Coenzyme Q10 treats statin related muscle pain

Statin therapy to lower cholesterol and help prevent cardiovascular disease often causes muscle related symptoms or myopathies; symptoms of which are muscle weakness, muscle pain, and muscle inflammation. Scientists at the Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiology, Stony Brook University, in New York, state that the muscle symptoms may be due to the inhibition of the manufacture of Coenzyme Q10 in our bodies by these drugs. Coenzyme Q10 is necessary for energy production in our muscles (this includes our heart muscle). In this study the researchers gave 18 patients with statin related myopathy Coenzyme Q10 100mg a day for 30 days or Vitamin E 400 IU (Vitamin E is not related to myopathy) in a double blind and randomized study. Muscle pain and interference with daily activities due to the pain were assessed before and after treatment. In the group treated with Coenzyme Q10, the severity of the pain decreased by 40% and pain interference with daily activities decreased by 38% with no change in the other group. Treating patients on statin drugs with Coenzyme Q10 may offer an alternative to stopping these drugs when they cause muscle pain. The study is published in the May 15th, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.