Compound or practice · Supplement
Coenzyme Q10
A mitochondrial cofactor with its best evidence in heart failure and statin-associated muscle symptoms.
- Overall grade
- Grade B
- Last revised
- 3
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
2 at grade B · 2 at grade C — 4 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- Heart failure eventsEvidence grade B
Q-SYMBIO positive
Moderatemixed
- Statin muscle symptomsEvidence grade C
Worth a trial
Smallmixed
- Migraine prophylaxisEvidence grade C
Modest
Smallmixed
Conditions
How the entry reads its effect on diagnosed conditions: the direction first, then the grade. Never a substitute for the person who treats you.
- Chronic heart failure May improveEvidence grade BAdjunct, under careGrade B
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Thin evidence: Statin muscle symptoms (grade C); Migraine prophylaxis (grade C).
- Studies disagree: Heart failure events (mixed agreement).
- Caution with Anticoagulants (warfarin): May slightly reduce anticoagulant effect — monitor INR.
Interactions
Documented pairings with supplements and medicines. A medicine on this list is a conversation for whoever prescribes it.
Anticoagulants (warfarin)Caution
May slightly reduce anticoagulant effect — monitor INR.
StatinsDepletes a nutrient
Statins lower CoQ10 ~30–50%; repletion may ease muscle symptoms.
The evidence in words
What it is
CoQ10 (ubiquinone/ubiquinol) is a fat-soluble compound essential to the mitochondrial electron-transport chain and a cellular antioxidant. Levels fall with age and with statin use.
How it works
It shuttles electrons in ATP production and protects membranes from oxidative damage; statins lower CoQ10 because they block a shared synthesis pathway.
What the evidence shows
The strongest data are in chronic heart failure, where the Q-SYMBIO trial showed reduced major events — genuinely notable. Evidence for statin-associated muscle symptoms is mixed but reasonable to trial. Migraine-prophylaxis data are modest. Take it with fat for absorption.
How to use it
100–200 mg/day (ubiquinol may absorb better) with a fatty meal.
Safety & interactions
Very safe; mild GI upset. May slightly reduce warfarin's effect (monitor INR). statins — Statins lower CoQ10 ~30–50%; repletion may ease muscle symptoms. warfarin — May slightly reduce anticoagulant effect — monitor INR.
Bottom line
Best value in heart failure (under care) and as a low-risk trial for statin muscle aches. Take with fat; ubiquinol if absorption is a concern.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Standard
- 100–200 mg/day with fat.
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- Coenzyme Q10 for Chronic heart failureEvidence grade B — Adjunct, under careEvidence grade B
- Coenzyme Q10 for Heart failure eventsEvidence grade B — Q-SYMBIO positiveEvidence grade B
- Coenzyme Q10 for Migraine prophylaxisEvidence grade C — ModestEvidence grade C
- Coenzyme Q10 for Statin muscle symptomsEvidence grade C — Worth a trialEvidence grade C
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.