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Coenzyme Q10 contraindications
Please can you explain to me why you can't mix CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10) with certain prescription drugs? I have heard, for example, of CoQ10 being used alongside statins as their use blocks the formation of CoQ10. I understood this supplement was supposed to help in cases where statins were causing muscle aches and also to help prevent heart failure.
CoEnzyme Q10 is a vitamin-like compound that is present in very high concentrations in the heart, liver and kidney. Its primary functions are to act as an antioxidant to protect tissues from the ravages of free radicals, to stabilise membranes and to act as a co-factor in many metabolic pathways but particularly the one producing energy.
It is true that many people with certain disease for which CoQ10 is considered a useful adjunct to treatment - including congestive heart failure, chronic fatigue and even advanced breast cancer - have lower levels of CoQ10 and, as you might imagine, the greatest effects from supplementation are seen in patients with the greatest deficiencies.
The question really is why these patients have lower levels of CoQ10 and are these lower levels a reflection of the action of other prescription medicines or are they a factor in the cause of disease? Statins, for example, can, as you suggest, reduce serum CoQ10 levels but according to a study published in the journal Clinical Pharmacological Therapy (1995) not to the extent previously suspected which would then question the need for supplementation. In addition, how many people who are taking CoQ10 have actually been tested to determine whether they are deficient or not?
The simple truth is that we would need more research to give a more definitive response regarding contraindications and since I frequently source my information on effectiveness and safety from pharmacy (and not natural health) references, without definitive evidence, I tend to err on the side of caution.