FWIW, pitavastatin, unlike other statins doesn’t significantly lower blood levels of CoQ10. Whether that’s part of its lesser impact on myalgia, I don’t know. It is not proven that CoQ10 depletion causes myopathy. I am on 4mg of pitavastatin and do not supplement with CoQ10. Max dose of pitavastatin is 4mg/day and doesn’t appear to lower plasma CoQ10 significantly.
Comparison of Effects of Pitavastatin and Atorvastatin on Plasma Coenzyme Q10 in Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Results From a Crossover Study
“An open, randomized, four-phased crossover study using 4 mg of pitavastatin or 20 mg of atorvastatin was performed to compare their efficacy and safety, especially regarding plasma levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in 19 Japanese patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Pitavastatin and atorvastatin caused significant and almost comparable reductions in serum levels of total cholesterol (-35.4 vs. -33.8%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-42.8 vs. -40.7%), and triglyceride (-26.1 vs. -29.4%), and significantly increased serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (12.1 vs. 11.4%). Under these conditions, plasma levels of CoQ10 were reduced by atorvastatin (-26.1%, P=0.0007) but not by pitavastatin (-7.7%, P=0.39), although no adverse events or abnormalities of liver and muscle enzyme were observed after either statin treatment. It remains to be seen whether the observed changes in CoQ10 levels are related to the long-term safety of this drug.”
Yea and that was one of the many reasons I decided to switch to Pitavastatin. I do take 200mg Ubiquinol but I know there are doubts about whether that helps with myalgia anyway, which would make sense if reduced CoQ10 isn’t the cause of the myalgia.
That being said, if lower CoQ10 is the cause of myalgia, it would also make sense that Pitavastatin has a lower risk of myalgia
Good labs (one of the best places to buy your own labs at outstanding prices) now has a new service that allows you to pay $1 (so you don’t cancel) and have a meeting with one of their specialists to answer your lab/health related questions. Not a doctor.
I was curious, so I signed up and had a zoom meeting. A great service for the average person who might need a little extra guidance and who does not have easy access to a doctor.
Also, he said I have the best lipids he’s seen… awww gee shucks (I’m otherwise a mess, so I had to brag!)
The reason for my post:
They want to start getting involved in studies in order to offer people potential access to drugs they might otherwise not get.
He said if I know anyone with Lp(a) over 175 and is not already on a pcsk9, contact them because you might be able to enter a study to monitor how repatha lowers lp(a), and you’ll have a 50% chance of getting repatha for free. (Obviously if you can get it on your own, that is what you want to do).
(I’m otherwise a mess, so I had to brag!)