CoQ10

[wdy]

Question - how is this to help with regards to taking Lipitor? Before I start adding new things to my diet, I wanted to ask....also the fish oil (any fish oil)???? Thanks, Deb

[zip2play]

Debbie,

The theory is that CoQ-10 is depleted by statins and this depletion causes/exacerbates muscle and joint pains.
I've found that my knee pain has gotten much better after the addition of the enzyme. But then, I can't assign cause and effect for sure, only a maybe but enough of a maybe I'll continue taking it.

With joint pain after Lipitor, it's worth a try! But first make sure that it's not a serious rhabdomyolysis (usually with a CPK [or CK] blood-test.)

Without any Lipitor complaints however, I wouldn't spend the money.

[ARIZONA73]

Although I generally agree with what zip2play said, I believe that anyone who is taking a statin should be taking coenzyme Q-10 as well. Yes, our bodies produce this crucial enzyme, the levels peaking in our twenties. Afterwards, our levels begin declining substantially with each passing decade.

From the Smart Money article, "The Lipitor Dilemma", Dr. Peter Langsjoen, a cardiologist at East Texas Medical Center, "studied 20 patients with completely normal heart function. His preliminary results showed that after six months on 20mg of Lipitor a day, two-thirds of the patients had abnormalities in the heart's filling phase, when the muscle fills with blood. His explanation: Statins can cause a dose-related depletion in an essential nutrient known as Coenzyme Q10. Without CoQ10, the cell's mitochondria can't produce energy. The shortage may cause muscle pain and weakness, but the heart is especially susceptible because it uses so much energy."

[Brendap]

I don't know if this is coincidence or not, but I take Lipitor 20 mgs. and after the first two years on it I noticed that sometimes I got an occasional irregular heart beat (palpitations I suppose you could call it).

I started taking one daly pill of Co-Q 10 (100 mgs). After a short time on the CoQ-10, the palpitations went away.

I don't know for sure that the CoQ 10 did this, but I am not about to stop taking it at this point.

Brenda

[ARIZONA73]

Brenda,

I think you've made a wise decision. I don't even take statins, but I still take 60mg CoQ10 each day. In fact, probably everyone over the age of forty would benefit from some supplemental CoQ10. As I said earlier, our levels do decline steadily after the age of 25 or so, and if you are taking statins, which only further depletes your already declining levels, it only makes the situation worse. What puzzles me is why so many doctors fail to recommend CoQ10 to their patients. Of course, some of them do, but there are still many other doctors who remain pretty much in the dark.

So keep on taking the 100mg CoQ10 daily. It's really not a good idea to play Russian roulette with your health, especially when it involves your heart.