If you are currently being treated with any of the following medications, you
should not use CoQ10 without first talking to your healthcare provider.
Daunorubicin and Doxorubicin
Coenzyme Q10 may help to reduce
the toxic effects on the heart caused by daunorubicin and doxorubicin, two
chemotherapy medications that are commonly used to treat a variety of cancers.
Blood Pressure Medications
In a study of individuals taking
blood pressure medications (including diltiazem, metoprolol, enalapril, and
nitrate), CoQ10 supplementation allowed the individuals to take lower dosages of
these drugs. This suggests that CoQ10 may enhance the effectiveness of certain
blood pressure medications, but more research is needed to verify these
results.
Warfarin
There have been reports that coenzyme Q10 may
decrease the effectiveness of blood-thinning medications such as warfarin,
leading to the need for increased doses. Therefore, given that this medication
must be monitored very closely for maintenance of appropriate levels and steady
blood thinning, CoQ10 should only be used with warfarin under careful
supervision by your healthcare provider.
Timolol
CoQ10 supplementation may reduce the heart-related
side effects of timolol drops, a beta-blocker medication used to treat glaucoma,
without decreasing the effectiveness of the medication.
Other
Medications that can lower the levels of coenzyme Q10 in
the body include statins for cholesterol (atorvastatin, cerivastatin,
lovastatin, pravastatin, simvastatin), fibric acid derivatives for cholesterol
(specifically, gemfibrozil), beta-blockers for high blood pressure (such as
atenolol, labetolol, metoprolol, and propranolol), and tricyclic antidepressant
medications (including amitriptyline, amoxapine, clomipramine, desipramine,
doxepin, imipramine, nortriptyline, protriptyline, and trimipramine).