Therapeutic Effects of Intravenous NAD+ on Parkinson’s Disease Tremors: A Detailed Case Report

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by Lewy body formation and dopaminergic neuronal death in the substantia nigra. With the number of diagnosed cases nearly doubling globally between the years 1990 and 2015, the importance of finding effective therapeutic approaches in disease treatment and prevention is paramount. Current pharmacological dopamine agonists and dopamine replacement therapy for PD treatment have shown adverse effects including hallucinations, cardiovascular complications, psychosis, and further dyskinesia. The co-factor Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) serves a vital role in cell functionality and dopaminergic neuronal replenishment, where NAD+ depletion has been associated with the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as PD. Additionally, in a previous case study in a PD patient, an intravenous (IV) NAD+ administration protocol showed a rapid and sustained alleviation of PD-related symptoms, providing a rationale for further investigating the positive effects of IV NAD+ through quantifiable measurements on tremors and cognitive function associated with PD. The present case study sought to quantitatively measure and further elaborate on similar symptom alleviation effects found in another PD patient by directly measuring PD symptoms and corresponding symptom changes over a 6-day treatment course of intravenously delivered NAD+.

Methods: A 59-year-old male was diagnosed with PD four years prior to entering an outpatient clinic for treatment, reporting to have used PD medications with no alleviation of symptoms. The patient reported the following PD symptoms: gait rigidity (impairment in the ability to walk fluidly), bilateral hand tremors with a more pronounced tremor in the left hand, impaired movement of fingers and hands, difficulty typing, and difficulty opening and closing a fist. The patient received a specific protocol of NAD+ (called BR+NAD) for a total of six days, with two days of 1,500 mg IV NAD+, followed by four days of 500-750 mg IV NAD+. Tremors were recorded in the client’s dominant right and left hands using an accelerometer and gyroscope. Researchers recorded periodic measurements (Hz) beginning on Day 2 through the end of Day 5 with 13 total measurements, on three axes; vertical, horizontal, and anterior-posterior. Following Day 6, the client received sublingual NAD+ tablets (300 mg, twice per day X 14 days) after finishing IV treatment.

Results: Vertical axis tremors decreased by 75.9%, horizontal axis tremors decreased by 83.0%, and anterior-posterior axis tremors decreased by 9.1%. The mean tremor on Day 2 was 44.5Hz, while on Day 6 was 20.6Hz, resulting in a decline of 54.7% over the 4-day span. Patient self-report of tremors continued to decline two weeks post-BR+NAD (average 12Hz) with maintenance sublingual supplementation, and application of a relaxation technique.

Conclusion: These data show the effectiveness and endurance of the initial IV BR+NAD followed by sublingual tablets (300 mg, twice per day) in maintaining the decline and alleviation of PD symptoms. Additionally, these results substantiate previous research and case study findings, while establishing a protocol for empirically measuring PD symptom changes of IV NAD+.