Glutathione (Injectable)
Glutathione is the body's master antioxidant, and injectable or IV glutathione is used for skin brightening, detoxification, and general antioxidant support. It neutralizes free radicals and helps the liver clear toxins, and it's a mainstay of aesthetic and wellness clinics worldwide for its skin-lightening and glow-boosting reputation. It's typically delivered as an IV drip rather than a self-administered injection.
$90 / 1500 mg vial
Dosing
Community reported
| Timeframe | Dosage | Frequency | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-2 | 100 mg | once daily | Starting dose1 |
| Weeks 3-4 | 150 mg | once daily | |
| Weeks 5-8 | 200 mg | once daily | Maintenance/target2 |
- Subcutaneous. Alternative maintenance cadence: every-other-day, or 200 mg once-to-twice weekly after the initial run. Cycle length 4-8 weeks with an optional 2-4 week break between cycles.
- Figures are independent of vial size (the site's reference vial is 600 mg); only the unit-syringe math changes for a different vial size. A distinct, larger 1500 mg vial also circulates commercially and needs its own reconstitution math, not this 600 mg vial's numbers.
Skin-lightening IV trial dose – No citable dose
No citable figure. The one placebo-controlled IV skin-lightening study identified by the 2025 systematic review was not accompanied by a retrievable milligram dose in the source material used for this research; that specific figure is marked unsourced pending direct access to the primary trial referenced within the review.
Cisplatin-adjunct dosing (Philippines, approved indication) – No citable dose
No citable figure. A specific approved milligram dose and schedule for the Philippines' cisplatin-adjunct indication was not confirmed from the sources accessed in this research; this is a genuine gap, reported as such rather than filled with an estimated figure.
Vendor reported
| Timeframe | Dosage | Frequency | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per session | 600-1400 mg | 1-3x weekly | Not independently validated1 |
- A commonly cited range on vendor and peptide-dosing-guide pages, not independently validated by the RCTs cited elsewhere on this entry (which used 1,400 mg specifically in the Parkinson's trial and did not specify a dose in the skin-lightening trial as accessed); a commercial convention, not a clinically established range.
Batches on hand
Availability
20 vials on hand.
HKPF-GTT1500-29072620 vials
Full research
Evidence tier
Human trials, not approved for this use
Human RCTs and clinical studies of IV glutathione exist for Parkinson's disease and for skin lightening, but neither showed a statistically significant benefit, and the only jurisdiction-specific approval identified (Philippines, cisplatin chemotherapy adjunct) does not extend to skin lightening or general wellness use. Skin lightening, the dominant commercial application of the injectable product, is not approved anywhere, and a 2025 systematic review explicitly found the IV route non-significant for that use and called it contraindicated.
Identity
| Full name | Glutathione (GSH, reduced glutathione), L-gamma-glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine |
|---|---|
| Class | Tripeptide antioxidant (atypical gamma-peptide bond) |
| Molecular weight | 307.32 g/mol |
| Sequence | L-gamma-glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine |
Mechanism of action
Plain language
Glutathione is often called the body's master antioxidant. Made from three amino acids, it neutralizes damaging free radicals and helps the liver process toxins. It is popularly marketed as a skin-lightening agent on the theory that it shifts pigment production toward a lighter form of melanin, but this mechanism is not fully established in living skin at the doses and routes commonly sold.
Technical
The cysteine thiol group is the reactive antioxidant moiety. Glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase form the core GSH/GSSG redox cycle, and glutathione-S-transferase uses glutathione as a cofactor in phase II hepatic detoxification. The proposed skin-lightening mechanism involves inhibition of tyrosinase activity and a shift in melanogenesis from the darker eumelanin toward the lighter pheomelanin pathway; this mechanism is described in vitro and is proposed rather than clinically confirmed as the basis for any consistent, dose-dependent skin-lightening effect in humans, particularly for the injectable route. Gamma-glutamyltransferase, concentrated in the intestinal brush border, cleaves the gamma-glutamyl bond and breaks the tripeptide into its constituent amino acids before absorption, which is the mechanistic reason oral glutathione has historically been considered to have low direct bioavailability and why injectable and topical routes are pursued as alternatives.
Why: Not approved for lightening
Injectable glutathione's only jurisdiction-specific approval identified in this research is a narrow one, adjunct use in cisplatin chemotherapy in the Philippines, and the Philippine FDA has explicitly not approved any injectable glutathione product for skin lightening. Skin lightening is nonetheless the dominant commercial use of the injectable product, marketed heavily in Southeast Asia and increasingly in US aesthetic clinics.
Sources: Philippine FDA Advisory, 2019
Why: IV route called contraindicated
A 2025 systematic review found oral and topical glutathione had modest, statistically significant skin-lightening effects, but the one placebo-controlled IV glutathione study it identified showed minimal, not-statistically-significant efficacy (37.5 percent responders versus 18.7 percent placebo, p=0.054). The review's authors concluded the intravenous route is contraindicated due to lack of efficacy and side effects, even though IV is the dominant commercially marketed route for this exact use.
Sources: Sarkar R, Yadav, 2025
Why: Documented toxicity and transmission risk
The Philippine FDA's 2019 advisory on injectable glutathione for skin lightening lists specific dangers: toxic effects on the liver, kidneys, and nervous system; transmission risk of HIV and hepatitis B and C, particularly when administered by non-medical practitioners in non-sterile settings; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome risk; a theoretical long-term skin cancer risk tied to glutathione's effect on melanin production; kidney stone risk when combined with vitamin C injections; and hemodialysis risk for patients with certain genetic conditions. The Philippine Department of Health has continued to reiterate these warnings in subsequent years.
Sources: Philippine FDA Advisory, 2019, Philippine News Agency,
What it’s used for
Approved
- In the Philippines, injectable glutathione is approved only as an adjunct treatment in cisplatin chemotherapy. The Philippine FDA has explicitly not approved any injectable glutathione product for skin lightening, and this narrow, indication-specific approval should not be read as approval for the skin-lightening or general wellness uses that dominate the injectable glutathione retail market.
Sources: Philippine FDA Advisory, 2019
Human trials, not approved for this use
- Cisplatin neuroprotection: a human, non-randomized prospective study in 32 ovarian cancer patients receiving high-dose cisplatin combined with cyclophosphamide reported that glutathione co-administration was associated with a low degree of neurotoxicity and no cases of disabling neuropathy, though patients over 50 still showed more severe peripheral nerve involvement. This is a supportive, non-randomized human clinical study, not an RCT, and the exact glutathione dose and route were not specified in the source material used for this research.
Sources: Pirovano C, Balzarini, 1992
- Parkinson's disease: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot trial gave 1,400 mg glutathione intravenously, three times weekly, for 4 weeks, followed by an 8-week observation period. Treatment was well tolerated with no safety concerns, but efficacy was inconclusive: UPDRS scores improved 2.8 units more in the glutathione group during treatment (p=0.32, not significant), and this reversed during the 8-week washout (p=0.54, not significant). The authors concluded only that a mild symptomatic effect was possible and that a larger trial was needed; this research did not locate evidence that a larger confirmatory trial was subsequently completed.
Sources: Hauser RA, Lyons, 2009
- Skin lightening: a 2025 systematic review found topical glutathione (0.5 percent performed better than 0.1 percent or placebo) and oral glutathione (five RCTs, 250 mg once daily to 500 mg once daily) had moderately efficacious but not durably sustained skin-lightening effects. The one placebo-controlled IV glutathione study the review identified showed minimal, not-statistically-significant efficacy (37.5 percent responders versus 18.7 percent placebo, p=0.054), and the review's authors concluded the intravenous route is contraindicated due to lack of efficacy and side effects.
Sources: Sarkar R, Yadav, 2025
Off-label / community use
- Injectable glutathione drips are extensively marketed, particularly in Southeast Asia and increasingly in US aesthetic clinics, for skin whitening/lightening, general glow, anti-aging, and detoxification. This is the dominant real-world use of injectable glutathione and is precisely the use that triggered the Philippine FDA's 2019 advisory and continued warnings.
Sources: Philippine FDA Advisory, 2019
Pharmacokinetics
| Route distinction |
Not established Oral glutathione has low direct bioavailability because gamma-glutamyltransferase in the intestinal brush border cleaves the tripeptide before absorption; this is the pharmacological reason injectable and topical routes are used clinically and commercially instead of, or in addition to, oral dosing. No citable figure. This mechanistic point is described qualitatively in the research; no specific bioavailability percentage is cited. |
|---|---|
| IV elimination half-life |
Not established No citable figure. This research did not locate a clean, citable plasma elimination half-life for IV glutathione in the peer-reviewed sources accessed. A commonly repeated vendor claim of an approximately 47-fold plasma elevation within minutes of IV administration could not be traced to a primary pharmacokinetic study and is flagged as unsourced; do not treat it as validated. IV administration bypasses gut-based degradation and produces a rapid rise in plasma glutathione, consistent with its use as a rapid-onset antioxidant/chelation adjunct, but a precise half-life figure is not available from the sources reviewed. |
Reconstitution
Reconstitution does not apply to this compound: Administered as an IV infusion or IV push rather than a subcutaneous, insulin-syringe-metered injection in the studied indications (Parkinson's RCT, cisplatin-adjunct use) and in common commercial retail practice. This research did not confirm a single standardized commercial vial size for injectable glutathione from a citable source, so no vial-size-to-syringe arithmetic is provided.
Storage and post-reconstitution stability
Unopened storage
Vendor sources commonly recommend protecting reconstituted glutathione from light and using it promptly, consistent with its known oxidation sensitivity (the reduced, active GSH form is inherently prone to oxidation in solution, particularly with light or air exposure).
Post-reconstitution stability – Not established
Protect from light, use promptly (qualitative vendor guidance only).
No citable figure. This research did not locate a specific, citable stability study quantifying reconstituted-glutathione shelf life in days under refrigeration. A specific "stable for X days" figure should be treated as an unverified commercial claim rather than a sourced fact until a pharmacy-specific or pharmacopeial reference is checked.
Safety
Notable risks
- Philippine FDA Advisory 2019-182 on injectable glutathione for skin lightening identifies specific dangers: toxic effects on the liver, kidneys, and nervous system; transmission risk of infectious agents including HIV and hepatitis B and C, particularly when administered by non-medical practitioners in non-sterile settings; risk of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome; a theoretical long-term skin cancer risk related to glutathione's effect on melanin production; kidney stone formation risk when combined with vitamin C injections; and hemodialysis risk flagged for patients with certain genetic conditions. The Philippine Department of Health has continued to reiterate these warnings in subsequent years.
Sources: Philippine FDA Advisory, 2019, Philippine News Agency,
- The 2025 systematic review's safety conclusion for the skin-lightening indication specifically states that the IV route carries side effects that, combined with lack of demonstrated efficacy, render it not recommended.
Sources: Sarkar R, Yadav, 2025
- The Parkinson's disease RCT (1,400 mg IV, three times weekly, 4 weeks) was well tolerated with no safety concerns identified in a small pilot cohort.
Sources: Hauser RA, Lyons, 2009
Sources
- Pirovano C, Balzarini A, Bohm S, Oriana S, Spatti GB, Zunino F. Peripheral neurotoxicity following high-dose cisplatin with glutathione: clinical and neurophysiological assessment. Tumori. 1992. (1992)
- Sarkar R, Yadav V, Yadav T, P J, Mandal I. Glutathione as a skin-lightening agent and in melasma: a systematic review. Int J Dermatol. 2025. (2025) (cited for context, not as direct support)
- Hauser RA, Lyons KE, McClain T, Carter S, Perlmutter D. Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot trial of intravenous glutathione in Parkinson's disease. Movement Disorders. 2009. (2009) (cited for context, not as direct support)
- Philippine FDA Advisory No. 2019-182, Unsafe Use of Glutathione as Skin Lightening Agent (issued July 5, 2019; corroborated via Philippine Daily Inquirer, Sunstar, and Philippine News Agency reporting) (2019) (cited for context, not as direct support)
- Philippine News Agency, DOH: No FDA approval on injectable glutathione for skin lightening (cited for context, not as direct support)
- peptidedosages.com, Glutathione 600 mg vial dosage protocol
This is a research and educational reference, not medical advice. Nothing on this site is a recommendation to use any compound.