An Overlooked Nutrient Most People Taking Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Should Know About

I am biased, but I think that natural medicine has some phenomenally effective therapies. I also believe that no one therapy is right for everyone and so some of my patients are on cholesterol-lowering medications.

Often patients come to me because they are fatigued and don’t feel like themselves and are also on these medications to lower their cholesterol and protect their heart. Little do they realize that there is a connection between the two. When you struggle with fatigue it is hard to wake up on time for work, you opt for less healthy convenience foods, and the gym routine you worked hard to establish is a thing of the past. However, when you feel rested, waking on time to your alarm clock is easy. You are more likely to choose healthy whole foods-based meals (which is easier on the waistline) and visiting the gym happens more often than skipping the workout.

Cholesterol-lowering prescriptions work by blocking the action of a normally occurring enzyme in the body called HMG-CoA reductase, which is responsible for a few functions in the body including making cholesterol. It also is important for making CoEnzyme Q10. CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant that protects the heart and brain and is critical to energy production. We naturally see a reduction in its production as we age and adding a statin medication lowers its production even more.

Recently I started working with Sandra, a 54-year-old working mother who reported dragging herself through the week on will power and crashing on the weekends. She reports eating a balanced low carb diet but could not stop the 1 to 2 pounds a month weight gain. She blamed these changes on being middle-aged and was hoping for a solution, so she had the energy to attend her son’s weekend baseball tournaments and to stop the slow creep of weight. On our first visit we decided to run some labs and I prescribed CoQ10 to help with energy as she was already on an acceptable multivitamin. At our follow up lab review Sandra reported more energy in the afternoon and that she had lost 3 lbs. Supplementing the CoQ10 was replacing a depleted nutrient with many important functions for energy and metabolism that was depleted by her statin prescription. Over the next 6 months Sandra joined a gym and lowered her cholesterol with diet and we were able to lower her prescription dose and still maintain excellent cholesterol panels. This spring Sandra had the energy to visit colleges with her eldest son without crashing and plans on running the Grandma’s 5K--a feat that seemed overwhelming to consider 8 months ago.

If you are concerned that nutrient deficiencies caused by medications (like cholesterol-lowering medications) are the cause of your fatigue or other health issues, reach out and schedule an appointment.

Rachel Oppitz, ND

P.S. Please check out my recent blog on 7 Strategies to Lower Your Cholesterol in 90 days Without Drugs.