Have You Tried It?

Updated on October 09, 2011
F.M. asks from Lincoln, NE
8 answers

Hi all,
Need to pick your brains.... so has anyone heard of Coenzyme q10 supplements? What do you think of them? Have you ever tried them for yourself or your kids? I have read the reviews from parents who have had good luck with them and i am so wanting to try it for my special needs daughter. I know it won't create a miracle and i also know that this supplement has not been approved by the FDA, but the amount of positive feedback i have gotten back from our support group is amazing!
I called my daughters PED but she was very reluctant to give me a dosage for her due to the fact that she feels there has not been enough research to support a good reason why we should give her the supplement. A huge handful of the parents in my support group have tried it with their kids and have had good luck, so i know it wont hurt my baby, the only bad side effect i have heard so far was that it gave one little boy diarreha, so they had to stop using it.
Please let me know your thoughts! Thanks!

The proud mother of a special needs child.

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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

Well... in order to tell if you're deficient in it... you would need to get a muscle biopsy on you and your children. A blood test would only show your dietary levels.

Here's MY concern:

It's fat soluble.

Ordinarily, with most supplements and vitamins, they're WATER soluable (ADE&K are fat soluble). If you have too much of a WATER soluble chemical in your body, your body naturally excretes it into your bloodstream, then your liver and kidneys yank it out, and you pee it harmlessly into the toilet (or wherever... having a 9yo boy... I have to caveat that!)

The problem with FAT soluable nutrients, enzymes, etc... is that if you have too much of it in your system, your body stores it in your fat cells. Why? Because fat soluble chemicals TORCH your liver and kidneys. Particularly your liver which has a REALLY high fat content. What happens then? Well 1 of 2 things:

1) Cirrhosis or blockage of the liver (bad bad bad), and blockage or stones in the kidneys (also not good).

2) Liver or Kidney failure

Now... this will NOT happen right away. When it happens is *when you burn fat*. The stored fat soluable chemicals in your fat flood your system (drycleaners and others who have worked around fat soluble chemicals, and those who have taken a lot of fat soluable vitamins/minerals in their lives) have a tendency to die very very quickly. Seizure, organ failure, certain cancers. Others "merely" go blind (vitamin A toxicity causes blindness), etc... and they ALL suffer from kidney and liver damage or failure as those organs absorb a huge bolus of vitamins. Of course, your immune system also goes haywire (your immune system is largely made up of fats... antibodies, bone marrow, etc.), bones start hurting like crazy (because of the marrow)... a whole HOST of problems.

The times when children start burning fat like crazy is about 1 year into puberty, women after childbirth, and anyone who is overweight who starts exercising to "get healthy" (poor folks who have toxins stored in their fats, the LAST thing they want to do is affect normal to rapid weight loss!). So these aren't problems that will crop up in a week, or month, or year. These are problems that will blast to life in 10/20/30 years. Which is why (in this country) it's sooooo hard to study products like these. We have most of our data on the toxicity of chemical exposure from countries like Sweden who DO do longitudinal studies that span decades.

Now, if you're deficient... GREAT. If you're NOT, you're setting yourself and your children up for lifetime organ damage and shortened lives. Which is why nutritionists and healthcare workers are VERY leery of anything that is fat soluble.

2 moms found this helpful

P.W.

answers from Dallas on

I'm a vitamin gal. I have my own small business selling them. In my experience most doctors are not believers in vitamins and one of the reasons is........ they don't know about them. That means you have to do your own research. That's what I do. And I definitely believe vitamin takers are healthier and get sick less. If you want to target a certain illness or problem, you just do your research and take a stab at it.

I believe it is important to do your research on brands. Not all vitamins are created equal. Fillers may be unsafe or put together wrong making them less effective. So google away and find a brand that is trustworthy.

I take CoQ 10. It is an antioxidant and needed by the body. I do not take a large dosage and have not had any side affects. I've never heard of anyone having a side affect, but I only know adults that have taken it. I take it for general health.

Most doctor will not give you a dosage on vitamins because vitamins scare them, and once again I believe that is because they don't know enough about them. Dosage is something we kind of have to figure out for ourselves. I have seen many people have amazing things happen for them by trying the right supplements. My advice is don't be afraid. Just do your research and don't jump in to large quantities. Choose a reputable company that does quality control testing. Feel free to contact me if I can help.

U.5.

answers from Wichita on

Enzymes are good for anyone and can really make a difference. One of my daughters and I take papaya enzyme to help with food digestion. She was complaining of feeling sick after every meal so I gave it a shot. It's to breakdown the protein for better digestion. As far as Coenzyme q-10, I have heard many great things about it but have never tried it myself. Coenzyme B-complex is good too.

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M.H.

answers from Atlanta on

CoQ-10 is naturally occuring in EVERY cell. Some people have a deficiency so it needs to be supplemented. The best way to know if you have a deficiency is by the diagnoses that are evident. The reason your friends are seeing results is because they are getting the level of CoQ-10 to it's appropriate level in their loved one's body. Just FYI...no supplement is approved by the FDA. That is not their business. The things they do approve are also not always the best so don't let their lack of approving concern you. Single supplements cannot (legally) be patented so there is no money in them. (Some supplement blends are patented.) AND, you're right. It won't hurt her. Her body already has it.

Doctors are not trained in supplementation. You may want to seek out an ND (naturopath) or a DC (doctor of Chiropractic) or a clinical nutritionist that has been trained in supplementation. Many health stores have very well trained staff members that know these things. I know the major chain Vitamin Shoppe (not Vitamin World or GNC) has very well trained staff members and their management is on top of things. If they don't know they will probably know who to refer you to. If you have a Mom and Pop store in town confirm that their supplements are pharmaceutical grade and not drug store grade (Walmart, GNC, etc). Drug store grade can be harmful.

I gave my elderly parents CoQ-10 for their dementia and confusion and it helped. My diabetic (type 2) husband takes it as well. Find someone that can help. There may be other things that she needs as well or something that might be a better fit for her. There are many resources out there for you to get the help you need.

God bless,
M.

www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

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J.K.

answers from Phoenix on

Doctors never support or help me with supplement doses. They know prescriptions, not supplements. The rule of thumb is to cut the dose in half for children. Cut it in half twice if they're smaller. My husband uses it and it works great for him. My kids have used lots of different supplements for different things but I haven't tried them on this. Ask a nutritionist or homeopathic/natural path doctor. They will be more helpful.

S.N.

answers from Boston on

I don't know about if a child should take them, I would consult a doctor first...but I take 200 MG every day because I take a statin for my cholesterol.
Whatever the statin removes from my muscles needed to be replaced and it appears to work for me...but please check with a doctor before giving them or anything to your child.

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T.W.

answers from Denver on

I do not know anything about this supplement but like you I am willing to try anything that may help my children and especially if other parents are having good luck with it.

If you get the chance, check out a documentary called The Beautiful Truth. It is very conspiracy-like but it has a lot of good information on diet. You may want to look at that in addition to the supplements.

Good luck!

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