Research is unclear on whether CoQ10 supplements can help your heart health or help relieve muscle pain from statin medications. Your doctor can best determine if you may benefit from taking both CoQ10 and statin medications.

People with certain conditions may have lower levels of a natural substance in the body known as coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10. This is used to generate energy, and it’s also an antioxidant that your body uses to help fight infections that can damage cells and DNA.

Some people who also take statin medications for health conditions may also take CoQ10 supplements. This could offer some benefit for heart health, but research isn’t clear on that full effect or if CoQ10 has any effect on muscle pain related to statins.

Those who take statins may also have lower CoQ10 levels in their bodies, which could make the side effects of statins more severe.

Your healthcare team can help advise you on possible issues with these medications and supplements and recommend eating certain foods, including whole wheat, oily fish, or meals like beef liver to help raise your CoQ10 levels.

Statins are a class of prescription drugs designed to lower high cholesterol. Although statins are very effective, they’re not for everybody.

This medication can also lower your body’s levels of coenzyme Q10. In turn, the statin’s side effects may increase as CoQ10 levels drop.

Statins side effects may include:

Some people experience more serious problems, including a condition known as rhabdomyolysis. It occurs when muscle cells break down. As muscles collapse, a certain protein is released into the bloodstream. In turn, this can cause severe kidney problems.

Taking CoQ10 supplements can help increase your CoQ10 levels and may reduce statin side effects.

However, study results on the benefits of CoQ10 for reducing muscle pain associated with statin use are conflicting.

Relieving muscle pain

Some research suggests that taking CoQ10 supplements might decrease muscle breakdown, pain, and discomfort in people taking statins. It could also help enhance muscle and athletic performance.

But more research is needed on that topic.

Improving heart health

CoQ10 supplementation may also function as a natural aid in lowering cholesterol and improving heart health.

Research isn’t conclusive on how well this works, some studies do suggest that combining CoQ10 with statins may produce better results.

Some research suggests that CoQ10 supplements benefit people with heart failure, noting that those who took CoQ10 supplements experienced fewer symptoms and complications than those taking a placebo. Other research suggests improvements in blood vessels in people with or without heart failure.

However, research on whether the combination helps lower blood pressure is unclear. More human studies are needed on this topic of heart health.

Consulting your doctor and healthcare team

CoQ10 supplements may interact with some medications, including statins, beta-blockers, antidepressants, and chemotherapy drugs. If you also take CoQ10 supplements, your doctor might need to change your statin dosage. Always make sure to consult your doctor before taking CoQ10.

Although CoQ10 supplements seem promising for heart health, their effectiveness in improving muscle pain from statins is unclear. More studies are needed to confirm their benefit for this side effect.

If you’re taking statins and have unpleasant side effects, discuss CoQ10 supplements with your doctor. CoQ10 appears to be safe and well-tolerated, so taking it may be a good option, especially if you’re in good health.