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Q. You recently had a man write in about problems with Lipitor for lowering cholesterol. I'd like to share my personal experience with my 97-year-old mother. She experienced muscle pains on Zocor she was taking for cholesterol control. She discontinued it due to muscle pain and weakness.
After that, she started taking CoQ10. It took about six to eight weeks before she began to get her muscle strength back. It has been a year now and her cholesterol is still normal. Even better, she is very well; she walks wherever she wants to and her arms are as strong as before, with no pain.
A. Statin cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Crestor, Lipitor or Zocor deplete tissues of Coenzyme Q10, a compound that is naturally found throughout the body. Other people have reported that taking supplemental CoQ10 can help counteract some of the muscle pain and weakness that may be associated with these cholesterol-lowering medications. At 97, your mother probably doesn't need to worry about her cholesterol level.
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I took 10mg Lipitor for almost 2 years. It lowered by cholesterol from 205 to 165. Toward the end of the second year, I started to develop the classic muscle pain in my ankles. I went off Lipitor and my cholesterol went back up to 205. A new doctor put me on 5mg Crestor a year ago, saying I probably wouldn't have the bad reaction. So far, no muscle pain and cholesterol is back down to 165. Lipitor is oil soluble. Crestor is water soluble. Crestor is also more potent, requiring a lower dose than Lipitor.
Hi,
I wrote you several years ago requesting input regarding the low-cholesterol level-induced tonic leg muscle contractions which led to my severe level of skeletal muscle degeneration (The muscle cramping was a response to a prescribed combination of zetia and lipitor which facilitated lowering my blood cholesterol levels from 220+ to around 180 +/- [the usual dimensions]; the cramping syndrome was treated as a variant of chronic immunerelated degenerative peripheralneuropathy by administration of human IGG with negative response.)
Several months ago I came across a website www.spacedoc.com maintained by Duane Graveline, MD and found all sorts of reports of statin side-effects - not just muscle degeneration. Dr Graveline has written several books available on www.amazon.com - the two which I have are:
Statin drugs side effects andd the misguided war on cholesterol.
The statin damage crisis.
In these books Dr Graveline mentions the variety of side effects of which he has become aware; the results of recent research which shows that the cholesterol scare are being promoted primarily by the multi-billion pharmaceutical industry; several suggestions regarding nutritional supplements which people who take statins as well as we who have ceased taking them.
Coenzyme Q10 is one of the most important of those supplements even for people who do not yet demonstrate muscle fatigue/degeneration. He also discusses the variety of other vitamins and minerals which are required for maintenance of proper muscle function/integrity.
I urge everyone who has been told that he/she has a cholesterol problem to read Dr Graveline's book(s). The so-called cholesterol crisis is a myth based of faulty research (performed 40-50 years ago) which is currently being exploited by Big Pharma to make many tens of billion$ in profits while creating a potential health crisis for susceptible patients.
Recommended dosages of CoQ10 are seldom mentioned in discussions of statins. It would be helpful to get a clue about this. I take 15 mg of Q-Gel with 20 mg of Lipitor, but have no idea whether this is enough or too much. Thanks for all you do!
What is the MDR or correct dosage for CoQ10?
What is CoQ10?
The recommended dose by my cardiologist of CoQ10 for people that take statins is
100mgms. This is well tolerated and has no side effects.
I began taking Lovastatin two years ago and have had muscle pain in the lower back ever since. I recently began taking COQ10 and the pain has decreased significantly.
During a recent visit to my cardiologist I was advised to up my intake of CoQ10 to as much as I could tolerate. This was in response to a new study done at Duke. I had been taking 15 mg with 20 mg of Lipitor and my goal now is to take it up to 100 mg gradually. I was told that too much causes stomach distress.
What is CoQ10? Is it really known to cause blood thinning? Is there any benefit for healthy people taking CoQ10?
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: THE MAIN BENEFIT IS FOR PEOPLE TAKING A DRUG SUCH AS A STATIN THAT LOWERS COQ10.
Need help continued muscle wasting from statins. Quit statins 6 months ago. Almost unable to walk. Anyone who knows how to stop or reverse this please help! Thanks
I began taking Crestor 20mg two years ago and have muscle pain. I had operation "baipas". I don't take CoQ10. Can you advise me anything?
Is ubiquinol more effective than CoQ 10 for male age71? Taking crestor 20mg.
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: COENZYME Q10 IS ALSO KNOWN AS UBIQUINONE. UBIQUINOL APPEARS TO BE A CLOSELY RELATED COMPOUND. WE DON'T KNOW IF IT IS MORE OR LESS EFFECTIVE SINCE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN TESTED HEAD TO HEAD. IT DOES APPEAR THAT UBIQUINOL ALONE HELPS LOWER LDL CHOLESTEROL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21280176