I’m seriously thinking of adding Co q10 to my daily routine. I get migraines, and having watched many chats on the World Migraine Summit recently, it stands out as something that might help. (I’m 58, so won’t be taking it for fertility reasons). I’m not on anything that might be contraindicated with this, except my Levo and T3.
Any info/advice would be welcomed. Many thanks ☺️
I've been taking Ubiquinol for a year and it's certainly something I shan't be dropping, it's had a good effect on my general improvement, heart health and fatigue
I like the VESIsorb Ubiquinol QH 100mg from Igennus
Thank you for your reply. I’m seriously thinking of trying it.
Do you take it away from your thyroid meds as with other supplements?
Thanks for telling me about this company - hadn't heard of them and their products look great - will be ordering shortly !
I have low blood pressure and low cortisol and neither were lowered by adding this also a relatively low RHR around 60 since then all have increased a little 😅
Hmm that is very interesting sounds like COQ 10 has increased the heart muscle which is exactly what you want to happen.
Story a few years back I was taking NDT and it didn't agree with me at all - I had fought so hard to get on it that when I started dripping perspiration so badly at work it was dripping on my documents - I refused to even consider that it was the NDT - couldn't be - had to be something else - I tried everything - then gave up and was referred back to an endo I had been to previously (I got the NDT outside of the UK) - she wanted to do a short senacten test for adrenal insufficiency and told me that I would need to come off NDT and go on Levo tablets - I was so indignant and said I don't think I can do that - she said she was unable to calculate the meds needed for the procedure unless I was on medication that was an accurate amount of T4 - she then looked me in the eye and said - actually I think you are overmedicated and I am only hoping you have not damaged your heart - I gave in - and came off NDT for the right amount of weeks and low and behold the excessive sweating stopped - she was right !
However the story doesn't end there to go back a few months - the Dr I was seeing outside of the UK did regular blood tests for vitamin and minerals to check I was not deficient - he said to me one day - you can stop taking the COQ10 now your levels are through the roof - I said but I'm not taking it ? He looked at me and said - that's odd - well I thought the same and it took me years to find out why - not that I searched that long but suddenly when researching for something else - I saw that if the heart is under pressure then the body will pull COQ10 from anywhere it can to keep the heart going (don't forget COQ10 is in meat) so she was right the heart was under pressure and my dear old body dragged COQ10 to the heart muscle to stop me having a heart attack - my body did the same when I first took T4 without steroid help for the adrenals (an insufficiency I didn't know I had at the time) I developed dreadful Vitamin C deficiency - collagen issues - a scar getting bigger and bigger on my abdomen - loose teeth - etc. etc. when I realised what was happening I took the C that was needed ( the adrenal glands have the highest amount of C in the human body so it was being used up again by the adrenals to keep me alive !) What an amazing thing the human body is and how it tries so hard to help us out if we give it a chance and 'listen' to it !
Amazing 🤗
I have been taking it for months. It’s very expensive. I find it hard to know whether it helps to be honest. However it’s highly recommended for heart issues, so I will continue with it.
Just found out I have probably been taking too much Vit C. I found a reference to “take it to bowel tolerance” but assumed the opposite of constipation. Discovered just constant bellyache. Just came to me one day. Apparently you can overdose with quite a low dose. Wherever you find advice it seems there is always a gaslighting available too. Most confusing for us.
However our advice for Vit D and VitK2-Mark7 seems to be sound. At least the Vit D can be tested if/when concerned. Take thevtwo complementing vitamins separately and see ‘Grassroots” website for instructions how much is needed to balance the Vit D. Found a great paper about its benefits in cholesterol levels. This time my cholesterol was reduced.
Can’t do right for doing wrong though. Still all a bit of a ‘risk’.
Hi arT, not sure where the D3-K2 comes into it, has that anything to do with coQ10?
Have you tried buffered Vit C seems to work a treat
I read that taking high doses of vitD with co q10 can cause tummy issues. (As in 2000iu’s). But I generally have vitD spray, so hoping it wouldn’t react.
Despite eating relatively healthy (better than most people I know) and taking supplements for ever dropping vits and minerals and keeping an eye on my thyroid levels, I am still fatigued easily. Migraines don’t help. So I’m going to give this one a try. If it helps keep some migraines away then I might have more energy to do more exercise too. Just fed up with the energy dips that are probably associated with the levo not being converted quickly enough once I’ve had a busy few days 🤷♀️
I take it at the same time as a sublingual Vit D 3-4000iu without issue
I seem to have escaped the regular migraines now I've got things balanced, as long as I keep away from food triggers
I've found the addition of DHEA seems to have given me a real lift
A random question from me - I have done no research on coQ10 other than knowing it’s been kind of trendy at times… and also that many people in the forum try a few other usual suspects for migraines before coQ10 comes up.
I don’t see recent thyroid bloods in previous posts, but headaches were an early symptom for me and have gotten better as my T4/T3 optimizes.
Low ferritin (even as high as 75-100!) is known to cause headaches, and proven to cause a whole host of other symptoms too. Your iron/ferritin is optimal?
Also, magnesium is a usual option for migraines/headaches. Can’t test for magnesium but it safe to say we are all deficient and can benefit from supplementing.
Those are top of mind. Just sharing because if coQ10 is expensive and less proven/harder to discern the impact compared to the basics, I would just say to make sure you shore up your Free Ts and key vitamins/minerals first.
Thank you for your reply.
Just had bloods done this week.
FT4 13.2 (9-19.1)
FT3 5.3 (2.4-6)
TSH usual 0.01 (0.35-4.94)
Bloods taken first thing with usual protocol as per this forum.
My Ft4 is slightly higher in the range than 6 months ago. I have added 25mcg twice a week. So, 125 x 2 and 100 x 5. I take 12.5mcg T3 split 5, 2.5, 5 through 24hrs.
GP also tested FBC which seemed ok.
B12 456 (200-900) going to take my B complex more (makes me need to tiddle more frequently so don’t take if going out)
Folate tad low 5.3 (3-20.5) despite taking methyl folate. But I might have been a bit on and off recently, so will discipline myself more with that.
think my iron/ferritin is ok.
I am the same as you. Thyroid levels drop = migraines that can’t be sorted with migraine meds.
I take 200mg magnesium every evening (was 100 but upped that a month ago).
I listened to talks with neurologists etc on the world migraine summit recently. One host said she would not be without Co Q10 and the other person said magnesium.
I’m not wanting to go out clubbing or even on hol to Ibiza, but I would like to be able to get up at 8.30am and not struggle for the rest of the day. I’d like to not have to choose how I use my energy and need to rest before/after a busy day.
I try my best to avoid my other migraine triggers like you too.
Hi there - you can now test for magnesium - you couldn't when I needed it - I had to go to the only Dr in the country who had a machine that could trace it in the muscles - but just a month ago at my regular 3 monthly at a well known London Hospital they did a magnesium test from bloods - I was absolutely amazed - and zinc and selenium - the NHS finally getting there - has only taken about 100 years !
Just as an aside (no idea what I really think about this yet) I have done a hair sample to look at some of these substances. Hair sampling has been around for many years but previously not thought ‘sound’. I am giving it a go to see what might be useful.
I tried everything to get results - worth a go also try giving some private labs a call to see if they are now doing blood tests for Mg might be cheaper. There was a brilliant lab in Guildford I used before the Horizons etc. came on scene but they have been taken over by the big boys now and prices higher but they used to do so many different tests because they were linked and often used by local hospital nearby !
Thriva by any chance? I used them but found the fees going up. They won’t do the tests without a doctor commenting on the results. Waste of money for me as I either know, ask on here, or send to my endo (but he’s not much use tbh)
No never heard of them - the prices were really good for the one I used - prices gone up now bought out but still not beyond someone who really needs to know.
Ok not come across about the Vit D and Ubiquinol perhaps causing this issue. I was taking a lot of Vit D for stiffness etc which seemed to be working. That’s a bit better but reduced the D back as I got to 123 on testing. Must admit finding all sorts of info about supplements undermining. And/or it’s just my thyroid meds not doing what I need them to do - very very likely! I am thinking a holiday from all supplements and reintroducing them one at a time. It will save me a fortune.
My vitd was 123 last week too. I’ll just take a low dose for now. I used to need more to keep it reasonable but I’m obviously holding on to it now. Maybe my gut microbiology stuff has got better?
Hi there always best to have a gap in taking supplements as the liver and kidneys have a lot of work to do to metabolise them !
This is highly likely. However like everyone else on the Forum fitting all these supplements in and having a life …. I don’t want to be fussing around all day like some hypochondriac but maybe needs must. I have only been off the Vit D for a few days and my stiffness is back again, with a vengeance. So safely back to my Vit D and Vit K2 taken separately off course.
Thanks for highlighting.
I know it is a phaff but I take all mine at lunchtime with food - seems to work - but i look and feel rough until they kick in !
I take high dose D - 10,000iu with K2 and magnesium. I try to take it every day but often days get missed as it is hard to time things with the levo, T3 etc, plus anything else I want to take. I don't have tummy issues, even when I was taking more CoQ2, apart from my usual lactose intolerance if I have milk inadvertently.
Hi there 10,000 iu's is a rather big dose - I know that people who are severely deficient have to be given 250,000 iu's in a one off dose but you have to be careful with D because it can calcify your arteries ! - although before anyone says it - I see you are taking K2 as well but still I was advised by my renal specialist not to take too much because of kidney stones but also I have seen articles from heart specialists stating they wish people would stop overdosing on D as it is causing an uptake in heart issues ! I don't know though what your particular circumstances are - perhaps you are being tested regularly for a deficiency ?
No I was just rambling. Buffered Vit C? I will check that out.
Hi, I developed migraines and eventually realised I had hypothyroidism and b12 deficiency. Optimising both helped reduce migraine frequency but was still susceptible to them. I found taurine and magnesium were very good at reducing frequency, I also take coq10, and riboflavin and these days my head feels clear and not likely to develop a migraine which it rarely does. In addition I can now tolerate most of my migraine triggers in moderation.
I can't be sure but believe the taurine is particularly helpful for me but that all of the above have helped. I hope you find relief.
Thank you for replying, you have been very helpful.
I’ll look into taurine too.
Taurine (Magnesium Taurate) I understand is good for heart health too. I also used to suffer migraines (only get silent ones occasionally now). Anyway I had forgotten this supplement in the sands of time and I have recently ordered some more to take when I have used up my present other magnesium stash. Again when taking it previously I was taking a number of things, which is a waste if you don’t know which ones you are actually benefiting from - never mind the cost!!
I checked my magnesium capsules and they have Taurate in them. So currently that would be 48mg per day (2 capsules).
I started taking CoQ10 a while back (100mg Nature's Best) , only because I agreed to try statins through the GP. and I read it can be a good idea to take CoQ10 if on a statin. I asked the gp and they didn't know! My retired GP would have looked into that for me, but now they don't seem to bother. Anyway, I gradually cut down on the statins as they weren't for cholesterol (well the neuro said so) but I was taking them for mild ischemic brain disease. I only take about 2 statins a week so that is when I take the CoQ10, but I think I could take it anyway every day but it is so expensive. I take it about 3-4 hours after my morning levo and T3.
Hi all, following this post, coq10 is on my list to add to my daily bits, currently have reoccurring migraines, very low B12, not deficient but not far off, went for B12 injection 2wks ago which I paid for, also take a high strength supplement alongside vit d & K2.
Tried magnesium but didn't do well on it.
Anyhow going back coq10 - I have searched online and this is what has come up in iherb, which would be recommended please ?
Hi, you might be interested in these products from iHerb: iherb.com/pal/referral/BLM0...
Thanks in advance 😊
Jarrows QH Kaneka? I opted for the Igennus as I don't like sunflower lecthins amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B1F2LJS3
I get my Magnesium from The Autoimmune Institute. It’s in capsules rather than hard chunky tablets and has no nasty fillers.
I have a look at your other recommendation
Hi there - COQ10 is an amazing product - it is said it can help with heart failure - it also stops the muscle enzymes being destroyed or disrupted when taking statins. Just a word of warning though - if you have any signs of low blood pressure or adrenal insufficiency be very careful as it lowers blood pressure - I know - I nearly fainted years ago when I first tried them in the 1980's - the idea of COQ10 became a fad brought over from Japan in those days !
Thank you. My blood pressure is not low, so I think I would be ok to give it a try.
I take it for my heart. However as my heart has noticeable symptoms, I obviously want noticeable improvement which I am not getting. However for all I know it could be slowing down the worsening. Impossible to measure.
Hi there - just revisited my research on this and it is as I say, amazing what it does for the body - particularly with thyroid issues and the mitochondria (muscle energy) - also good for Type I and Type II - you name it - it does it from what I am reading again but...........as someone who has Addison's which is a cortisol deficiency - it does reduce cortisol and aldosterone a very valuable hormone for the adrenals which controls salt levels etc. - so I have to be careful - but as it also helps with Alzheimers and Parkinson's Disease and Myocarditis - I am thinking of getting some for my hubby but need to check his blood pressure first on a regular basis as he is another one who can suffer with low blood pressure so don't want to make it worse. Ubiquinol is the better part of COQ10 as then the body doesn't need to convert but so very expensive ! Not sure what your heart issues are but perhaps your symptoms might be due to other issues ? But I also notice you have to take very high levels of this for the heart issues which I wouldn't be want to do without medical supervision. Forgot to mention it also 'thins' the blood so should not be taken if you are on blood thinners !
I won’t be taking high levels that’s for sure. I would always talk to doctor if I feel it would be beneficial.
Thank you for replying
Me again re migraines have your tried magnesium?
Yes. I take 200mg each evening. Have been on 100mg for about 6 years, but upped it to 200 recently
Hi there not sure about taking at night - I know people do to help them sleep but you will also be dehydrated at night and migraines can also be triggered by dehydration - personally I would take during the day when you are taking in fluids etc.
Thanks. I take it around 9pm with a drink. Difficult to take any other time with taking my Levo and T3 (this is split)
Hi Lovecake what kind of magnesium are you taking? I came across this article here and learned how different the different options are:
drjockers.com/best-magnesiu...
I take the capsules from The Autoimmune Institute. They are easier to swallow and have no nasty fillers.
Includes: Malate, Bisglycinate, Taurine, Citrate, Orate,
Optimum TSH, T4 and T3 levels on levothyroxine
T4 and T3
Decreasing TSH while on T4/T3 combo
T3 and t4
