Epitalon is a longevity peptide. NAD+ is a small molecule rather than a peptide.
They are aimed at different things: Epitalon at aging & sleep; NAD+ at energy & aging.
| Comparison | Epitalon epithalon · epithalamin | NAD+ NAD · nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | How it works Epitalon is four amino acids long, from the Russian bioregulator tradition, based on a peptide from the pineal gland. The claims made for it are large and the evidence behind them is unusually narrow. | How it works NAD+ is a coenzyme, not a peptide. Every cell uses it constantly to turn food into energy, and levels fall substantially with age. |
| What it is | A longevity peptide taken in short courses for sleep and anti-aging. | A cellular fuel taken for energy, focus, and anti-aging. |
| Status | Research only | In clinical useCompounded |
| Typical dose | 5–10 mg per day | 50–100 mg per dose |
| How often | 10-20 day courses | 2-3x/week |
| Dose comes from | Community practice | Community practice |
| Cycled? | Courses of 10 to 20 days, repeated two or three times a year Community practice | Commonly given as a course of infusions, then occasional top-ups Community practice |
| What it does | ||
| Drug class | Longevity peptide | Coenzyme (not a peptide) |
| Used for | A longevity peptide taken in short courses for deeper sleep and anti-aging, thought to support the body's internal aging clock. | A cellular fuel people take to fight fatigue and brain fog, sharpen focus, and support anti-aging. |
| Receptors hit | — | — |
| Numbers | ||
| Full dose line | 5 up to 10 mg per day (start low, increase slowly) | 50 up to 100 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly) |
| Why that cycle | The course structure is how the Khavinson protocols specify it and how it is sold. No trial has compared course dosing against continuous use, or established what the gap between courses should be. | Clinics typically run a block of sessions and then space them out. The structure is a clinic convention rather than something a trial arrived at. |
| Weight / effect | Not measured in a trial | Not measured in a trial |
| Chain length | 4 residues | Not disclosed |
| Common vial | 10 mg | 500 mg |
| Before you start | ||
| Route | Under the skin or into muscle | Under the skin, into muscle, or into a vein |
| Do not use if | No formal contraindications established Pregnancy | Pregnancy No established contraindications, because it has not been formally studied for them |
What separates them
Proof behind the dose. Every dose here comes from community practice. Not one is backed by a published human study, which is worth knowing before you read the numbers as if they were equivalent.
Legal standing. NAD+ is approved or in established clinical use. Epitalon is research-only, meaning no regulator has assessed it for use in people.
What doesn't differ: Neither has a measured effect size from a published trial, so there is no number to rank them on.
What people actually report
Epitalon
- Human evidence is still thin and long-term safety is not established.
- Signs of an allergic reaction
- Anything unusual, given the thin data
NAD+
- The plain (unbuffered) form stings sharply on injection; the buffered form is adjusted to sting far less.
- Flushing and nausea increase with higher doses and faster injection.
- Chest tightness or difficulty breathing during an infusion
- Signs of an allergic reaction
Side effects are what users and trials report most often, not a complete list. Anything sudden, spreading, or breathing-related is an emergency regardless of which compound caused it.
People also compare
This comparison does not cover cost, long-term safety, or how you personally will respond. Effect figures come from separate trials in different populations and are not always directly comparable to each other. Nothing here is medical advice or a recommendation to use any of these. Talk to a clinician about your own situation.