[Karate Mom]

I am wondering what brand of CoQ10 everyone is taking. There are so many on the market that I am unsure what would be my best option and which brands are most effective.

[mrsD]

You are right....many to choose from.

I am using a 300mg CoQ-10 enhanced absorption one now I bought from SAMs club. I've been on it 2 weeks, and really don't notice much. Maybe I will see something by the end of the bottle, of 60. They are just HUGE in size... fills my little
dose cup right up! I have to psyche myself up to swallow the thing!

There are water soluble ones now, supposed to be better.
Q-gel is one. They cost more but you use less.

example:
http://www.epic4health.com/noname.html

The newer form ubinquinol doesn't have many raves...so I don't know if it is worth the money at this time.

If you get the regular one in an oil base, take it with food, preferably with a higher fat meal. This will improve solubility and absorption.

I don't think I have a big issue requiring it. But I thought to try.

[en bloc]

MrsD,

What exactly should one "notice" when taking CoQ10? I take it due to recommendations since i take a statin, but certainly have never noticed anything good (or bad) from it.

[mrsD]

Co-Q 10 for statin users protects the heart. Without it, statins block your liver from making the CoQ-10 for you.

Muscle contraction and high performance requires it. People low
in CoQ-10 can develop congestive heart failure and/or cardiomyopathy.
It has very important functions for heart muscle--which never stops, and uses a great amount of energy.

It doesn't really do much else. For Parkinson's patients or people with certain ataxias, it improves cell function in the brain to
help with movement disorders.

For regular people, it is mostly silent doing its thing.

It is a cofactor in mitochondrial energy production. So I added it to my acetyl carnitine and ribose.

I would expect it to be missed once discontinued. It is a gradual support type nutrient. And vital for those on Statins!

[en bloc]

Thanks for more detailed info on what it does. I thought I was missing out on something when you said it had been 2 weeks and you hadn't 'noticed' much.

You take 300 mg...is that a normal dose? I might be taking too little. My doctor recommended 100mg daily. I didn't even see anything other 100mg at the store.

[mrsD]

If you are on statins you need ALOT...

It might be worth your while to the the Q-gel which is better absorbed. 300mg and above of regular costs more than
30-50mg of the Q-gel. The link is above.

CoQ-10 was known by Merck when they were making lovastatin.
(Mevacor). It was KNOWN way back that CoQ-10 was depleted by statins. Merck even took a patent for a mixture of both.
But back then CoQ-10 was not understood well, and only came in powder form, which was not soluble. So Merck dropped the combo product, and kept the secret allowing for thousands and thousands of people to get terrible consequences from lost CoQ-10 due to its blocked synthesis. It has only be recently that the "secret" became known, and more work was done on solubility. I think it is morally bankrupt what drug companies do.

The reason drug companies kept this secret is that they knew patients would not buy expensive CoQ-10 to offset the damage of a statin which was covered by insurance. It was all greed motivated.

[en bloc]

Well, I just bought a double pack, so I'll use 3 a day until they're gone, then try the Q-gel.

Probably a stupid question, but can someone take too much? Do they even know how much someone should have in their system or what happens if you have too much? Seems like supplements aren't monitored like other meds. Should I ask for a blood test (if they even have one) for C0-Q 10?

[mrsD]

Nope. This is something your heart and muscles and nerves need.

People with ataxia take up to 4 grams a day! PD patients also high but not at 4grams, maybe 1000-2000mg. They buy specially made products for their use.

Q-gel is only used normally below 100mg a day.

[mrsD]

Originally Posted by en bloc

Well, I just bought a double pack, so I'll use 3 a day until they're gone, then try the Q-gel.

Probably a stupid question, but can someone take too much? Do they even know how much someone should have in their system or what happens if you have too much? Seems like supplements aren't monitored like other meds. Should I ask for a blood test (if they even have one) for C0-Q 10?

This website goes into the higher doses used for special circumstances, in studies:

http://www.raysahelian.com/coq10.html

Dr. Sahelian usually has good information, so keep that in mind for other supplements as well. But his site contradicts the absorption claimed for non-soluble versions elsewhere on the net.

[en bloc]

Originally Posted by mrsD

This website goes into the higher doses used for special circumstances, in studies:

http://www.raysahelian.com/coq10.html

Dr. Sahelian usually has good information, so keep that in mind for other supplements as well. But his site contradicts the absorption claimed for non-soluble versions elsewhere on the net.

Quotes from: http://www.raysahelian.com/coq10.html

"I personally believe that high doses are not needed, and may even be unhelpful or detrimental. I would not feel comfortable recommending to my patients to take more than 50 mg, or maximum 100 mg, a day, for long term use unless as a necessary treatment of a medical condition."

"Patients with high cholesterol levels who are placed on statin drugs such as Lipitor and Zocor should take additional CoQ10 in the amount of 10 to 50 mg daily, or a few times a week, to counteract the muscle damage from statin drugs (consult with your doctor). We still have a long way to go to determine the proper clinical role and benefit of this nutrient. Thus far it appears low dose usage a few times a week is reasonable."

"Individuals on cholesterol medicines of the statin class such as Lipitor and others, may consider taking 30 to 50 mg a few times a week since statins decrease blood CoQ10 levels."

Based upon his statements, do you think my 100mg a day is adequate for being on a statin? Or should I drop it to every other day?

The higher doses seem to be for other conditions, like Parkinson's

What do you suggest? Maybe I should keep the 100mg since I'm on one of the strongest statins (Crestor).