NAD+

Freezing a liquid solution creates ice crystals that can damage the molecular structure. Only freeze lyophilized (powder) NAD+. Once reconstituted, refrigerate — never freeze.

Not Accounting for Larger Volumes

NAD+ doses (50-200mg) require larger injection volumes than typical peptides. A 200mg dose at 100mg/mL = 2mL, which exceeds a standard 1mL insulin syringe. Either use a 3mL syringe with a fine gauge needle, or split into two 1mL injections at different sites.

How Many Doses Per Vial?

This depends on your dose and vial size:

100mg vial at 50mg/dose = 2 doses 100mg vial at 100mg/dose = 1 dose 250mg vial at 50mg/dose = 5 doses 250mg vial at 100mg/dose = 2.5 doses 500mg vial at 50mg/dose = 10 doses 500mg vial at 100mg/dose = 5 doses 500mg vial at 200mg/dose = 2.5 doses

At a standard protocol of 100mg 3x/week, a 250mg vial lasts less than 1 week. A 500mg vial lasts about 1.5 weeks. Plan your purchasing accordingly — NAD+ protocols consume vials faster than most peptide protocols.

Storage Quick Reference

State	Temperature	Shelf Life
Lyophilized (powder)	Room temp	3-6 months
Lyophilized (powder)	Refrigerated	12+ months
Lyophilized (powder)	Frozen (-20°C)	2+ years
Reconstituted (BAC water)	Refrigerated	Up to 28 days (use within 21 ideal)
Reconstituted (sterile water)	Refrigerated	Use within 24 hours

Pro tip: Buy multiple vials and keep unopened ones frozen. Only reconstitute what you'll use within 2-3 weeks. NAD+ lyophilized powder is much more stable than the reconstituted solution.

NAD+ Dosing Guide — protocols, injection sites, and cycling
NAD+ Bloodwork Guide — what labs to track and optimal ranges
NAD+ Benefits — what the research shows
NAD+ Results Timeline — week-by-week expectations
SS-31 Dosing Guide — mitochondrial peptide often stacked with NAD+
MOTS-c Reconstitution Guide — another longevity peptide with mg-level dosing

References

Martens, C.R., et al. (2018). Chronic nicotinamide riboside supplementation is well-tolerated and elevates NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Nature Communications, 9(1), 1286. PubMed
Grant, R., et al. (2019). A pilot study investigating changes in the human plasma and urine NAD+ metabolome during a 6 hour intravenous infusion of NAD+. Front Aging Neurosci, 11, 257. PubMed
USP General Chapter 797: Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations. Storage and beyond-use dating guidelines for reconstituted compounds.

This guide is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. NAD+ is sold as a research compound and is not FDA-approved for human use as an anti-aging therapy. Reconstituting and self-administering injectable compounds carries inherent risks including infection, contamination, and dosing errors. Always use proper sterile technique. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting any NAD+ protocol. The Peptide Catalog is not responsible for any adverse effects resulting from the use or misuse of information presented here.