This is the first in a series of blog posts highlighting consumer experiences taking B3 vitamin supplement Nicotinamide Riboside “NR” (FAQs) (Reviews). Though scientific studies are ongoing, NR is believed to impact people in many different ways (see list of “Categories” on the right side OR below on mobile). Our first consumer anecdote comes from Chromadex CEO Rob Fried via a podcast appearance (please consider sharing your own NAD+ supplement experience below):
Chromadex CEO Rob Fried’s NR Experience
“I’ve been taking it (Tru Niagen) for 5 years and I’ll say that I started noticing fairly dramatic things after 3 months.
“People who take it for a long time — it generally and often transitions from just “I feel more energy” and “I feel stronger” and “I feel healthier” and “I feel like I just slept really well for 2 nights” into very tangible specific things.
“In my case, I had hurt my knee skiing about 10 years ago. And I always had pain walking up the steps and putting any pressure on it. And I noticed it was gone after 3 months. I noticed that I no longer was favoring the other leg. And I realized that it might very well be because of a reduction in inflammation there and also repairing.
“I also noticed that I was sleeping deeper — remembering my dreams. And I had long stopped having those kind of deep sleep.
“And of course NAD levels and inflammation levels are very related to how you sleep and how deep a sleep that you have.”
“And then I started to realize that I was living my life high energy. I like to work out — but I work out at 10:30 at night. I work out before I go to sleep. I’ll get on the bike at 10pm and finish at 11-11:30 6 days a week. That’s kind of an odd thing after a long, high energy day. It’s just the routine I developed just a few years ago. It’s probably just because I’m feeling strong.
“So that’s my own personal experience.”
On Fried’s Daily Dose of NR
“The FDA recommended dosage of TRU Niagen is 2 capsules or 300mg per day.”
“Personally I take more than that.
“But when I’m feeling any kind of physical stress, I’m traveling cross country OR there’s a time issue OR I’m healing OR there’s some procedure, I take more. I take much more.”
“While at Coachella, I took a very high dosage of TRU Niagen. And I was there the entire time, woke up the next day, couldn’t wait to get back out. It has a dramatic impact on the way your body processes sun radiation, exposure to the sun etc. So, if you think about what it’s doing it then ladders up to when to use it and how much to take.”
On What Time of Day He Takes NR
“What Dr. Brenner (who discovered NR as an NAD boosting vitamin) suggests is that it really doesn’t matter when you take it as long as you take it around the same time every day.
“Because NAD levels do impact the circadian rhythm and you do from time to time hear people when they first start taking it that they took it late at night and didn’t sleep well. But, in fact if you took it at the same time every day you’re going to sleep better and deeper you just have to try to be consistent with when you take it.”
Summary of Rob Fried’s Personal NR Experience:
- Name: Rob Fried
- Online Identity: Twitter @sclips
- How long have you been taking NR? 5 Years
- When do you take NR each day? Same time each day (didn’t disclose when)
- Dosage: 2+ capsules (>300mg per day) — “Personally I take more than that” (more than 2 capsules per day; much more during times of physical stress)
- Time to Impact: 3 Months — “I started noticing fairly dramatic things after 3 months”
- Possible Impact #1: INFLAMMATION. Knee pain from 10 year old ski injury disappeared (possible reduction in inflammation)
- Possible Impact #2: SLEEP. “Sleeping deeper, remembering my dreams”
- Possible Impact #3: ENERGY. “High energy…I work out at 10:30 at night”
Related:
- Please consider sharing your own NAD+ supplement experience using the form below. Others will undoubtedly benefit.
- NAD+ boosting vitamin supplement NR (FAQs) (Reviews)
- We’re on Twitter @RaisingNAD
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SHARE your own NAD+ supplement experience:
Mike
I have been taking Tru Niagen for over 5 years. The doses range from 250mg to 300mg. I did increase the dose to 375mg for a short period of time and lost weight. Tru Niagen has good anti inflammatory effects. After taking Tru Niagen the inflammatory pain in my prostate went away. Another benefit is my skin looks younger and smoother. I think Tru Niagen improved my immune system. I don’t get cold or flu anymore. Whenever I feel I am about to get cold, I kept warm and it went away.
Shelly
I started taking Tru Niagen 3.5 years ago. I was attracted to its anti-aging properties, because I had seen some compelling videos of mice who seemed much younger than control mice for having taken it. At first, I felt maybe a little more energy — something short of a buzz, but still noticeable.
It wasn’t until after a few weeks that I noticed by restless legs syndrome (RLS) had disappeared. I had had RLS for years — it’s a really annoying condition, and there aren’t any good treatments. But after a few weeks of Tru Niagen, I didn’t have it any more. Or if I did, it was because I missed a day of Tru Niagen, or was especially metabolically stressed (like from overeating), and then an extra Tru Niagen pill made it go away.
So I was completely hooked, then, because I wasn’t expecting any effect on the RLS.
Over time, I noticed my hair growing faster — I would need to visit the barber every 4-5 weeks instead of every 5-6 weeks. And I had to cut my fingernails more frequently. These were actually annoying side effects for me, although other people might want their hair or nails to grow faster.
After about a year I started to see other effects — like the age spots on my skin that had been proliferating stopped proliferating, and some of them even began to fade. That was easy to track, because some of those were on my face, so I was very grateful for that.
I wouldn’t say that I am aging backwards, but it certainly feels like I am aging more slowly. If my hair isn’t growing darker, at least it isn’t growing grayer.
I was also able to lose 30 pounds in six months with intermittent fasting, exercise, and a low-carb diet. Tru Niagen certainly did not cause all that weight loss, but I think it kept my metabolism healthy enough that the other things worked well, or worked better.
Of course I have recommended Tru Niagen to friends and insisted that my family members take it. They have reported benefits, also. One, like me, also got relief from RLS.
Anne Milligan
The following are some of the most recognizable positive effects of taking Nicotinamide Riboside (as TruNiagen) for over 5 years now. I am not aware of any negative effects. I have a full “Healthy Aging Panel” done every year and there are no negative effects observable on those labs either:
1. I haven’t “come down with” any kind of cold or flu for 5 years and the same for my husband. If something does try to infect us, we are over it very quickly.
2. I spend a lot of time in the sun. I used to regularly have white (possibly pre-cancerous) spots frozen from my face fairly regularly. I have not had a visit to the dermatologist for these spots in at least 3 years.
3. The muscles of my face and my general body composition is more defined, but I do have to keep exercising regularly. I am 62 y.o.
4. GERD previous to taking TruNiagen was becoming a concern, and now it is gone and has never returned.
Mark Molinaro
About 8 years ago I was out to dinner with some people and upon adjourning we descended a staircase leading back to the parking area. The woman above me on the staircase lost her balance and as I turned around to help her she fell forwards propelling us both to the pavement. She landed on my chest and I landed on the back of my head and the impact of her weight and my own resulted in several subdural hematomas, damaging areas both in the posterior of my brain from the impact itself and the anterior from my brain ricocheting of the front of my skull. Up to that point I was a pretty high achiever, gifted, and still am but the brain injury left me with anosmia, phantosmia, sleeping difficulty, mood swings, minor cognitive challenges and persistent neuropathic pain. The beginning of my recovery was slow; it took me a month for example to be able to walk to the mailbox for the first time. I enlisted the help of some great professionals at Emory’s neurological department and a cognitive behavioral therapist but brain injuries are tricky; no one can tell you how recovery will proceed and what further complications you might encounter. I was well aware that many people with brain injuries develop epilepsy over time and four years later I had my first myoclonic seizure.
Over time the seizures became a little more frequent, a little more intense and a daily occurrence. The triggers were everywhere – certain wavelengths of light, sounds, movement – airports, grocery stores, restaurants all now were toxic to me. I couldn’t leave my home without having a seizure, and even staying at home was little assurance against having one. I was pretty far along in my recovery and felt pretty good but epilepsy was a huge setback for me. Each seizure took the same tack; several hours of pre-seizure brain fog, my gate would slow, I’d find it hard to use my fingers and it would become difficult to speak and think as my brain was on fire. The seizures themselves were fairly benign looking. I did not lose consciousness nor were they the classic convulsive type. My left upper torso would repeatedly and visibly torque compressing my left lung in the process. There would be pretty loud, forced exhales followed by equally sizable inhales. My head would involuntarily rock backwards and my jaw would twitch. My world revolved around seizures and more specifically avoiding them. As a person who prided themselves on achievement this was not the life I wanted to live.
My Neuro at Emory prescribed Keppra – one of the first drugs epileptics get put on and the drug many immediately want to get off due to its side effects. The most prevalent side effect is intense anger – they even have a word for it – Kepprage. I’m a 250lb guy, already angry with my situation, going through cognitive behavioral therapy to deal with it and wrapped a little tight to begin with so I declined to take Keppra and looked for alternatives. I’m a pretty good researcher and took full advantage of my inability to sleep by reading study after study on Pubmed and learning about the experiences, successes and failures of other people similarly afflicted. Blue tinted glasses helped as did noise-cancelling headphones, cannabis and near-infrared light therapy. But even with all that and trying to avoid triggers I had seizures daily for the next several years. I can’t adequately express how terrible my life had become.
In September of 2019 I was listening to a Joe Rogan podcast featuring Dr David Sinclair. He spoke about longevity and the impact of NAM+ and NMN. I’ve been working with a longevity doctor for over ten years so any product in that space is of interest but after doing a bit of research I determined that TruNiagen would be superior to NMN and took my first dose, 1000mg on October 1. I really wasn’t expecting anything and I certainly wasn’t expecting my seizures to subside but they in fact did. Neuropathic pain has also diminished significantly. I’ve since altered the dose to 1200mg orally and 150mg via iontophoresis daily and I’ve been seizure-free every day since my first dose of TruNiagen. As difficult as it was to describe the toll seizures took on me it is even more difficult to describe what TruNiagen has given me back. I have my life again. All of it. And that’s why I thought it important to weigh in here. I don’t know how exactly how Nicotinamide Riboside is making this happen; it would take human studies to fully understand the mechanism. That would take years and people with brain injuries and epilepsy don’t have the luxury of waiting for the “how” especially when the “what” is available right now. People need to know. Hopefully my experience with TruNiagen will help someone.
Stefan
Here is one, I will add more oover time:
Blood circulation
During winter it was harder for my hands to stay warm. One finger in particular was problematic, it would go cold and numb. In the second winter of using NR I noticed that the finger no longer went numb. In that winter and the ones that followed I noticed I needed gloves less in general, my hands stayed warm much better.
TED
77 year old physician– 36 months on Niagen-average dose 300-600 mg—-often let capsule dissolve in my mouth hoping for less liver inactivation– stronger physically by many metrics probably because of significantly reducing post exercise delayed muscle soreness—faster hair and nail growth—hair color went from white to somewhat blondish (my original color) improved skin–golf, tennis, online time chess games improved. Good luck
Warren Saccente
I am 64 years old and have had asthma my whole life and acid reflux for decades. My asthma isn’t severe, an occasional attack that is controlled by steroids; but I’ve had a first thing in the morning throat-clearing kind of cough for as long as I can remember. That has been 12 months a year, I believe attributable to asthma, but perhaps also acid reflux.
I’ve taken Tru Niagen for about a month now. Two weeks after I started taking it the morning cough disappeared. Nothing else changed in my medications, supplements, diet, or environment in those two weeks so I have no other explanation other than Tru Niagen being the cause.
DD
Have been on and off NR for 5 years now. I’m too young to expect effects (~30s), but after 2 years of nagging my mother to intermittently low dose NR, she mentioned that the arthritic pain in her hands disappeared.
Lynne
Could you add a “flexibility” category? My latest positive result is a return to pretty much all the flexibility I used to have. For me it is a more obvious improvement than “better skin”. I have Googled “Truniagen and flexibility” and not seen anything.
Google says to achieve doing a backbend over age 50 one should do yoga. I do not think that is good advice. If your ligaments and tendons feel stiff, stretching them is probably not a good idea. But if they feel a good kind of rubbery, then one wants to stretch anyway.
My son the PA just told me that what one area I specifically found went from very tight to good-rubbery was my adductors/gracilis which give you “open hips”.
Jodi
Been taking NR for a little over a year, 300 mg at first then 600 mg for the last 5 months. The most important change I noticed is increased stability/regularity in my hormone levels and menstrual cycle.
I’m only 43 but have been told by doctors that I might be entering perimenopause early since I was having very short and irregular periods. The average duration was between 21-23 days which is unusual for someone in their early 40s. On top of that, I was experiencing the effects of drastic hormone changes, the worst of which was frequent migraines.
Since taking NR, my cycles have lengthened- slowly at first then much more rapidly in the past 4 months. My two most recent cycles have been 27 days. The hormone swings have also been much more manageable and have been able to go off of migraine medication for the past 4 months.
Looking back, I realize that I raised my NR dosage to 600 mg and added taurIne to my regimen about 5 months ago- and this may have made all the difference. I had improvements initially with 300 mg but they seemed much more modest.
Jeff Gilligan
I started taking NR a bit over 4 years ago that I bought from a company that used to by NR from the manufacturer of TruNiagen. I had read about the science that had been published up to that time. I took 250 mg per day. I was 66 and in general good health, but about 40 pounds over weight. I didn’t notice any benefit until about 10 weeks or so after starting supplementation. Then I noticed that I no longer felt stiffness in muscles in the morning or from sitting too long, such as on long drives in my car. I switched to Niagen about 6 months after starting NR, because the source I was using included pterostilbene, which had been shown to raise LDL cholesterol. A few weeks later, my LDL was at its highest level ever, 123. Since switching to TruNiagen, my LDL has reached 78, the lowest ever for me. I made it a policy to tell at least two friends or relatives per day. Many heeded my advice after doing their own research. I have heard some really great results, and because of the, and COVID-19, I now take 1200 mg per day. The personal stories I have heard include: 2 people reducing or almost eliminating pain from neuropathy — one whose problem was caused by chemotherapy, and one by Lyme disease; 2 people who report that their restless leg syndrome is cured as long as they take it; one who reports improvement regarding lupus; one who reports great improvement from carpal tunnel syndrome; a 70 year-old competitive tennis player who says he recovers quicker from weekend tournaments; and various people who experienced whatI did, or say that they just feel better or that their blood work ups at their annual physical have greatly improved.
Jeff Gilligan (about friends Randy and Cindy)
A 69 year old friend who has had varied health problems, but now takes 600 mg of TruN reports the following.
1. His vision has improved.
2. He has diabetes, but his recent LDL A1c was 6.4, the first time he has been under 7. He takes metformin too, but it only got to 6.4 since he added taking TruN.
3. He had skin grafts after surgery for flesh eating bacteria. His dermatologist said he had never seen as good of acceptance of the grafts – over 90%. The doctor took photos to show colleagues. My friend told him he takes TruN.
4. He recently noticed that his urine had a strong odor. His doctor ran a test and detected E-coli bacteria, but since the friend’s immune system seems to be taking care of it, did not prescribe antibiotics. The friend has experienced no symptoms.
5. Prior to taking TruN, he and his wife report that they annualy had bronchitis, but not since starting TruN. Neither has had any viral illness since starting TruN.
He is quite the NR story.
Dave
My wife and I were introduced to Niagen in 2015. We were not very serious about taking it because we were in our mid 30s and assumed NAD+ levels were not an issue for us. We couldn’t have been more wrong.
In 2016 my wife and I were having difficulty conceiving. After 18 months we decided to see a fertility doctor. The doctor suspected my wife’s eggs could have viability issues and recommended In-vitro fertilization. After multiple rounds of IVF we were told that the eggs were not viable enough to support conception.
We became very discouraged but a friend of ours, who knew a great deal about NR, recommended she take 1000mg of Niagen daily. He explained the benefits of cellular repair and NR’s role in supporting mitochondria.
Shockingly after 3 months of Niagen supplementation we conceived. Considering the science on NR was young my wife stopped supplementation upon conception. Our friend encouraged her to resume supplementation postpartum and throughout the breastfeeding process. It possible that we have one of the first Niagen babies out there. Interestingly, our little Niagen baby was riding her bicycle without training wheels at the age of 2, a feat her older brother did not accomplish until the age of 4.
It has been very exciting to see clinical studies come out of the fertility and lactation space. We firmly believe NR can do wonderful things for mothers and their new babies.
Ed
Current age: 75
I’ve been taking NR for 4 years.
At first I noticed my walking exercise felt better. My breathing seemed more efficient and I recovered more quickly.
So I read and changed my dosage after reading test results, from 250mg to 500mg. I also switched to TruNiagen.
Inflammation decreased and minor injuries healed faster. Colds seemed milder.
I had cataract surgery. My surgeon commented on the day after surgery: ‘That’s odd, you seem 3 or 4 days out from surgery’. That caught my attention: actual personal data.
Then I noticed an increased comprehension in reading. Reading was more enjoyable.
Would you believe my skin seems thicker? Less cracking and wrinkling. It just feels different.
I’m now taking 2 doses in the morning and at night (1200mg daily).
It’s exciting to participate in NR’s progress.
It’s exciting to await the next step.
Ed Stutsman
Current age: 76
I’ve been taking NR for 4 years.
At first I noticed my walking exercise felt better. My breathing seemed more efficient and I recovered more quickly.
So I read and changed my dosage after reading test results, from 250mg to 500mg. I also switched to TruNiagen.
Inflammation decreased and minor injuries healed faster. Colds seemed milder.
I had cataract surgery. My surgeon commented on the day after surgery: ‘That’s odd, you seem 3 or 4 days out from surgery’. That caught my attention: actual data.
Then I noticed an increased comprehension in reading. Reading is more enjoyable.
Would you believe my skin seems thicker? Less cracking and wrinkling. It just feels different.
I’m now taking 2 doses in the morning and 2 at night (1200mg daily).
It’s exciting to participate in NR’s progress.
It’s exciting to await the next step.
Milarepa
Another elderly cat story. This cat (belongs to a close friend of mine) is about 15 years old, stopped eating kibble six months ago, and started having difficulty walking (stiff joints). Ten days ago, the cat started getting Niagen daily. She is walking better now, and, unexpectedly, started eating kibble again five days after beginning with Tru Niagen.
Donna
I bought a bottle of Tru Niagen for my friend who has several health issues-one of which is alopecia. He had lost his eyelashes and when they grew back they were albino white. After less than two months of taking 300mg a day he noticed that his eyelashes were growing with color again. I’ve never had a gift so well received.
Kirk Carter
I’ve been taking Tru-Niagen for a little over a year. My first experience was with immediate clearing of my skin. I had some various red or white blotches that completely disappeared quickly. Then, within a month or so later my hair began to change from grey to my original dark blond color. Another amazing change is more physical in nature. Over the past few years I’ve had serious foot pain at night that my doctors can’t solve.. I am pleased to report that after I doubled my dose of Tru-Niagen to 600mg, my foot pain completely disappeared. Now the good stuff….. I was an athlete most of my youth. I understand very well what being in shape is and what being an elite athlete. My desire as an older individual now, was to get back to the kind of shape I was in my youth. The problem always is, that as I aged, my recovery and my sleep were very average at best. Having poor sleep and recovery kills your motivation and I believe it’s a real big issue as we age, causing most to simply believe they are supposed to feel “old” and discontinue physical activities. Well, I so happy to report that Tru-Niagen has completely changed my life in this regard. I started to feel the changes in energy soon after starting Tru-Nad. But I wanted to quantify exactly what was happening, so I joined the Whoop Strap community and began measuring everything from Sleep, to Recovery, to Strain, to all my Heart Rates, RHR, HRV, you name it. Simply put, all my measurements are steadily improving and I am regularly working out and building muscle and stamina much better than in my youth. I am 61 years old and my life is so much better than it’s ever been. There is more, but you’ll find this supplement is a Tru-Lifesaver
Milarepa
Another hair color story: An elderly friend of mine — 84 years old, has been taking Tru Niagen for about four years — told me yesterday that her hair is starting to grow in more brown.
Coach A. J./A. J./ Angela J. Nealy, M. S.
I am 60 years young and a retired pro athlete. I have been taking Tru-Niagen/ NAD+ since 2014. I have also adjusted my diet to accommodate the integration of “Eating for Your Blood Type”. I am B+ and in my youth had a tremendous bout with anemia and being underweight for a third of my life. I was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma at the age of 34. Although as a child I was severely allergic to hay, horses, cats, dogs and dust. I stopped eating pork, beef and drinking soda pop and fried food at the age of 20. I drink alcohol three times a year.
Once I started taking Tru-Niagen 300- 900 mg a day, I experienced zero signs of arthritis and significant reduction in asthmatic responses to the environment.
I was out playing flag football with some college students at age 53 and strained my right knee. I immediately iced and took an NSAID for one day along with 1200 mg of Tru-Niagen for two weeks. The inflammation decreased and the healing immediately took place. I was back to running after two weeks. Normally I would have needed surgery to correct.
All of my close friends are on Tru-Niagen.
Much Love
Coach A. J
RH
I am 69 years old and have been taking Tru Niagen for the last 4 years. 3 years ago I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and have been taking Methotrxate to suppress the symptoms of RA.. Methotrexate is a strong drug and can effect liver function. I take blood tests every six months to monitor this issue and my results show my liver functions are normal. I should also add that I enjoy cocktails many days of the week. I attribute this to Tru Niagen.
LP
I have not received any gifts, incentives, or free product for this comment. I have been taking the recommended daily dose of TRU Niagen for about 4 months, in the morning, every day.
I have not had any negative side effects so far. I did have severe neck pain when I got Botox injections in my neck and shoulders but it wore off about 3 weeks after the injections, so I assume it was all Botox. Got those for migraines, but haven’t had a single one since my first dose of Niagen (a month before the injections), so I quit the injections.
I also had severe pain when I got the J&J corona virus vaccine, but that has dwindled as well and is getting back to normal. The vaccine attacked all of my problem areas and muscles, including my SI joint, arthritis in spine as well as neck, bulging disks in shoulder, and tarsal tunnel ankle.
Even so, I’ve had the energy to run every single day and am now running twice a day when I can.
As far as inflammation goes, it seems to have helped, but it’s hard to tell as I still have the painful issues I mentioned previously, and I’ve had a toxin and a “virus” injected into my muscles since I’ve been on it. It only been about 4 months though!
One thing it did for sure was completely get rid of precancer cells and eczema I started getting on my face over a year ago. I kept having spots burned off at the dermatologist, but have not had one since a few weeks after the Niagen. People at work talk about how my skin “glows”.
I do exercise daily and eat fairly healthy. I don’t really drink and I don’t smoke anything. I am also taking pre/probiotics along with other supplements now, but the differences I’ve noticed were when I started the Niagen. It was obvious.
I do not have jittery energy, or feel any kind of “up” from the Niagen, but it does sustain my energy. I take supplements containing caffeine and also drink way too much of it. One of my goals is to eventually get off of it if possible, and I’ve cut back about 1/2 already. I drink BCAA and water, and try very hard to keep hydrated.
To recap:
It’s done wonders for my skin, migraines (apparently), and has given me noticeable energy. It’s helped with inflammation, but hasn’t rid me of pain in problem areas yet.
Oh yeah. I did decide to drink a good bit of alcohol one night to see how I responded. I *always* get a headache the next morning. Result was no headache. Tried it again, fine again. Since alcohol isn’t good for you, I don’t intend on making that a habit. NO negative side effects so far.
I do take other regular medications. I won’t list them, but one of them is for high blood pressure. My blood pressure has also been lower. The other medications have been routine long before the Niagen. Would love to get off as much as possible. I’m curious to see if it lowers my cholesterol.
I’m very satisfied with it so far and will continue to take it unless I start to notice negative side effects.
I’ll be 44 next month, and am in decent shape.