As when starting any new supplement, always speak with your healthcare provider first. The same goes for CoQ10. That’s especially true if you’re managing an underlying health condition or taking any prescription medications, since the supplement does have the potential to interact with some common meds.
Since CoQ10 is considered a dietary supplement rather than a drug, the FDA regulates it differently than pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medications.
Risks
CoQ10 supplements may lower blood sugar and blood pressure. In doing so, they might interact with certain medications, including:
- Beta-blockers
- Insulin
- Warfarin
Beta-blockers are a type of medication that lowers blood pressure, and the diabetes drug insulin reduces blood glucose. CoQ10 may also interfere with warfarin, an anticoagulant (blood thinner), says Bojana Jankovic Weatherly, MD, a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a certified functional medicine practitioner in private practice in New York City. Dr. Jankovic Weatherly adds that CoQ10 may make chemotherapy drugs less effective, given that it is an antioxidant. CoQ10 may also interact with diabetes and blood-thinning medications.
Side Effects
Clinicians generally consider CoQ10 to be safe for most healthy people. According to the NCCIH, no reports of serious side effects have circulated. If you do experience side effects, they’re likely to be mild, Jankovic Weatherly says. Per the NCCIH, the common side effects are:
- Insomnia
- Nausea
- Digestive upset
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