Collagen & skin

Glutathione Dosage: Oral, IV and Injectable Study Doses

Glutathione dosage by route: 250-1,000 mg/day oral in trials, a 2 g/m2 IV study dose, the 200-1,200 mg IM clinic protocol, and 600 mg and 1,500 mg vials.

Written bySebastian Hunter, Founder and EditorI'm a 42-year-old senior advisor and distance runner who came to peptides as a sceptic. I'm not a doctor: I read the research, run my own experiment and keep honest notes. Read full bio

Published September 27, 2026Updated October 3, 2026

The short version

No glutathione dose is FDA-approved, for any route, because no glutathione drug product exists. Published oral trials used 250 mg to 1,000 mg per day for weeks to months. A published human IV pharmacokinetic study used a single 2 g/m2 infusion. Clinic and vendor guides for injection into muscle describe 200 mg to 1,200 mg per injection, 1-3 times weekly: common practice, not trial-established. Research sellers list the powder in vials including 600 mg and 1,500 mg.

Oral doses in actual human trials ranged from 250 mg to 1,000 mg per day, for 4 weeks to 6 months.
The one human IV pharmacokinetic study used a single 2 g/m2 infusion in healthy volunteers. It measured clearance, not a skin-lightening effect.
Clinic and vendor guides for injection into muscle describe 200-1,200 mg per injection, 1-3 times weekly: common practice, not trial-established.
FDA's own evaluation found the IV route carries safety signals (anaphylaxis, liver injury) that the oral route does not.

Glutathione dosage chart

Units on a U-100 insulin syringe across the common Glutathione range, by vial size - common practice, not a dose established in trials.

600 mg vialwith 10 mL water

Dose	Units	Volume	Doses per vial
200 mg	over 100 units	3.33 mL	3
400 mg	over 100 units	6.67 mL	1
600 mg	over 100 units	10 mL	1

Full 600 mg vial page: other water volumes, mixing, storage →

1,500 mg vialwith 10 mL water

Dose	Units	Volume	Doses per vial
200 mg	over 100 units	1.33 mL	7
400 mg	over 100 units	2.67 mL	3
600 mg	over 100 units	4 mL	2
800 mg	over 100 units	5.33 mL	1
1,000 mg	over 100 units	6.67 mL	1
1,200 mg	over 100 units	8 mL	1

Full 1,500 mg vial page: other water volumes, mixing, storage →

U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL), to the nearest half unit. Arithmetic only. Other numbers: peptide calculator.

No glutathione dose is FDA-approved, because no glutathione drug product (oral, IV or injectable) has FDA approval. Oral trials used 250 mg to 1,000 mg a day. Clinic and vendor guides describe 200 mg to 1,200 mg per injection into muscle, 1-3 times weekly: common practice, not trial-established. The wider evidence and legal status are in the main glutathione guide.

US legal status - Dietary supplement

Oral glutathione is a dietary supplement with no FDA-reviewed dose. Injectable/IV glutathione has no FDA-approved product at any dose, and sits in FDA’s 503A "Category 1: Under Evaluation" as of the May 2026 list update.

Glutathione oral doses used in human studies

Study	Population	Dose	Duration	Outcome measured
Richie 2015 Richie 2015 - Richie JP Jr, Nichenametla S, Neidig W et al. Randomized controlled trial of oral glutathione supplementation on body stores of glutathione. Eur J Nutr. 2015;54(2):251-63., in the references below	54 healthy non-smoking adults	250 mg/day or 1,000 mg/day	6 months	Body glutathione stores (blood, erythrocytes, plasma, lymphocytes)
Arjinpathana & Asawanonda 2012 Arjinpathana 2012 - Arjinpathana N, Asawanonda P. Glutathione as an oral whitening agent: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Dermatolog Treat. 2012;23(2):97-102., in the references below	60 healthy Thai medical students	500 mg/day (250 mg twice daily)	4 weeks	Skin melanin index
Sitohang 2021 Sitohang 2021 - Sitohang IBS, Anwar AI, Jusuf NK et al. Evaluating Oral Glutathione Plus Ascorbic Acid, Alpha-lipoic Acid, and Zinc Aspartate as a Skin-lightening Agent: An Indonesian Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2021;14(7):E53-E58., in the references below	83 Indonesian adults	Glutathione + vitamin C + alpha-lipoic acid + zinc, combined dose not isolated in the abstract	12 weeks	Skin pigmentation (spot UV, spot polarization, skin tone)
Honda 2017 Honda 2017 - Honda Y, Kessoku T, Sumida Y et al. Efficacy of glutathione for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: an open-label, single-arm, multicenter, pilot study. BMC Gastroenterol. 2017;17(1):96., in the references below	34 adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease	300 mg/day	4 months (after 3 months of diet/exercise)	Liver enzymes (ALT) and metabolic markers

The Richie trial is the clearest dose-response data available. At 6 months, the 1,000 mg/day group showed larger increases in blood glutathione than the 250 mg/day group. Levels in both groups returned toward baseline after a 1-month washout, so the effect depends on continued daily dosing, not a one-time course.

The skin-lightening trials used lower daily doses (500 mg and below) for shorter courses, with modest and inconsistent results. The smaller Thai trial found a significant reduction at 2 of 6 measured sites. The larger Indonesian combination trial found no statistically significant difference from placebo.

Glutathione IV dose used in human studies

The published human IV pharmacokinetic record is a single small study of 10 healthy volunteers. Each was given one intravenous infusion of glutathione at 2 g/m² of body surface area, roughly 3.5-4 g for an average-sized adult. The aim was to measure how the compound behaves in plasma, not to test any therapeutic outcome (Aebi 1991 - Aebi S, Assereto R, Lauterburg BH. High-dose intravenous glutathione in man. Pharmacokinetics and effects on cyst(e)ine in plasma and urine. Eur J Clin Invest. 1991;21(1):103-10., in the references below).

Plasma glutathione rose from about 17.5 to 823 micromol/L immediately after the infusion. It then fell with an elimination half-life of 14.1 ± 9.2 minutes, back near baseline within 30 minutes. FDA’s own 2022 compounding-committee presentation cites a consistent figure, a 10 to 15 minute IV half-life.

Glutathione injection protocol: common practice

Clinic and vendor dosing guides describe 200 mg to 1,200 mg per injection into muscle, 1-3 times weekly, in the glute or deltoid. That is common practice, not a dose established in trials.

The two sources differ. FormBlends gives 600-1,200 mg per session, 2-3 times weekly, for skin lightening. Mike’s Infusions starts at 200 mg weekly and rises to 800-1,000 mg weekly, without a per-injection split. Only one of the two gives a cycle length, so I give none.

IV infusion doses are a separate matter. Clinic figures for IV “glutathione push” and skin-lightening drips come from marketing I could not match to a study or regulator, so I leave them out.

Glutathione 1,500 mg and 600 mg vials

Research sellers list glutathione as a powder in vials, including 600 mg and 1,500 mg sizes. Each vial page works out the water, concentration and doses per vial at the common range:

Glutathione 1,500 mg vial: with 10 mL of water it is 150 mg/mL. It holds 7 doses of 200 mg, 2 of 700 mg or 1 of 1,200 mg.
Glutathione 600 mg vial: 3 doses of 200 mg. A 700 mg or 1,200 mg dose needs more than one vial.

In January 2018 a seller, Flawless Beauty, recalled glutathione “whitening kits” under a court order, and FDA posted the notice. The kits held vials of 600 mg to 3,000 mg, including Relumins kits with 1,500 mg vials. That range records what was in the recalled products, not a dose any clinic followed.

Adverse events at documented IV doses

FDA has published adverse events at specific IV doses. Both reports involved compounded glutathione made from dietary-supplement powder that FDA found had too much bacterial endotoxin.

7 clinic patients given 1,400 mg IV each in January 2019 developed nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, chills, body aches and sneezing. One was hospitalized with low blood pressure and difficulty breathing.
A patient given 2,400 mg IV in October 2018 developed sudden chills, fever and shaking. They were hospitalized for a possible bloodstream infection.

A 2025 case report describes systemic inflammatory response syndrome (shock, fever over 41°C, acute liver injury). It began within an hour of a high-dose unregulated IV glutathione product given for skin lightening (Sharma 2025 - Sharma D, Daram S, Sharma P. Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Following High-Dose Intravenous Glutathione-Containing Revitalising Solution in a Patient on Tirzepatide: A Case Report. Cureus. 2025;17(5):e84736., in the references below). These are harms at doses people were given, not a safe-dose ceiling. I found no regulator or trial that has set one.

Who should not use it

No FDA-reviewed contraindication list exists for glutathione at any route, because it has never gone through that review. A few risks are documented rather than speculative:

Inhaled glutathione has triggered bronchoconstriction and severe wheezing in trial participants with asthma. People with asthma or reactive airway disease should be particularly cautious of that route.
FDA’s own reviewers flag unresolved questions about glutathione use in pregnancy and reproductive health.
The IV route’s documented liver-enzyme and anaphylaxis signals make any history of liver disease or drug/infusion allergy a reason for particular caution.

None of this is a complete list, because no regulator has published one.

Glutathione side effects and risks

Oral: trial participants reported mainly mild, nonspecific gastrointestinal effects. This is the better-studied and lower-risk route, though “better studied” still means a handful of small trials, not a large safety database.

IV and injectable: this is where the documented harm concentrates. FDA’s own review lists:

anaphylaxis (including a patient who reacted again on rechallenge)
hepatotoxicity, with liver enzymes measured at 22-26 times normal
infusion-site reactions
hair loss
gastrointestinal disturbances
sleep difficulties
dizziness

FDA’s review also states there are no studies on IV glutathione safety for chronic use, at any dose. Contaminated compounded product, as in the FDA endotoxin reports above, adds a separate risk.

Shifting melanin production away from darker, UV-protective eumelanin may also increase sun-damage risk in skin that was previously more protected.

Glutathione dosage calculator

Preset to a 5 mg vial and 200,000 mcg, the low end of the common protocol. Enter your own vial size, water and dose to get the syringe units to draw.

Your vial

Peptide in vial (mg)

Printed on the vial. There is no standard size - enter what yours says.

Bacteriostatic water added (mL)

This changes how much you draw - never how many doses the vial holds.

Desired dose (mcg)

Syringe scale

100 units per mL. 1 unit = 0.01 mL. This is what almost every insulin syringe sold is, in every barrel size.

Barrel size

Capacity only. A 1 mL U-100 syringe holds 100 units - the scale decides that, not the barrel.

Draw this much

8000units

= 80 mL on a 1 mL U-100 syringe

Concentration: 2,500 mcg/mL
Exact volume: 80 mL
Dose you actually get: 200,000 mcg
Doses per vial(unaffected by water volume): 0

This dose needs 8000 units, but a 1 mL U-100 syringe only holds 100. It will not fit in one draw - use less water, or a larger barrel.

Where to buy Glutathione

Oral glutathione is sold legally as a supplement, and clinics give compounded glutathione shots and drips, but no glutathione product is FDA-approved as a drug. Clinic glutathione shots start at $32 at The Good Life IV, Phoenix (as of 3 October 2026).

Every route for glutathione, with dated prices and its legal status →

Research vials of glutathione (labelled not for human use)

A research vial is not the cosmetic, supplement or clinic product above. It is labelled not for human use, and the seller chooses how each batch is tested.

1.Next Level Pharm
1500 mg vial
- No FDA warning letter found
- Names its testing lab
- Batch COAs published
- Takes card payment
$56.99as of 3 October 2026
View product →My Next Level Pharm review
2.BioEdge Research Labs
1500 mg vial
- No FDA warning letter found
- Names its testing lab
- Batch COAs published
$69.00as of 3 October 2026Out of stock on that date
View product →My BioEdge Research Labs review

How research-labelled glutathione differs, and what FDA has said →

See all vendors and how they compare →

Common questions

What is a normal dose of glutathione?

There is no FDA-approved dose, because there is no FDA-approved glutathione product. Published oral human trials used 250 mg to 1,000 mg per day, taken daily for 4 weeks to 6 months, for antioxidant-marker or skin-pigmentation outcomes. None was a treatment protocol for a diagnosed condition.

How much glutathione should I take orally?

The largest published trial used 250 mg or 1,000 mg per day for 6 months. Both doses raised blood glutathione levels, and the higher dose raised them more. A smaller skin-lightening trial used 500 mg/day (250 mg twice daily) for 4 weeks. None of this is a recommendation. It is what specific trials gave their own participants.

What is the dose for IV glutathione?

The one published human pharmacokinetic study used a single infusion of 2 g/m2 (roughly 3.5-4 g for an average adult) in healthy volunteers. It measured how fast glutathione clears from plasma and did not test any benefit. I could not match the IV doses clinics advertise for skin lightening to a study or regulator, so I leave them out. FDA adverse-event reports name IV doses of 1,400 mg and 2,400 mg, from contaminated compounded product.

What is the common glutathione injection protocol?

Clinic and vendor dosing guides describe 200 mg to 1,200 mg per injection into muscle (glute or deltoid), 1-3 times weekly. That is common practice, not a dose established in trials. Only one of the two sources gives a cycle length.

How many doses are in a 1,500 mg glutathione vial?

At the common intramuscular range, a 1,500 mg vial holds 7 doses of 200 mg, 2 doses of 700 mg or 1 dose of 1,200 mg. Mixed with 10 mL of bacteriostatic water it is 150 mg/mL, so 700 mg is 4.67 mL. The water changes the volume of each dose, not the number of doses.

Can I take 1,500 mg of glutathione a day?

The oral trials on this page went up to 1,000 mg a day for 6 months, and none tested 1,500 mg. The 1,500 mg vials research sellers list are powder sold for laboratory research, not an oral supplement. The common injection protocol is 200 mg to 1,200 mg per injection, 1-3 times weekly: common practice, not trial-established.

Is there a safe injectable glutathione dose?

No regulator has established a safe dose of injectable glutathione. FDA's own review found reports of anaphylaxis and hepatotoxicity tied to the IV route. It also stated there are no studies on IV glutathione safety for chronic use, at any dose.

Who should not use glutathione?

No FDA-reviewed contraindication list exists, because glutathione has never gone through that review at any dose or route. This applies to people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, have asthma (inhaled glutathione has triggered bronchoconstriction in trials), or have liver or kidney disease. They have no regulator-reviewed information to weigh a decision against and should not self-direct any route without a clinician.

What are the main risks?

For the IV/injectable route: FDA-documented anaphylaxis, hepatotoxicity and bacterial-endotoxin contamination in compounded product, plus case reports of systemic inflammatory response syndrome. For the oral route: mainly mild gastrointestinal effects reported in trials. For both routes, I found no long-term human safety study at any dose.

When should I stop and get medical care?

Get emergency care (call 911 in the US) for signs of a severe allergic reaction (hives, throat swelling, trouble breathing, dizziness or collapse). Get it too for fever with chills after an infusion, or any symptom that feels dangerous. Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 if you have taken an unknown or excessive amount of anything sold as glutathione. Verify this number yourself at poisonhelp.hrsa.gov or poison.org.

References (15 sources)

Bibliographic detail is fetched from PubMed, not written by me - so a citation here cannot drift from the paper it names. Study design comes from PubMed's own tags rather than my judgement.