Stations and fatigue

[seven-oh]

Hi everyone, I've been on atorvastatin for about 2 years. Cholesterol came down in 6 weeks, no muscle aches. However I feel permanently tired, anyone got any suggestions?

[Mart25]

Good morning. Tiredness is a reported side effect of statins, but I find it's difficult to be certain whether I'm tired because of the atorvastatin I'm taking, or whether I'm tired just because I'm trying to get regular and frequent exercise! There is a scientific explanation for why you might get tired : which is that statins inhibit a biochemical pathway that affects both cholesterol levels and the amount of ubiquinone (also known as coenzyme Q10) in your body. Shortage of this latter chemical can theoretically make you tired. So I know some people take a supplement of ubiquinone/coenzyme Q10, and I am one of those people.

I take a supplement of 100mg of coenzyme Q10 per day as a capsule. Most suppliers of vitamins and supplements will sell it. It's not cheap. I have a feeling is makes me less tired, but this could be a placebo effect! But I also know it can do me no harm.

Obviously in this forum we cannot give medical advice, so I cannot recommend you take this supplement. But a chat with your GP about coenzyme Q10 supplements might be your next step.

[seven-oh in reply to Mart25]

Mart25, many thanks, I've a GP review booked so I'll ask then

[JJ909 in reply to Mart25]

Do you take the Q10 with the statin or at a different time of day please ?

[Mart25 in reply to JJ909]

I take my statin in the evening and the q10 in the morning along with some other meds. There's no logic that I know of why you should take them together or at different times.