Ubiquinol CoQ-10 Update!

[Sharon]

Hi Carolina, how's the Tear Support working for you?
I'd be happy to hear how you deal with the thick mucus, as I believe it's the cause of my plugged up sweling salivary glands and under-eyebrow swelling.
Thanks! 

[Carolina]

I take generic Mucinex every night.  And now I plan to add it every morning as well.

In addition I use Simply Saline on my sinuses twice a day followed by Nasocort.  This is to clear my post nasal drip thick mucus which is the source of great misery, especially at night.

Hugs, Elaine (aka Carolina)

[MetalFae]

Hi MetalFae,
I'm the one who originally posted research on Ubiquinol.
I intended to post an update but wanted to wait a bit longer just to make certain.
First of all, the research only related to dryness of mouth, not eyes, since it seems we actually have Ubiquinol receptors in our salivary glands!
I have been taking pure Ubiquinol at 200mg daily for a bit over a month now.
I was SHOCKED to begin experiencing an increase in saliva which began just last week after exactly a month of being on this stuff. My burning tongue symptom has disappeared as well!
Can't say I'm "normal" yet, but there's definitely an improvement. 
Hasn't helped my eyes though, but didn't expect it to since studies targeted the salivary glands for a reason. It hasn't affected my sleep either way and it shouldn't, so maybe something else is contributing to your insomnia?
May I ask what brand of Ubiquinol you take?

Hey Sharon! Thanks for posting that study! I'm taking the NOW FOODS Vitamin version of the Ubiquinol 100mg. I'm not really sure why, but it did seem to help with my eyes. I have been off it two days now and already sleeping better. However, my joints started hurting and hands swelling a bit again as well as some stiffness and my eyes were getting sensitive to sunlight again. It's subtle, but it's there. Obviously the mouth was the most dramatically improved and just like you said, within a month it seemed to really kick in. However at day two off of it, I have also noticed some vaginal dryness returning again. <-- as for vaginal dryness, that is a wild card and not many Sjogrens studies really address this. In fact, most Sjogrens disease descriptions (even the one in my Rheumatology Primer!) completely bypass that issue and I bet it's just for the same reason most studies don't address women issues. Because women are complicated and hormones are complicated and scientists are mostly men and they don't want to deal with it.
So I'm saying it's helping as I don't think there is any study on it right now.

As for the insomnia...Again, like I said I have doubts that Ubiquinol CoQ10 *alone* would cause insomnia. However, I'm taking Vyvanse 60mg. Vyvanse 60mg alone, does not really affect my sleep. However I systematically decreased all my other meds that were added on over the past few months and the only thing left to get off of that could increase energy was the CoQ10. When I was working, I worked with an RN who was obsessed with taking CoQ10 and it made her incredibly hyper and scatter brained. She got a lot done, but she was all over the place. I had discussions with other nurses about it and they said they thought this particular RN should stop it because CoQ10 can rev you up a bit too much so to speak. Remembering that scenario is how I decided to try going off the Coq10 and see if I could sleep. Sure enough, after stopping it for a day I was able to sleep again. A little less Anxiety as well. Though most of my anxiety was from the steroid inhalers.

So that being said, I'm on Vyvanse 60mg which is my highest tolerated dose and then I added 100mg Coq10. I'm sure the insomnia has more to do with it's use in combination rather than either medication alone. So I will talk to my psych about it. Thanks for posting the study - it's been a great help!

[Sharon]

You're certainly welcome Metalfae, glad it was helpful for you.
I too am taking the Now foods brand as it wasn't as expensive as the other brands I found.
Though I've been taking it at double the dose (200mg), I haven't experienced any improvement other than saliva. I wish it would give me more energy as I've been severely fatigued lately.
I liked your take on doctors not addressing women's issues...
Yes, we ARE complicated! 

[jazzlover]

That's interesting.... I have had Sjogren's for probably 10 yrs. I've been taking CoQ10 for about 12-14 yrs??? Not sure. My mouth has never been extremely dry .. so perhaps that is why I'm better than most SJS patients in that regard.

I began taking CoQ10 for my heart .. very glad I did so!

[Sharon]

Hi Jazz, you might want to try the Ubiquinol form to see if that improves saliva even more.

[katie1111]

I started taking CoQ10 after seeing it recommended on the PBCers blog for the treatment of fatigue.  One thing I read was, since it is used to treat fatigue, it should not be taken after 4PM.  It 100mg twice a day - morning and noon.

Katie1111

[SabbraCadabra]

I no longer wake up with an extremely dry mouth. I no longer sleep with water at my bedside. I can go hours now without taking a drink.

Waaait a minute, you mean to tell me that that is not normal??

That's been my life since I was very small. I can't imagine waking up and not needing a drink.

[Jasper]

SabbraCadabra ..... No, it is not normal to wake up with an extremely dry mouth, sleep with water at the bedside, or feel the need to drink water all of the time.

I never used to have any of those problems. I did not start sleeping with water at my bedside until I was in my late 30s or early 40s. I never woke up with a dry mouth until my late 30s or early 40s. And I used to be able to go hours and hours with without drinking fluid.

After I developed those problems, I then went through decades of having those problems, so now that they have improved, I do really notice the difference.

I don't know if it is a combination of the meds and supplements I am taking or if it is due to 1 or 2 of them, but I do know that I am a lot less dry and I am very thankful for that. .