Supplement Interactions advice
 

From everything I have read my husband cannot take CoQ10 or Acetyl-Carnitine because he takes medication for an under active thyroid - just wondered if anyone has any experience with this?

Also can anyone recommend a good Fish Oil with the right levels that he can buy in Canada. There seem to be so many variations I was confused!:D

Thank you, Linda

I just checked the Drugchecker at Drugs.com
They have a pretty thorough list of food/supplements to search
with drugs.

I get no interactions for either CoenzymeQ-10 or L-carnitine.

That doesn't mean there aren't any, just none added to that database.

We don't have lists of things available in Canada here to consult.
You can call your pharmacist where you are for advice.

I'm in the US but I take synthroid and I take COQ10 and use to take carnitine. I've never had any issues. I have also never seen any information that states you can't use them with underactive thyroid meds. Can you tell me where you found that information?

Supplement interactions
 

I looked at the Mayo Clinic and Web MD as per the following:

Mayo Clinic
Use cautiously in people who have thyroid problems or those taking thyroid agents. CoQ10 may affect thyroid hormone levels and interact with thyroid agents (such as Synthroid®).

Web MD
Under-active thyroid (hypothyroidism): There is some concern that acetyl-L-carnitine might interfere with thyroid hormone. Don’t use acetyl-L-carnitine if you have an under-active thyroid.

I'm just taking this at face value - my husbands thyroid level was very low and he could barely function, so I don't want to take a chance and mess it up. Perhaps they are just being overly cautious?

As for the fish oil - I just meant is there a brand and type you would recommend - we have Natures Bounty, Jamieson etc. But there seem to be so many varieties of the oil itself - straight Fish Oil, Omega 3 etc. I wasn't sure which was the best - would EPA pf 650 and DHA of 500 be acceptable levels for neuropathy?

Thanks, Linda

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed...ine-lcarnitine

Since this site says "theoretical" effects...This means to me that
the person using it should have blood work done regularly to see if there are any effects. (which he probably does anyway)

However, this study shows carnitine IMPROVES muscle tone in both hypo and hyper patients.
Carnitine can be low in hyperthyroid patients as well.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15803480

There are only 3 pages of studies on this topic on PubMed and most are highly technical and don't refer to hypo patients specifically.

Carnitine is mentioned for helping PN...but it is not a solution for everyone. Certainly if you are concerned you can not use it.

Similarly... CoQ-10 helps the heart in those HYPERthyroid
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6532793

CoQ-10 is made by the body, as is carnitine. CoQ-10 is depleted by statin drugs. So if your husband is not using these drugs to lower cholesterol, CoQ-10 is not really necessary.

From what I see in the lay sites is the word "may" and very small studies. I don't see a medical interest in this topic yet, as it might not be showing up in patients.

Some of the Mayo comments refer to large doses with caution.
I saw one comment that most doses under 3000mg a day are recommended for various CoQ-10 uses.

So CoQ-10 is not a must for anyone not using statin drugs at this time. You can avoid it, if you choose.

Most fish oils are purified these days.
Here is a lab site that tests products and this is the fish oil
page:
https://labdoor.com/rankings/fish-oil

Ask your local pharmacists about which fish oils they would recommend and use.

Thank you so much for the help - I thought of those two because they do seem to be part of the "standard" supplements for SFN.

He does take a very low dose of a statin so I think we'll try the CoQ10.

He currently takes B12, Vitamin D, ALA at the recommended doses, and a Sentrum.

He gets all the usual burning/tingling/vibration - but pain is the dominant feature unfortunately, so I thought some additional supplements might help.

Linda

As long as he uses a statin, his future progress is guarded.
Statins are very toxic to the body and known to cause PN.
(the CoQ-10 protects the heart muscle from statin toxicity, but I don't know if the same applies to PN). I haven't seen studies on that yet.

I did make sure all of my doctors know the meds and supplements I take. They didn't seem to see any problems but i still always do my own research.
I have my thyroid levels check every 6 months and have not found any issues since starting the COQ10.
If it makes you nervous don't have your husband take it or if he does give it a few months and ask your PC dr to do some bloodwork.
Thanks for sharing the websites. I usually use mayo and didn't see that.

I've recently upped my Omega 3 intake, and I "think" I'm feeling results. I haven't needed any pain relief in about two weeks.

My current daily regimen:

3 700mg capsules (400 EPA, 200 DHA, 100 "other omega 3"
2 Tbsp milled flax seeds
2 small handfuls of walnuts

Of course I don't know what effect, if any, my progesterone cream which contains absolutely no progesterone in it is having. :rolleyes:

Whatever, something is working.

Supplement interactions
 

Thanks for everyone's input - he definitely gets the thyroid levels checked on a regular basis.

As for the statin......... it didn't cause the PN - he's only been on them about 6 months, and has had the neuropathy for about 12 years. He also has ventricular tachycardia, so need his cholesterol levels as low as possible - indications are he will need a pacemaker in a year or so.

I think it maybe a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't!

Thanks again, and hope everyone is having a relatively pain free day!

Linda