I am considering taking Co Q 10 to supplement my multivitamin. I have been reading and hearing great things about it as an antioxidant and helpful in anti aging effects. It was also recommended by Dr. Oz on one of his shows. Now I am in reasonably good shape for my age and feel pretty good but I guess you can always look for ways to improve. Any way has anybody had any experience with this supplement?
Co Q 10
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AFAIK, it's not needed by most people, but can be valuable if you are, or have been on statins, which interfere with its activity.
SumDay
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I used to suffer from pretty frequent migraines. A doctor suggested I try CO Q 10 to prevent them. I have been taking it for ~10 years, and have maybe had 2 migraines in that time.
I notice no side effects from it, and pretty much everything I read indicates it has many other benefits, besides slowing down my migraines. I get all my supplements from Puritan's Pride.
I notice no side effects from it, and pretty much everything I read indicates it has many other benefits, besides slowing down my migraines. I get all my supplements from Puritan's Pride.
Mulligan
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SumDay said:
My GF frequently gets these. I will pass this on to her. Worth a shot.... I have read that taking CO Q10 in combination with fish oil may have positive health benefits. I take them both on a daily basis. If I die of a heart attack in a few years, obviously it was a waste of time. But they are cheap to buy and I spend no money on real medicine, so I am only out a few bucks a month and a few seconds daily to swallow them.
Mulligan
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gerrym51 said:
I can't argue with that. However, since it does appear that eating fish is good for you, and I would die of starvation before I would put any of it or seafood in my mouth, I feel compelled to give the fish oil in combo with the Co Q10 a shot.
About the migraines...I have frequent headaches. I had hernia surgery about 2 -3 months ago and after the surgery I sneezed one day and while trying to avoid hurting the area where the surgery was, I hurt my lower back instead. Anyway, I had read that ginger root would work as an anti-inflammatory and since I'm not crazy about popping pain killers every day I started taking ginger root capsules every day and they helped my back pain subside. In the 6 weeks since I started taking ginger root, I've only had 2 minor headaches, much less than I usually experience. I have no proof that the ginger root actually helped my back or helped to lessen or prevent any headaches, but it seems to be helping so even though it might be some sort of placebo effect, I'll keep taking them.
I know this thread is about CO Q 10, but has anyone had experience with ginger root capsules and headaches?
Germonico
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Guilty of taking Ubiquinol and Omega3-Krill oil as recommended on Dr Oz. I also do not take any prescription medicines and feel left out when peers talk about their prescription expenses. I can at least chirp in and whine about the cost of supplements!
SumDay
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I down a daily homemade smoothie so I can honestly tell my doctor that some vegetables pass my lips. She suggested I throw a hunk of ginger (the real root thing) in with my berries & kale and almond milk. It's got all kind of good side effects, one of which is relief from joint pain. I do think it helps my knees.
Hey, if it's helping YOUR headaches, then I'd go for it.
Recently I got off simvastatin (40mg/day) for six weeks and my cholesterol skyrocketed. I got off it to prove a point to myself about the aches and pain associated with statins. Done with my doctor's knowledge of course. Pains went away but my doctor wants me back on 20mg simvastatin to get the numbers back down. I asked him about the CoQ10 and he told me not to use it. I also think the Mayo Clinic took a dim view of it.
David1961
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Due to my high cholesterol, I am (reluctantly) taking a statin, which seems to be causing me to lose energy. My doctor said CoQ10 could help give me more energy. It really did not help, but others may have different experiences.
I seriously hesitate to say this, but just in case there is someone honestly looking for input:
First, Dr. Oz is, IMHO, a charlatan who will say whatever his producers want him to say in order to keep ratings up. There are endless examples, which I won't cite but are easily findable with a search engine.
Second, for those who are taking statins to lower their cholesterol, I would seriously recommend doing a bit of research to determine for yourself:
a. whether there is any real relationship between your blood cholesterol level and your risk of heart problems
b. whether the side effects of statins might be worse than their putative benefit (which is nonexistent, again IMHO).
Third, if you're going to put non-food substances into your body on an ongoing basis, there is every reason to investigate what they actually do and little reason to base your opinion on random recommendations (such as mine).
First, Dr. Oz is, IMHO, a charlatan who will say whatever his producers want him to say in order to keep ratings up. There are endless examples, which I won't cite but are easily findable with a search engine.
Second, for those who are taking statins to lower their cholesterol, I would seriously recommend doing a bit of research to determine for yourself:
a. whether there is any real relationship between your blood cholesterol level and your risk of heart problems
b. whether the side effects of statins might be worse than their putative benefit (which is nonexistent, again IMHO).
Third, if you're going to put non-food substances into your body on an ongoing basis, there is every reason to investigate what they actually do and little reason to base your opinion on random recommendations (such as mine).
+1,000 and very well said.
I recently went to a 1 hour talk by a cardiologist. She was so pro statins that I thought she worked for a Pharma. She actually said she thought muscle pains were all in the heads of most statin users.
I'm usually a skeptic when it comes to aches and pains and other side effects, but when I switched from Lipitor to simvastatin a few years ago, I felt an immediate huge loss in physical stamina during twice weekly basketball games. I literally couldn't stand up after 20 minutes or so. After a few weeks I asked the doc to go back on Lipitor (more expensive at that time) and she got the insurance company to agree. Within a few days of switching back the lack of energy/vigor was gone and I was back to 2 hrs of basketball with only normal effects. On the advice of my wife, I took CoQ10 while on Lipitor for a couple of weeks and I didn't feel any effect, so I quit taking it.
eytonxav
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+1 DW's cholesterol was getting elevated and given some other conditions she has, her PCP referred her to a cardiologist for a workup. DW was very concerned about getting placed on a statin, however, the cardiologist did not see any evidence of plaque build up and given her good HDL and triglyceride levels, he told her she did not need a statin and he would only recommend that if he had dedected some evidence of plaque despite her high total cholesterol level.
grasshopper
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I have borderline total, with good HDL. I take red rice yeast, but stopped for one year, because of nagging muscle pain. My total cholesterol shot up 10%.
Cholesterol levels are more variable in same person as many (inc docs) seem to think. Even changing with the seasons by roughly 5-9%---
Cholesterol Levels May Vary By Season
Actually Mayo now seems to be mildly positive on CoQ10 for this purpose, although saying more study is needed-
Coenzyme Q10: Evidence - MayoClinic.com
Agree 100% with points on Dr. Oz & caution/investigation regarding substances ingested. I would add that supplement industry in US is not well-regulated so label may or may not reflect actual substance/dosage in the product.
Re cholesterol, actually SPECIFIC cholesterol fractions, the evidence is rather overwhelming. Cholesterol control does decrease risk of future cardiovascular events, particularly when management is individualized (diet, exercise, meds, etc.). Here's recent well-referenced review from Clev Clinic-
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
+1, and that goes for many media gurus. A couple of good litmus tests, IMO, are:
1. to search the "guru's" name along with "debunking" and/or "quack".
E.G.,
debunking dr. oz - Google Search
debunking dr. mercola - Google Search
debunking dr. blaylock - Google Search
2. check them out on debunking sites, such as:
Quackwatch
snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Pages
STATS: We Check Out the Numbers Behind the News
Metabunk.org - Debunking Sites
.... and others:
debunking sites - Google Search
Tyro
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I fired my doctor when he wrote and MAILED a prescription to me for a statin without saying a word about diet. My ratio between HDL and LDL was actually quite favorable, but total cholesterol was just barely over the strictest threshold. It amazes me that the simple and effective idea of restricting refined carbohydrates gets zero attention from so many doctors. Thats all I did, and my profile is just fine. My ratio (which is a better predictor of CHD than total LDL) is a very happy number!
I really like my doc, and wanted to keep him despite his infatuation with statins and tunnel-vision focus on LDL. I was able to discuss the research that shows the negative side of statins and the lack of good science showing their benefit for low risk people. He remains skeptical to this day, but we agreed to disagree. And every time he looks at my lab numbers, he shakes his head, stifles his impulses and tells me to keep doing what I'm doing.
Like you, I focus on my ratios (mainly triglycerides/HDL which has been well below 1.5 for years now).
Have you tried other statins? I'm not a great cheerleader for them, but I took Lipitor for a while and had the serious muscle pain side effect. Switched to Baycol (now off the market) and did fine. Was off them for a number of years (lost weight - that may have helped). Now I'm on pravistatin and no side effects that I've noticed. It's cheap too - $10 retail for 3 mos at Walmart. Hate Walmart but I can't beat the Rx prices.
I haven't tried CoQ10.
I have to say in defense of my doc, he watched my cholesterol for a long time before wanting me to try a statin. He didn't freak when it went a few points over 200
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