Statin Drugs CoQ10 And Vitamin D

 Statin Drugs CoQ10 And Vitamin D:

One of the most prescribed medications for adults is statins; These drugs are designed to lower cholesterol to reduce the risk of heart disease

Look at your co,workers, family members, friends, or people at the supermarket. You or one of these people are taking or have taken statins. It is estimated that more than 200 million new prescriptions some for those who took them in the previous year are obtained for statin drugs each year.

Unfortunately, these are the most common medications that people stop taking because of their side effects. It has been reported that 54% of statin users stop taking them after 2-3 months.

But many of the side effects caused by CoQ10 short for Co-enzyme Q10 do not have the effects of statins on the liver. It usually takes 3 months for people to experience the side effects of CoQ10 deficiency.

Statin drugs work in the liver to inhibit the enzyme HMG,CoA reductase. This enzyme handles producing 70% of the cholesterol used by the body. But, another use of this enzyme is to make CoQ10 that the body needs, so as long as this enzyme is working, the body can make all the CoQ10 it needs. Without that enzyme, the body cannot make CoQ10, and the body will suffer if it is not eaten or absorbed from a supplement.

If you experience side effects that bother people taking statin drugs, these are symptoms of CoQ10 deficiency  memory loss, depression, fatigue; breathing; irregular heart rhythm, palpitations; leg cramps or severe leg pain , diabetes; and vulnerability. The main symptom that causes people to stop taking medication is pain or heaviness in the legs. The most common is loss of libido or impotence.

CoQ10 itself has cardioprotective properties. Statin drugs help reduce the risk of heart attacks; but studies have shown little effect in preventing heart disease. These medications can cause CoQ10 deficiency.

Some other side effects of this drug are caused by vitamin D deficiency; This class of drugs depletes vitamin D. Side effects include: depression, anxiety, seasonal affective disorder (Sadness); breathing; muscle weakness or osteoporosis; hearing loss or impairment; increased incidence of cancer; rheumatic pain; or decreased appetite or food cravings.

Thus, unless otherwise contraindicated, it is a good idea to supplement with CoQ10 and vitamin D daily while taking a statin. Although some doctors recommend fish oil supplements to their patients, most fish oil supplements do not contain enough CoQ10 or vitamin D to compensate for drug-induced deficiencies. Thus, people are recommended to take 100mg of CoQ10 and 50,000 IU of vitamin D daily.

If you want to increase your intake of this nutrient, you can find higher levels of CoQ10 in fish, beef and poultry; or nuts or beans. Although you can find CoQ10 in food, most of it is in small amounts to prevent the deficiency created by statin drugs. Great to have an army.

Vitamin D:

For vitamin D, these nutrients include cold water seafood, fortified milk, liver, and fortified grains. If you get 20 minutes of sunlight every day (without sun exposure), you will have enough vitamin D to make up for the drug deficiency.

Since we're talking about supplements, it might be a good idea to take supplements to protect the liver, as statin drugs are very hard on the liver and can cause liver damage over time. Consider supplements like Milk Thistle, ALA  alpha lipoic acid   to protect against liver damage.

As a side note, be aware that statins interfere with the absorption of all nutrients; thus, it is recommended to take this medicine at bedtime to absorb the nutrients from your meals throughout the day. But do not drink it with pomegranate or grapefruit juice, because these juices increase the side effects of the drug and can increase the risk of liver damage or disease. It can also cause neuropathy nerve damage.

As always, talk to someone in the know before taking any supplements or medications.

side effects can be reduced or eliminated by taking prescription drugs, but sometimes you have to go back to nature. Be smart and make sure what you get from nature is compatible with medicine.

Disclaimer:

 The information provided is for educational purposes only. It is important not to make health decisions or stop medication without first consulting a doctor or health care provider.