CoQ10 helps relieve statin induced muscle pain

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CoQ10 helps relieve statin induced muscle pain

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Roman Bystrianyk, " CoQ10 helps relieve statin induced muscle pain " ,

Health Sentinel, July 12, 2007,

 

Statins are a class of drug that are used to lower cholesterol levels.

Lipitor, Mevacor, Crestor, Zocor, and Vytorin are some of the more

well known brand names that belong to this class of drug. These drugs

are extremely profitable generating billions of dollars in sales.

According to CNN Money, Lipitor is the top-selling drug of all time

with nearly $13 billion in 2006 sales.

 

Despite a large analysis presented in a study in the April 2005 issue

of Archives of Internal Medicine showing that omega-3 fatty acids

decreased the risk ratio for death by 23% and that statins only

decreased the risk of death by 13%, statins are still used as the

primary way to treat people with high cholesterol. Lipitor alone has

been prescribed to over 18 million Americans to help them treat their

cholesterol levels.

 

Muscle symptoms commonly occur with statin drugs. In some cases

myopathy, or damage to the muscle tissue, can actually occur. Very

rarely, if myopathy occurs and statin therapy is not stopped a very

dangerous condition called rhabdomyolysis can occur which can

sometimes be fatal.

 

According to an article in USA Today, Public Citizen, a consumer

watchdog group, " linked 72 fatal and 772 non-fatal cases of muscle

breakdown, known as rhabdomyolysis, to all six of the statins sold

between October 1997 and December 2000. The study found 29 earlier

deaths. "

 

Statins decrease cholesterol production by inhibiting an enzyme in the

body called HMG-CoA, which is short of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl. The

same biosynthesis pathway that is blocked in order to reduce

cholesterol also reduces the production of a key nutrient in the body

called coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 for short. Studies have shown that blood

levels of CoQ10 drop by 25% to 50% after statin treatment.

 

CoQ10 is a key component in energy production that takes place in the

mitochondria. Mitochondria are known as the powerhouses of the cell

and are key to life. CoQ10 deficiency resulting from statin treatment

may impair muscle energy production and contribute to the muscle

symptoms and more serious conditions in patients using statins.

 

A study in the May issue of The American Journal of Cardiology

examined the use of CoQ10 supplements to improve muscle symptoms in

patients being treated with statins. The controlled, double-blind

study provided half of 32 patients 100 milligrams (mgs) of CoQ10 a day

for a month and the other half 400 IU of vitamin E.

 

At the end of the month the patients who were reporting statin related

muscle pain that received the CoQ10 showed " decreased muscle pain by

40% and improved the interference of pain with daily life activities

by 38% " . In contrast, the vitamin E group showed no improvement in

muscle pain.

 

The authors note that, " these findings suggest the coenzyme Q10 may be

beneficial for patients using statins by ameliorating myopathic

[related to muscle disease] symptoms and improving subjects' well-

being and functioning in daily life activities. " This positive study

showed the benefits of CoQ10 in offsetting some of the negative

effects in people that are receiving statins. The fact remains however

that statins interfering with CoQ10 synthesis resulting in negative

consequences for patients have been known for quite some time.

 

In a previous article I asked Dr. Barry S. Kendler Professor of

Nutrition at the University of Bridgeport Human Nutrition Institute

about CoQ10 and statins and he said, " the pharmaceutical industry has

not been helpful in this context, although they had full knowledge of

the effects of statins on CoQ10 and the possible consequences of this,

even before statins were marketed. In fact, one of the companies has a

patent on including CoQ10 with the statin, but chose not to market the

combination, possibly for financial reasons. "

 

In addition, an October 2004 newsletter by Dr. Sinatra, a medical

doctor, board certified in internal medicine and cardiology, and a

fellow of the American College of Cardiology indicated that Merck

Pharmaceuticals has had a patent combining their popular statin drug

Lovastatin [brand name Mevacor] and CoQ10 for years.

 

" Merck Pharmaceuticals has been sitting on a patent for combining

Lovastatin and CoQ10 in the same capsule for 15 years, and I can't

understand why they don't launch this product. I hope that as more

studies show that higher dose statins, used over extended periods, are

associated with greater side effects that include carcinogenicity

[ability of a substance to cause cancer] and cardiomyopathy [weakening

of the heart muscle], Merck will feel political pressure to act on

these patents and create a product combining CoQ10 and Lovastatin at

last. "

 

SOURCE: The American Journal of Cardiology, May 15, 2007, Vol. 99, No.

10, pp. 1409-1412