An Unusual Source of Anxiety

[Fortunate]

I recently discovered a surprising source of anxiety for me and wanted to share my experience so it may help others. It took me a month or so to figure out that over the counter CoQ10 was causing me recurring bouts of anxiety and tachycardia as well as episodic insomnia. I was really surprised to realize this seemingly benign over the counter supplement could have such a powerful influence on me. I noticed the issue while taking 400mg/day.

On the positive side, CoQ10 also gave me periodic days on which I felt really mentally clear, focused and alert. It would be nice to find a sweet spot in which I got the benefit without the anxiety and insomnia. For now, I am not taking it and would recommend you tread lightly if you decide to try it for any of it's purported benefits.

More details on my experience are posted here.

 

[Vince]

When I first started using high dose CoQ10. I believe it caused me sleep issues so I cut back down and gradually built my levels back up. I was taking 800 mg daily and then I gradually built back up to 800 mg daily. When I got my levels check they were extremely high and my doctor told me to cut down. So now I'm taking 600 mg daily.

I use Jarrow ubiquinol. Soft gel and I chew them slowly. They're good for your gums and chewing them helps your body absorb them.

I'm wondering what brand are you using?

 

[DaytonaJonah]

I recently discovered a surprising source of anxiety for me and wanted to share my experience so it may help others. It took me a month or so to figure out that over the counter CoQ10 was causing me recurring bouts of anxiety and tachycardia as well as episodic insomnia. I was really surprised to realize this seemingly benign over the counter supplement could have such a powerful influence on me. I noticed the issue while taking 400mg/day.

On the positive side, CoQ10 also gave me periodic days on which I felt really mentally clear, focused and alert. It would be nice to find a sweet spot in which I got the benefit without the anxiety and insomnia. For now, I am not taking it and would recommend you tread lightly if you decide to try it for any of it's purported benefits.

More details on my experience are posted here.

I also dropped CoQ10 a couple of years ago for the same reasons...insomnia & a bit of anxiety.

 

[Fortunate]

When I first started using high dose CoQ10. I believe it caused me sleep issues so I cut back down and gradually built my levels back up. I was taking 800 mg daily and then I gradually built back up to 800 mg daily. When I got my levels check they were extremely high and my doctor told me to cut down. So now I'm taking 600 mg daily.

I use Jarrow ubiquinol. Soft gel and I chew them slowly. They're good for your gums and chewing them helps your body absorb them.

I'm wondering what brand are you using?

Nature Made

 

[Vince]

Nature Made

Is it ubiquinol?

 

[Fortunate]

Is it ubiquinol?

This is what I was taking.

 

[Vince]

 

[Vince]

I would switch to ubiquinol and see if you get better results.

 

[Vince]

Peter Langsjoen, MD discusses why we should take Coenzyme Q10

Here is an excellent video by Dr. Langsjoen, he's a huge CoQ10 proponent.

www.excelmale.com

 

[Willyt]

I have come to conclusion over and over again that supplements cause more trouble than they are worth. And yet the temptation continues lol

 

[ZALEMAX]

Hi all and Fortunate, I have been taking this for years (14-15) I used to take 400mg while working out it always gave me like more oxygen and energy. Now I take it every day @ 200mg at breakfast or on workout days first thing before warming to lift weights it appears to help me in some way. I do not recall not being able to sleep or more anxiety from it um interesting post.

 

[Fortunate]

Hi all and Fortunate, I have been taking this for years (14-15) I used to take 400mg while working out it always gave me like more oxygen and energy. Now I take it every day @ 200mg at breakfast or on workout days first thing before warming to lift weights it appears to help me in some way. I do not recall not being able to sleep or more anxiety from it um interesting post.

Like many things discussed around here, responses to the same medication/supplements vary greatly among different individuals.

That said, I do think that the dose matters. At 200 mg, I seemed to do fine. I think my trouble started when I increased it to 400 mg.

 

[Gianluca]

I have experienced some issues with coq10 in the past as well. I now eat beef heart or take dessicated beef heart for extra coq10, no issues with it

 

[Gianluca]

I have come to conclusion over and over again that supplements cause more trouble than they are worth. And yet the temptation continues lol

I have to agree, at least for the most part. Especially when we take a supplement not knowing if we need it or not

 

[Fortunate]

I would switch to ubiquinol and see if you get better results.

@Vince, do you mind expanding on this? My vague understanding is that CoQ10 exists in various forms that differ by how reduced or oxidized they are. I think ubiquinol is felt to be more bioavailable than other forms. I think, but am not totally clear on this, that the different forms of CoQ10 also serve different functions.

If anything, I would need less CoQ10 rather than more (because of negative side effects), so absorbing better would not solve my issue. On the other hand, if the overall benefits of ubiquinol are different than other forms of CoQ10 outside of the bioavailability, then maybe it's worth it for me to try it?

I am curious what your thoughts are on this? In what way is ubiquinol better for you? I do think the NatureMade CoQ10 gives me energy and alertness, but at the cost of some anxiety later in the day. If ubiquinol somehow led to a different subjective experience, I may be willing to try it.

 

[MIP1950]

Like many things discussed around here, responses to the same medication/supplements vary greatly among different individuals.

That said, I do think that the dose matters. At 200 mg, I seemed to do fine. I think my trouble started when I increased it to 400 mg.

To add to my previous post about K2/Mk4 and anxiety, I've tried CoQ-10 as well, several times over the years, and for me, too, it increased my anxiety. 100 mg was too much for me.

 

[Vince]

@Vince, do you mind expanding on this? My vague understanding is that CoQ10 exists in various forms that differ by how reduced or oxidized they are. I think ubiquinol is felt to be more bioavailable than other forms. I think, but am not totally clear on this, that the different forms of CoQ10 also serve different functions.

If anything, I would need less CoQ10 rather than more (because of negative side effects), so absorbing better would not solve my issue. On the other hand, if the overall benefits of ubiquinol are different than other forms of CoQ10 outside of the bioavailability, then maybe it's worth it for me to try it?

I am curious what your thoughts are on this? In what way is ubiquinol better for you? I do think the NatureMade CoQ10 gives me energy and alertness, but at the cost of some anxiety later in the day. If ubiquinol somehow led to a different subjective experience, I may be willing to try it.

I guess the first thing you should do is have your levels check. That way you would how much you are absorbing. Our body do make CoQ10 but as we get older we make less. If someone is on statins it can give you extremely low CoQ10 levels.

 

[IndyColts18to88]

Any vitamin D3 sourced from lanolin causes me to have bad anxiety and just an overall "weird" feeling, after taking it... i can take D3 sourced from lichen and it is not nearly as bad... so i know first-hand that random vitamins and minerals can cause all sorts of stuff unexpectedly!!

 

[Fortunate]

I started this thread a while ago and feel obligated to update it. As you'll see above, I pegged CoQ10 as the culprit in bouts of anxiety I was having a year ago. I have since determined CoQ10 was not the villain. I now take CoQ10 without any obvious anxiety patterns. On the other hand, I have made an interesting discovery regarding intermittent bouts of anxiety.

I have noticed odd episodes during which my heart rate jumps well above my baseline (per my Apple Watch) and along with it, I feel on edge and anxious. It's hard to say if the HR is causing me to feel anxious or vice versa. Regardless, I first noticed this a year ago when I started this thread. Looking back, I was microdosing daily with enanthate, and the bouts of anxiety were coming about 12 hours after my injection. I later noticed similar bouts of anxiety 4-6 hours after a Natesto dose (right before I was due to dose again). As I started to pay closer attention, I noticed I also had a similar experience about 2.5 days after injecting with 50mg of Xyosted.

I am very confident the episodes are all due to the same underlying process. I am not exactly sure what that process is, but my theory is that it has to do with dropping testosterone levels. In each scenario, the onset of symptoms occur about when you would expect levels to be going from high to low.

I don't know if my body is responding to absolute levels (ie, I feel bad below a specific number) vs. responding to the transition (numbers don't matter, but the change is what I am feeling). Regardless, I have been watching and noticing this phenomenon for close to a year and it has been pretty consistent.

I thought I'd post for two reasons: to vindicate CoQ10; but, also to raise awareness of this phenonomon. There have been a lot of anxiety posts here. Clearly supraphysiologic levels of T or E2 can cause anxiety. We all agree on that. But, I think I have identified another potential cause. I just haven't figure out yet if the absolute number is driving my symptoms or if it's the transition. One could speculate that the CV and anxiety events occur as levels peak, but based on what I know about Natesto, my peak levels occur well before these episodes occur. I also suspect the cardiovascular response occurs first, which then drives the anxious feeling.

I may be a unicorn on this one, but I thought I'd put this out there to raise awareness for anyone else with anxiety.

Disclaimer: I am only taking 200mg of CoQ10 at the moment. If I increase and notice a bump in anxiety, I will update for anyone interested.

 

[Willyt]

I have noticed odd episodes during which my heart rate jumps well above my baseline (per my Apple Watch) and along with it, I feel on edge and anxious. It's hard to say if the HR is causing me to feel anxious or vice versa. Regardless, I first noticed this a year ago when I started this thread. Looking back, I was microdosing daily with enanthate, and the bouts of anxiety were coming about 12 hours after my injection. I later noticed similar bouts of anxiety 4-6 hours after a Natesto dose (right before I was due to dose again). As I started to pay closer attention, I noticed I also had a similar experience about 2.5 days after injecting with 50mg of Xyosted.

Interesting that you have experienced it with all three Enan / Natesto / Xyosten, which I would consider very different in terms of timing. If your theory is right, one would think Natesto would cause the worst problems for you because of how fast your T drops back to normal on any nasal T.

Have you considered that a spike in histamine could be causing these bouts? I have been looking into histamine as culprit in early morning awakenings. Histamine is known to cause symptoms similar to what you are descibing. I have had some success treating it with anti-histamine, but its still bit of a mystery.