CoQ10

Coenzyme Q10 · Ubiquinone · Ubiquinol

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Statin-associated muscle symptoms¹ Migraine prevention² Fatigue³ Diminished ovarian reserve^4–6 Idiopathic male infertility⁷ Exercise-induced muscle damage⁸ Polycystic ovary syndrome^{9, 10} Blood pressure, type 2 diabetes¹¹	Soy allergy¹²

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), present as ubiquinone and its reduced form ubiquinol, is made in every human cell and takes part in cellular energy production¹³. Supplementation is used to support mitochondrial energy and antioxidant defense.¹ The uses that follow are statin-associated muscle symptoms, migraine prevention, fatigue, and male fertility^{1–3, 14}. Typical patients are statin users with myalgia, adults with migraine, and couples in infertility care.

Evidence on statin muscle symptoms is split: a meta-analysis found reduced pain¹, while the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health concluded the overall evidence does not support benefit¹⁵. Meta-analyses report fewer migraine attacks and higher clinical pregnancy rates in women with diminished ovarian reserve. A review of dietary supplements in male infertility found no effect on pregnancy¹⁶. Products listing CoQ10 number in the thousands, mostly softgels in ubiquinone or ubiquinol form; see Form comparison.

The Memorial Sloan Kettering page notes that CoQ10's antioxidant properties may reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation therapy¹³. It is structurally similar to vitamin K and may antagonize warfarin, though bleeding has also been reported, so that page asks patients on blood thinners to talk to their doctor¹³.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

78 sources, 57 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources