Glutathione Injection: Doses Studied, Units Chart and What the Evidence Shows
The short answer
Glutathione is a three amino acid peptide with thin evidence as an injection. A Parkinson's trial gave 1,400 mg IV three times a week for 4 weeks with no significant benefit; a skin trial gave 1,200 mg IV twice weekly. People report injecting 200 to 600 mg two or three times a week, which no trial has tested.
Glutathione is a tripeptide, three amino acids (glutamate, cysteine and glycine), and the main antioxidant inside the body's cells. Injected glutathione is sold by clinics as an IV drip and online as powder or ready-made solution, mostly for skin lightening, "detox" and recovery. The evidence for injections is thin: a handful of small trials, none showing a clear benefit. Below are the doses those trials used, the doses people report, the units on a syringe, and the safety record.
Is glutathione injection approved?
Not as a general-use injectable. A 2018 review notes that parenteral glutathione is approved in some countries only for narrow uses, alcoholic liver disease in India and reducing the nerve damage of cisplatin chemotherapy in the Philippines, and that agencies have issued bans or advisories on its use for skin lightening (Sonthalia 2018). The Philippine FDA's 2011 advisory (DOH-FDA Advisory 2011-004) warns about off-label IV use and lists adverse effects reported there, as the same review summarises. Oral glutathione supplements are a separate product with GRAS status in the US, the review notes.
Glutathione injection dosage chart
Two kinds of numbers exist. The first is what trials gave, nearly all of it intravenous and by prescription. The second is what people report injecting under the skin or into muscle, which no trial has tested. Updated 8 November 2026.
| Source | Who | Dose | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hauser 2009 | 21 people with Parkinson's disease | 1,400 mg IV, three times a week, 4 weeks | No significant difference from placebo on the UPDRS score; well tolerated |
| Zubair et al., as reviewed by Sonthalia 2018 | 25 patients, placebo-controlled | 1,200 mg IV, twice a week, 6 weeks | Did not show an effective or lasting skin-lightening result; design criticised by the reviewers |
| Sarkar 2025 systematic review | Five randomised trials of oral glutathione | 250 mg once or twice a day, or 500 mg once a day, by mouth | Lower melanin index than placebo; effects not sustained |
Community-reported injected doses are 200 to 600 mg, two or three times a week, usually from a 600 mg vial or a ready-made 200 mg/mL solution (the figures the Peptulator calculator is built around). IV glutathione makers have recommended 600 to 1,200 mg weekly or twice weekly with no stated duration, according to Sonthalia 2018. None of that is a tested dose.
Glutathione units on a U-100 syringe
Glutathione doses are hundreds of milligrams, so a single dose often fills more than a 1 mL insulin syringe. Units = dose in mg × mL of water × 100 ÷ mg in the vial.
| Dose | 600 mg vial + 3 mL (200 mg/mL) | 1,500 mg vial + 5 mL (300 mg/mL) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 mg | 50 units | 33.3 units |
| 200 mg | 100 units | 66.7 units |
| 300 mg | 150 units (over 1 mL) | 100 units |
| 400 mg | 200 units (over 1 mL) | 133.3 units (over 1 mL) |
| 600 mg | 300 units (over 1 mL) | 200 units (over 1 mL) |
If your vial arrived as a solution, use the concentration on the label instead of adding water: at 200 mg/mL, 200 mg is 1 mL, 100 units.
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Open the glutathione calculator peptulator.com, the Bureau's independent toolWhat the evidence shows
- Parkinson's disease. In the only randomised IV trial in a disease, 1,400 mg three times a week for 4 weeks improved motor scores by 2.8 points more than placebo, a difference that was not significant (P = 0.32), and the scores worsened again after stopping (Hauser 2009).
- Skin lightening by IV. A 2026 review found "limited evidence of modest, varied" pigment changes from small studies, often confounded by vitamin C given in the same drip, and concluded the evidence is too limited to justify routine use (Aloraini 2026). A 2025 systematic review found one placebo-controlled IV study and called IV glutathione contraindicated for skin lightening (Sarkar 2025).
- Oral and topical. The same 2025 review found five randomised trials where oral glutathione lowered the melanin index against placebo, and topical 0.5% beat 0.1% and placebo, with effects the review calls unsustainable.
Safety
The Parkinson's trial reported no safety concerns at its dose. Outside trials the picture is worse. The Philippine advisory lists skin eruptions and kidney and thyroid effects among adverse effects of IV use (as summarised by Sonthalia 2018), and the 2026 review flags liver injury, hypersensitivity and possible kidney and hormone effects (Aloraini 2026). A 2025 UK case report describes shock, fever above 41°C and liver injury within an hour of an unregulated high-dose glutathione infusion in a woman also taking tirzepatide; she recovered, and the authors suggest contamination of the product or the high dose in a patient eating very little (Sharma 2025). Sterility is the practical risk with any injected product of unknown origin.
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What is the glutathione injection dosage?
There is no approved general-use dose. Trials gave 1,400 mg IV three times a week for 4 weeks (Parkinson's disease) and 1,200 mg IV twice a week for 6 weeks (skin lightening). People report injecting 200 to 600 mg under the skin or into muscle two or three times a week, which no trial has tested.
How many units is 200 mg of glutathione?
At 200 mg/mL, a 600 mg vial mixed with 3 mL or a ready-made 200 mg/mL solution, 200 mg is 1 mL, which is 100 units on a U-100 syringe. At 300 mg/mL, 1,500 mg in 5 mL, it is about 67 units.
Does glutathione injection lighten skin?
The evidence is weak. Reviews in 2025 and 2026 found only small studies with mixed results, often confounded by vitamin C in the same drip, and one placebo-controlled IV trial that did not show a lasting effect. Oral glutathione has more randomised trials behind it, with effects that were not sustained.
Is glutathione a peptide?
Yes. It is a tripeptide made of glutamate, cysteine and glycine, and the main antioxidant inside cells.
Is glutathione injection safe?
A small Parkinson's trial found no safety concerns at 1,400 mg IV three times a week for 4 weeks. Reviews and a Philippine FDA advisory list skin reactions and kidney and thyroid effects with off-label IV use, and a 2025 case report describes shock after an unregulated high-dose infusion.
Sources (checked 7 November 2026)
- Hauser RA et al. Randomized, double-blind, pilot evaluation of intravenous glutathione in Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord 2009;24(7):979-983. Checked 7 November 2026.
- Sonthalia S et al. Glutathione for skin lightening: a regnant myth or evidence-based verity? Dermatol Pract Concept 2018;8(1):15-21 (full text PMC5808366: Zubair trial dose, approvals, maker-recommended doses). Checked 7 November 2026.
- Sarkar R et al. Glutathione as a skin-lightening agent and in melasma: a systematic review. Int J Dermatol 2025;64(6):992-1004. Checked 7 November 2026.
- Aloraini K et al. Glutathione for skin lightening via intravenous, oral, and topical routes: a critical narrative review. J Med Life 2026;19(7):511-523. Checked 7 November 2026.
- Sharma D et al. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome following high-dose intravenous glutathione-containing revitalising solution in a patient on tirzepatide. Cureus 2025;17(5):e84736. Checked 7 November 2026.
- Peptulator glutathione calculator (vial sizes and community-reported dose range). Checked 7 November 2026.
Glutathione injection is not an approved general-use medicine; trial doses are from the papers listed, community doses are labelled as such. Labels and trial records change; the leaflet in your box and your prescriber come first. Educational content, not medical advice.