What is NAD+ and what does it do?

NAD+ is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a coenzyme present in every cell. It carries electrons in the reactions that produce cellular energy, and it is also consumed by the sirtuin and PARP enzyme families involved in cellular stress responses and DNA repair. Levels decline with age, which is the rationale behind replenishing it directly.

How quickly will I feel the effects of NAD+ shots?

Many clients report increased energy and mental clarity within 24 to 48 hours of a first injection, with the fuller effect building over a course. These are subjective reports rather than measured outcomes, and individual responses vary a great deal.

How often should I have NAD+ injections?

The protocol we typically recommend is a loading phase of four to six weekly injections, followed by monthly maintenance. Your practitioner will tailor the schedule to your goals and health assessment rather than applying a fixed package.

NAD+ injections are considered safe when administered by trained practitioners following a full health assessment. Side effects are minimal and most commonly limited to mild soreness at the injection site. Your medical history and current medication are reviewed before any treatment is given.

Should I have NAD+ or a B12 injection?

They answer different questions. B12 is an essential vitamin and B12 injections are clearest in value where there is a deficiency or an absorption problem, which a blood test can identify. NAD+ is a coenzyme rather than a vitamin, and NAD+ shots aim to support a pool that declines with age. If you suspect a deficiency, test first.

Can NAD+ shots be combined with skin treatments?

Yes, and they often are, on the basis that the skin depends on the same cellular energy machinery as the rest of the body. NAD+ is not itself a skin treatment though, so if your concern is texture, laxity or skin quality, the regenerative skin treatments will do more for it. Your plan can include both.

NAD+ Injections in Marylebone, London: What They Do, the Evidence and the Cost

Written by Rahena, Level 7 Aesthetic Practitioner | Mesglo London

Published 2026-08-18

NAD+ Injections in Marylebone, London: What They Do, the Evidence and the Cost

NAD+ injections deliver nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a coenzyme your cells use in almost every energy-producing reaction, directly into the muscle so it does not have to survive the digestive system first. At Mesglo London in Marylebone, NAD+ shots start from £300 per session and take 30 to 45 minutes. This guide sets out what NAD+ actually is, what the biology genuinely supports, where the evidence is still thin, what a course involves and what it costs, so you can decide whether it belongs in your plan rather than buying into a trend.

What Is NAD+ and Why Does It Matter?

NAD+ stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. It is a coenzyme found in every cell in the body, and it is not a fringe molecule: it is one of the workhorses of basic metabolism. Its main job is to carry electrons between reactions, which is how your cells convert food into usable energy. Without adequate NAD+, the machinery that produces cellular energy simply runs less efficiently.

NAD+ is also a required substrate for two families of enzymes that have attracted a great deal of research attention. Sirtuins are involved in regulating cellular stress responses, and PARPs are involved in repairing damaged DNA. Both consume NAD+ to do their work, which means the same limited pool is being drawn on by energy production and by repair at the same time.

The part that draws people to the treatment is that NAD+ levels decline with age. That decline is one of the reasons ageing research has taken such an interest in the molecule, and it is the rationale behind trying to top it up directly.

The biochemistry above is textbook and not in dispute. What is still being worked out is how much a course of injections changes any of it in a healthy adult, and that distinction is worth holding on to when you read marketing about NAD+.

Why Injections Rather Than a Supplement?

The practical argument for injecting is absorption. Taken by mouth, NAD+ and its precursors have to survive the gut and first-pass metabolism in the liver, and a proportion of what you swallow never reaches the circulation intact. An intramuscular injection bypasses that route entirely, which is why clinics offer it as a shot rather than a capsule.

At Mesglo London the route is intramuscular rather than intravenous. An IM shot takes 30 to 45 minutes including the assessment and aftercare, does not require you to sit with a drip, and fits into a normal day. Some clinics offer intravenous NAD+ instead, which is a longer appointment and a different proposition; if you are comparing the two, compare the time commitment and the setting as well as the price.

What Do People Report After NAD+ Shots?

What clients tell us about, and what the treatment is offered for, is energy, mental clarity, recovery after exertion and a general sense of wellbeing. Many notice something within the first 24 to 48 hours of the first injection, and the pattern people describe most often is feeling less flat rather than feeling stimulated.

We would rather set that out plainly than dress it up. These are subjective reports from a treatment given to people who have chosen to seek it out, and that is a setting in which expectation plays a real part. That does not make the reports worthless, and it does not mean the treatment is doing nothing. It does mean you should treat any clinic quoting you a precise percentage improvement in energy, or a specific number of years taken off your cells, with scepticism. The fair position is that the underlying biology is compelling, the human trial data in healthy adults is still developing, and nobody can promise you an outcome.

Who Are NAD+ Injections For?

NAD+ shots are aimed at adults looking at their health over a longer horizon rather than chasing a quick fix. In practice, the people who ask about them at our Marylebone clinic tend to fall into a few groups.

NAD+ shots are a wellness treatment, not a diagnosis. Persistent fatigue deserves a proper medical work-up first. If you have been tired for months, see your GP before you see any clinic about an injectable, because the causes worth finding are the ones a blood test finds.

People whose energy has flattened out with age and who have already ruled out the obvious medical causes with their GP
People training hard who are interested in recovery between sessions
People who already take a considered approach to longevity and want something with a mechanism behind it
People combining it with an aesthetic plan, on the view that skin is an organ like any other and benefits from the body underneath working well

What Does a Course Look Like?

NAD+ is not usually a one-off. The protocol we typically recommend is a loading phase followed by maintenance, with the exact schedule tailored at your consultation after a health assessment.

Stage	What it involves	Timing
Consultation and health assessment	Goals, medical history and suitability reviewed before anything is given	Before the first injection
Loading phase	Four to six intramuscular injections	Weekly
Maintenance	Single injections to sustain the effect	Typically monthly
Each appointment	Preparation, injection and aftercare guidance	30 to 45 minutes

How Much Do NAD+ Injections Cost in Marylebone?

NAD+ shots at Mesglo London start from £300 per session. That figure includes the health assessment, the injection itself and your aftercare guidance. Package pricing is available for a course, and flexible payment options can be discussed at your consultation, so ask our team what applies to the protocol you are considering rather than assuming.

It is worth doing the arithmetic on a full course rather than on a single shot, because a loading phase of four to six weekly injections plus monthly maintenance is a meaningful annual commitment. A clinic that will not talk you through the whole-year cost before you start is not being straight with you.

Treatment	Mesglo London from price	What it is for
NAD+ shots	From £300 per session	Cellular energy, DNA repair support, recovery and mental clarity
B12 injection	From £300 per session	Energy, neurological support, mood and metabolism
Exosome face treatment	From £650 per session	Deep regenerative repair and collagen support in the skin
Polynucleotide face treatment	From £300 per session	Skin repair, elasticity and resilience

Is It Safe, and What Are the Side Effects?

NAD+ injections are considered safe when given by a trained practitioner after a proper health assessment, which is why we do not give a first injection on the day of enquiry. Side effects are usually minimal and the most common is mild soreness at the injection site.

A full health assessment is carried out before treatment, covering your medical history, any medication you take and what you are hoping the treatment will do. If NAD+ is not appropriate for you, or if what you describe should be looked at by your GP first, we will say so. That is the point of the assessment rather than a formality before the needle.

NAD+ or B12? A Practical Distinction

The two treatments are often mentioned in the same breath because both are intramuscular injections associated with energy, but they are answering different questions. Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient, and B12 injections are most clearly useful where there is a deficiency or an absorption problem, which is common in plant-based diets, in older adults and with certain gut conditions. That is a correctable shortfall with a measurable marker behind it.

NAD+ is not a vitamin and NAD+ shots are not correcting a diagnosed deficiency in the same sense. They are an attempt to support a coenzyme pool that declines with age. If you suspect a B12 deficiency, the sensible first step is a blood test through your GP rather than an injection through a clinic. If your interest is longevity and cellular energy rather than a specific deficiency, NAD+ is the conversation to have.

Where NAD+ Fits Alongside Aesthetic Treatment

Mesglo London is a regenerative clinic, and the thinking behind offering wellness injectables alongside skin treatment is consistent rather than opportunistic: regeneration in the skin depends on the same cellular machinery as everywhere else. A course of exosome therapy or polynucleotides is asking your fibroblasts to do work, and work costs energy.

That said, we would not present NAD+ as a skin treatment, because it is not one. If your concern is skin quality, laxity or texture, the treatments designed for it will do more for you, and our guide to regenerative aesthetics sets out how those options compare. NAD+ sits alongside that plan rather than replacing any part of it.

Conclusion

NAD+ injections rest on genuinely well established biochemistry: a coenzyme central to energy production and DNA repair, in a pool that shrinks as we age. What is less settled is how much a course of injections changes for a healthy adult, and we would rather say that plainly than sell certainty nobody has. At Mesglo London, NAD+ shots start from £300 per session, the usual protocol is four to six weekly injections followed by monthly maintenance, and every course begins with a health assessment that includes the possibility of being told this is not the right treatment for you. If persistent fatigue is what brought you here, see your GP first. If longevity and cellular energy are the interest, book a consultation at our Marylebone clinic and we will set out what is realistic before anything is booked.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do NAD+ injections cost at clinics in Marylebone?: At Mesglo London on Baker Street in Marylebone, NAD+ shots start from £300 per session, which includes the health assessment, the injection and aftercare guidance. Package pricing is available for a course of treatment, and flexible payment options can be discussed at consultation. Ask any clinic for the cost of a full course, not just a single shot.
What is NAD+ and what does it do?: NAD+ is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a coenzyme present in every cell. It carries electrons in the reactions that produce cellular energy, and it is also consumed by the sirtuin and PARP enzyme families involved in cellular stress responses and DNA repair. Levels decline with age, which is the rationale behind replenishing it directly.
How quickly will I feel the effects of NAD+ shots?: Many clients report increased energy and mental clarity within 24 to 48 hours of a first injection, with the fuller effect building over a course. These are subjective reports rather than measured outcomes, and individual responses vary a great deal.
How often should I have NAD+ injections?: The protocol we typically recommend is a loading phase of four to six weekly injections, followed by monthly maintenance. Your practitioner will tailor the schedule to your goals and health assessment rather than applying a fixed package.
Are NAD+ shots safe?: NAD+ injections are considered safe when administered by trained practitioners following a full health assessment. Side effects are minimal and most commonly limited to mild soreness at the injection site. Your medical history and current medication are reviewed before any treatment is given.
Is NAD+ better than an oral supplement?: The practical argument for injecting is absorption. Oral NAD+ and its precursors have to survive digestion and first-pass liver metabolism, so a proportion never reaches the circulation intact. An intramuscular injection bypasses that. Whether that difference produces a better outcome for you is a question the current evidence in healthy adults does not settle definitively.
Should I have NAD+ or a B12 injection?: They answer different questions. B12 is an essential vitamin and B12 injections are clearest in value where there is a deficiency or an absorption problem, which a blood test can identify. NAD+ is a coenzyme rather than a vitamin, and NAD+ shots aim to support a pool that declines with age. If you suspect a deficiency, test first.
Can NAD+ shots be combined with skin treatments?: Yes, and they often are, on the basis that the skin depends on the same cellular energy machinery as the rest of the body. NAD+ is not itself a skin treatment though, so if your concern is texture, laxity or skin quality, the regenerative skin treatments will do more for it. Your plan can include both.