Delivery route matters more than most buyers expect, and less than most sellers claim.
The honest summary: route determines how much of a dose reaches your bloodstream, but it
does not change what the molecule does once it gets there. A format that doubles
absorption is worth paying somewhat more for. A format that costs ten times as much needs
to do more than that to justify itself.
Each page below covers the mechanism, who the format genuinely suits, and the specific
reason to skip it.
Seven routes and categories
Format
Oral capsules
The default. Cheapest per dose, easiest to stay consistent with, and the format nearly all human research has actually used.
Read the breakdown →
Format
Sublingual
Dissolved under the tongue to skip first-pass metabolism. A real mechanism, but the size of the advantage is smaller than the marketing suggests.
Read the breakdown →
Format
IV infusion
Full bioavailability by definition, delivered in a clinic over several hours. The most expensive way to raise NAD+, and the least practical to repeat.
Read the breakdown →
Format
Subcutaneous injection
The at-home middle ground between capsules and the infusion chair. Prescription-only in the US, and the fastest-growing format.
Read the breakdown →
Format
Nasal spray
Marketed on a direct nose-to-brain route. The underlying idea is real for some molecules; the evidence that it works for NAD+ precursors is not there yet.
Read the breakdown →
Format
Transdermal patches
The weakest format on the shelf, for a reason that comes down to molecular size and skin physiology.
Read the breakdown →
Category
Research-grade vials
The parallel market sold "for research use only" at a fraction of consumer pricing. What that label means, and what the price gap is actually buying.
Read the breakdown →
