An Interview about My Use of CoQ10 for Parkinson's Disease

Q: Talk to me about your use of CoQ10 in your alternative therapy
A: Okay, I'm really excited about this anti-oxidant

Q: Do you remember why you wanted to add it to your PD regimen?
A: I had read that tests showed it might be neuroprotective
AND I didn’t want to start taking Sinemint or levedopa/carbidopa
also called L-dopa

Q: How long has it been since you began to take it?
A: 5 or 6 years

Q: And you are still taking it daily?
A: Yes, 2 times every day

Q: How does it make you feel?
A: Normal. And that says a lot.
It helps to control my tremor and I don’t get as tired.

Q: And if you forget to take it?
A: My tremor returns - and I feel "off"

Q: Does it eliminate the tremor entirely?
A: No, but it does reduce the tremor.
If I am feeling very emotional, the tremor will appear anyway.
It works with my the two meds I take: Isradipine and azilect.

Q: Where do you buy the CoQ10 that you use?
A: I found that Costco had the most reasonably priced product I could find.
It is not inexpensive but it is very significant to my therapy.

Q: Why did you look there?
A: I was looking at the specific manufacturing process.
There was more than one process to make it.
Coq10 can be natural or synthetic.
"Trans" is the natural form of this nutritional supplement.
Trans-isomer process was considered the best because it reproduced COQ10 in its purest
form, identical to that produced by your body.
I called the company in California which makes it for Costco
and they confirmed that they used that process to make their CoQ10.
I became a Costco member because the savings in a year more than paid
for my membership.
There are other companies which use this process and the cost for bulk purchase
is now close to the Costco price. And I could order my mail.

Q: What do you do when you run out?
A: I stop at Walgreens and buy the cheapest private lable bottle I can find.
When I take it for a short period of time I haven’t noticed a difference.

Q: I know you have taken the Ultra CoQ10, did you find a difference?
I know that the mgs are lower in the Ultra.
A: I did at first but after a bottle or two I didn’t feel that there was much difference
but that might have been my concern about the cost.

Q: You said that you take it twice a day. Why not once a day?
A: I take 2-600 mg doses a day because of the short 1/2 life.
But I want to add that the effective mgs might differ from person to person.
I see 1200 mgs per day as the PD suggested dosage
More probably wouldn't be better - it just passes through the body and out.
When I discussed it with my doctor, he suggested limiting the dosage to 1200 mgs.

Q. Can CoQ10 benefit patients with other diseases?
A. Yes, according to the Mayo Clinic, "CoQ10 levels are reported to decrease with age and to be low in patients with some chronic diseases such as heart conditions, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. Some prescription drugs may also lower CoQ10 levels."

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