I'm really sensitive when it comes to coq10...I always get anxiety, heart pounds and bad insomnia from it so I haven't been taking it for a while. Yesterday I was so exhausted and desperate for a little energy, I dumped most of the powder out of a capsule and took about a 1/4 of a capsule of it.
The rest of the day, I had the worst swelling in my nose and head, I got really hot and weak, etc. I thought it was an allergic reaction or some weird sensitivity because ever since lyme, my sensitivities to random things are huge.
I'm starting to wonder though if this was some kind of herx. I get the same swelling in my nose and head when my antibiotic is really kicking lyme butt. Is there a chance coq10 can kill lyme??? Has this happened to anyone else?
Posted by Buster (Member # 19472) on :
no don't think so...
A herx is when bacteria is killed and the toxins flood the system
Posted by marriedchick (Member # 20214) on :
thanks for the reply. I'm all too familiar with what a usual herx feels like...I guess I was just hoping it was that instead of a sensitivity.
I just really wish I could tolerate coq10 because after feeling awful from it yesterday, now today, I have more energy than I've had in months. I got my usual insomnia last night from it for most of the night.
Does anyone else have this problem where it seems like your body needs it for energy to be able to function but you just can't tolerate it? I don't know what other alternative to it is out there.
The thing that bugs me about my intolerance to it is that my last doctor ran a test and shows that I deficient in coq10...that's why it bugs me SOOOOO much that I can't tolerate it!!
It seems like it's a piece of my health puzzle that's missing - when I try it, it gives me energy but at the same time, it's "too much" energy with the insomnia, anxiety, etc. It's crazy and annoys me so much because I know other lymies get energy from it. :-(
Posted by Lemon-Lyme (Member # 19229) on :
Generally speaking, people don't really get automatic energy from taking a single CoQ10 capsule. It can also take several weeks for CoQ10 to be absorbed by the heart and various organs. And it usually requires large doses to even reach the organs.
Maybe you are allergic to a filler in the capsule?
Posted by Aniek (Member # 5374) on :
I get very light headed from CoQ10 so I don't take it
Posted by marriedchick (Member # 20214) on :
nope, i've tried this for years with every coq10 brand known to man. i'm the most sensitive person on the face of the earth. i always react to the teeny-tiny-est amount of coq10...my old naturopath used to look at me like i had two heads when I told him how sensitive i was to it. i just don't get it.
I get the same way if I take too many b-vitamins. Also, can't tolerate caffeine...can't tolerate ginseng, anything that is meant to stimulate the body. It's like poison to me. I don't get it.
The only explanation I've ever read about is in the Metabolic Typing diet book...it explains how "protein types," people who need to eat a ton of animal protein for their specific type of fast metabolism, can't handle anything that is meant to stimulate the body...like caffeine, etc.
Lately I wonder if this is something I need to try. My old lyme doctor told me to eat according to your metabolic type, referring to this book. I think the author is Wilcott.
who knows!! it's a very annoying problem for me. i can't handle any adrenal supplements either...the smallest amount stimulates me SOOOO bad...major insomnia, anxiety, heart pounding, etc. This problem is such a hurdle in my healing because all of the stuff that helps me feel more human as far as energy to help me do daily things, I just can't tolerate.
Posted by Bugg (Member # 8095) on :
Marriedchick--For what it's worth, I react to it as well but not as harshly...In some ways, when I first start taking it, it can remind me of a herx....For me, it sometimes makes my lower jaw ache and increases my stiffness...However, if I keep at it, eventually the reaction dissipates....
I take it with Omega 3 for better absorption...I also take D-ribose with it to lessen the "stiffness"/sorenss reaction that I get initially from the CoQ10...
In my dime-store anaylsis, we might react to it because it's impacting mitochondrial respiration/helping to create energy and it's a powerful antioxidant....If you adhere to the theory that lyme, coinfections, and the harsh long-term abx many of us take can damage mitochondrial function, then a "herx-like" reaction might be from the increase in metabolic function/(mitochondrial function)/immune function...
I remember reading two posts on a CFS/Fibro site where two members said they initially had an increase in stiffness and a "viral" flare/sore throat/canker sores when starting CoQ10....They said, however, they felt better after about a week.....
I think it's extremely important especially for anyone who was on long-term malarials for babs...
Hang in there with it....Also, what was the test your LLMD gave you to detect your levels?
Posted by Nutmeg (Member # 7250) on :
Hi marriedchick,
I read on another board that anyone with stress or anxiety or with an already-sensitized nervous system may need to avoid taking B vitamins and CoQ10. They can cause anxiety and more nerve stimulation.
Sounds like you might be better off without them, since you react as you do. They are synthesized, and not natural substances like you would get in food.
Nutmeg
Posted by groovy2 (Member # 6304) on :
Hi All
Dont take CoQ10 if your are taking Mepron - It interacts with it and lowers the effect of mepron --Jay--
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
What else is in your bottle of CoQ10??? Doesn't seem like just the CoQ10 would do that to you.
Does it have other vitamins or something else in it??
I take it all the time and have for years.
Posted by Bugg (Member # 8095) on :
Yes, thanks for the clarification , Groovy2....
What I was trying to say was that some lyme patients like myself who did not take CoQ10 during their babs treatment (because it's contraindicated) might want to strongly consider taking it once babs treatment is finished....
I was very low in CoQ10 after 3-4 months of Mepron,zith, and artemisinin for babs....There are many PubMed articles on CoQ10 deficiency (ubiquinone deficiency) and how it can negatively impact skeletal muscle/heart muscle and create fatigue due to mitochondrial dysfuction....
I've also read that CoQ10, since it's a ubiquinone, should be taken with fat, like Omega 3, for better absorption....
Posted by Bugg (Member # 8095) on :
Marriedchick-
One thing I failed to ask is whether or not you have any blood sugar/blood pressure issues/diabetes...If so, I would not take CoQ10 without strict supervision of my physician.....
Posted by greenbow (Member # 21463) on :
the coq10 gives me a real burst of good energy but, i get the "bad" reactions you described above from the b vits..the increased muscle tightness and tremorie sensations and anxiety.. thanks for this post, c
Posted by CherylSue (Member # 13077) on :
I'm very sensitive to CoQ10. Makes me feel awful. I read somewhere that a few people can't tolerate it. I guess that's me.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
What happened to marriedchick?
Posted by TO LIFE (Member # 12371) on :
Yes, it can. I have heard it can help with parasites. It brings more oxygen into the tissues which they don't like.
Posted by Marz (Member # 3446) on :
If CoQ10 can kill parasites because they don't like oxygen, then could it cure babesia?
I've been on high dose CoQ10 for a month now and don't notice any energy spurts, but know it takes time.
I've been suspicious of babesia even though I don't test positive for it and don't have the major symptoms.
Does anyone think it might actually cure the babs? Almost sounds too simple.
Also, since bacteria don't like oxygen either should it eventually kill the borellia?
Posted by TO LIFE (Member # 12371) on :
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has the unique ability to increase oxygen utilization in our body and to activate the immune system. When our immune system is exhausted from the stress of fighting off molds, fungi, bacteria, viruses, toxins, etc. and we feel sick or have a chronic tired feeling CoQ10 gives it a shot of oxygen, which revives it so it can attack the foreign invaders with renewed vigor.
COQ10 needs special attention for those with impaired cellular and natural immunity as seen in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) sufferers. The powerful antioxidant is especially important during viral infections since COQ10 levels in white blood cells fall rapidly as the cell's requirements for this superimmune nutrient increase in order to fight off invaders. COQ10 stimulates the immune system to kill bacteria and increase antibody response. It maximizes the eating and digesting ability of macrophages, allowing them to destroy bacteria, viruses and parasites effectively. It is also known to enhance natural killer cell activity and inhibit metastasis of tumors.
Posted by TO LIFE (Member # 12371) on :
Dear Marz,
I test neg- for babs. But with Babs their is alot of controversy where even HBO could make it worse.
I have no clue weather CoQ10 is worse or better for babs.
Posted by cuffee (Member # 18491) on :
I had a similar reaction and my naturapath said that it absoutely could cause it.
Posted by Marz (Member # 3446) on :
TO LIFE, I can't remember what HBO is?
Cuffee, what your naturopath said about CoQ10 being able to cause a reaction, then that could be why I feel worsee I believe.
Eventually, it has to turn around, so I won't stop taking it.