ALL Statin Drugs 
Reduce or Eliminate 
Natural CoEnzyme 

Q10 Synthesis Supplementation is a Necessity to Avoid Heart DiseaseTo protect your heart from the side effects of taking a statin, take this supplement CoEnzyme Q 10.Statin drugs have become very popular and are being widely prescribed in recent years to lower high blood cholesterol and thus reduce the risk for heart disease. These drugs block cholesterol production in the body by inhibiting the enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase in the early steps of its synthesis in the mevalonate pathway. This same biosynthetic pathway is also shared by CoQ10. Therefore, one unfortunate consequence of statin drugs is the unintentional inhibition of CoQ10 synthesis. Thus, in the long run, statin drugs could predispose the patients to heart disease by lowering their CoQ10 status, the very condition that these drugs are intended to prevent.
Dr. Emile Bliznakov, an authority on CoQ10, recently published a scholarly review on the interaction between statin drugs and CoQ10 (Bliznakov and Wilkins, 1998). He wrote the best-selling book "The Miracle Nutrient Coenzyme Q10" several years ago and it is still being hailed as the best reference book on CoQ10 (Bliznakov, 1987).
The reduction of CoQ10 levels might be associated with myopathy, a rare adverse effect associated with statin drugs. This metabolic myopathy is related to ubiquinone (CoQ10) deficiency in muscle cell mitochondria, disturbing normal cellular respiration and causing adverse effects such as rhabdomyolysis, exercise intolerance, and recurrent myoglobinuria. (DiMuro S., Exercise intolerance and the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Ital J Neurol Sci. Dec. 1999;20(6):387-393).
It is important to note that Coenzyme Q10 supplementation does not interfere with the very important cholesterol-lowering effect of statin drugs such as Lipitor® and Zocor®. Therefore, if you are taking a statin drug, (especially for an extended period of time), you may want to consider discussing CoQ10 supplementation with your health care professional.
The bottom line is that the popular and widely prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs called "Statins" can block the synthesis of Coenzyme Q10 in the body which may lead to sub-optimal CoQ10 levels. Supplementation with Q-Gel CoQ-10 is a prudent approach when undergoing "statin" therapy.
But, don't just take our word for it. One of the world's premier Pharmaceutical Companies and the manufacturer of the 2nd largest selling statin drug has not one but two US Patents regarding the use of Coenzyme Q10 with HMG-COA Reductase Inhibitors (Statins). You can read the full contents of these patents for yourself on the official United States Patent and Trademark Office web site (www.uspto.gov/). It is interesting to note that both of these patents were issued over eleven years ago (May and June of 1990) but that no use of the patented process of combining Coenzyme Q10 with HMG-COA Reductase Inhibitors (Statins) has yet been made or publicized.
The Patent numbers you will want to look up are: Patent Number: 4,933,165 Patent Number: 4,929,437
Below is a verbatim sample from Patent Number 4,933,165.

 "What is claimed is
:1. A pharmaceutical composition comprising 
a pharmaceutical carrier and an effective 
antihypercholesterolemic amount of an 
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor and an amount 
of Coenzyme Q.sub.10 effective to counteract 
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor-associated 
skeletal muscle myopathy.
2. A composition of claim 1 in which the 
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor is selected 
from: lovastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin 
and sodium-3,5-dihydroxy-7-[3-
(4-fluorophenyl)-1-(methylethyl)-1H-
Indole-2yl]- hept-6-enoate.
3. A method of counteracting HMG-CoA 
reductase inhibitor-associated skeletal 
muscle myopathy in a subject in need of 
such treatment which comprises the 
adjunct administration of a therapeutically 
effective amount of an HMG-CoA reductase 
inhibitor and an effective amount of 
Coenzyme Q.sub.10 to counteract said 
myopathy.
4. A method of claim 3 in which the HMG-
CoA reductase inhibitor is selected from 
the group consisting of: lovastatin, 
simvastatin, pravastatin and sodium-
3,5-dihydroxy-7-[3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-
(methylethyl)-1H-Indole-2yl]- hept-6-enoate."