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Ubiquinol Side Effects & Adverse Reactions (List)

Ubiquinol is an electron-rich, highly-bioavailable, fully reduced form of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) that occurs naturally within all of our cells.  When we’re young, the body is well-equipped to synthesize ubiquinone into ubiquinol (via Q Cycle reactions) which elicits an antioxidant effect to reduce free radicals and enhances cellular energy.  However, biological aging interferes with a person’s ability to produce sufficient ubiquinol, and as a consequence, individuals over the age of 30 exhibit age-related increases in oxidative stress and cellular damage.

Humans are capable of attaining ubiquinol through consumption of various foods such as: beef liver (40.1 mcg/g), pork shoulder (25.4 mcg/g), yellowtail (20.9 mcg/g), tuna (14.6 mcg/g), and chicken breast (13.8 mcg/g).  Nonetheless, since most individuals don’t consume beef liver nor pork shoulder on a regular basis, some experts strongly recommend ubiquinol supplementation for adults.  Administration of supplemental ubiquinol is thought to counteract age-related ubiquinol deficits and deleterious potential outcomes including: cardiovascular events, chest pain, and high blood pressure.

Preliminary research suggests that ubiquinol supplementation may prove useful as an intervention for age-related illness, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, immune dysfunction, mitochondrial disorders, nerve pain, neurodegenerative disorders, and obesity.  It remains unclear as to whether every middle-aged adult will derive sufficient benefit from ongoing ubiquinol supplementation to justify its costs.  Though ubiquinol is extremely well-tolerated by most, it is possible that a small percentage of users will experience side effects and/or adverse reactions.

Ubiquinol Side Effects & Adverse Reactions (List)

A majority of individuals supplementing with ubiquinol on a daily basis won’t experience any noticeable or unwanted side effects.  In fact, many ubiquinol users will question whether it’s really doing much of anything – because they don’t notice any change in their functioning after supplementation.  Although professionals consider ubiquinol supplementation to be extremely safe for most adults, rare adverse effects can occur, including: allergic reactions, appetite loss, diarrhea, headache, nausea, and stomach aches.

Whether you experience any side effects from ubiquinol supplementation will be subject to significant individual variation.  For example, you may notice onset of fatigue or experience a headache in reaction to ubiquinol supplementation, whereas another person using the same supplement might not notice any unusual reaction.  Included below is a list of side effects that have been reported by a subset of ubiquinol users.

Allergic reaction: An extremely small percentage of individuals might be allergic to ubiquinol and related products such as CoQ10 (ubiquinone) or idebenone.  In the event that you’re allergic to ubiquinol, you might experience a myriad of effects such as: itchiness, a skin rash, stomach aches, nausea, dizziness, and possibly even vomiting.  If you suspect that you were allergic to ubiquinol (usually Kaneka QH Ubiquinol) and are experiencing an adverse reaction, emergency medical attention is recommended.

Before assuming that you’re allergic to ubiquinol itself, you might want to evaluate other inactive added ingredients within the product.  Not all ubiquinol formulations are created equal nor do they contain the same inactive constituents, meaning its possible that you might be allergic and/or sensitive to an additive.  It is possible that your ubiquinol might contain beeswax, gluten, nuts, and/or soy to provoke an adverse reaction.

Another possibility is that you are allergic to oils necessary for emulsification of the ubiquinol such as: medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), olive oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, or others. Your best bet is to thoroughly evaluate the ingredients list of any ubiquinol supplement before purchasing to rule out possible allergies.  If you happen to be allergic to one ubiquinol supplement, you may want to ask your doctor about testing another with different added ingredients to determine whether it is actually the ubiquinol OR the additives culpable for your allergic response.

Anxiety: Although ubiquinol is understood to enhance energy levels, some individuals report experiencing such a significant energy spike, that it causes them to feel anxious.  The anxiety may induce symptoms such as racing thoughts, insomnia, restlessness, agitation.  If you’re feeling more keyed up and anxious while taking ubiquinol, the easiest solution is decreasing the dose to a level that makes you feel calm and/or able to function without excessive energy.

Another thing to consider is that the anxiety might indicate a sensitivity to one of the added ingredients.  For example, a small amount of medium-chain triglycerides are included within some preparations, and one side effect of MCT oil is anxiety.  It should be speculated that individuals with underlying neuropsychiatric disorders (especially anxiety disorders) may be more sensitive to neurological and biological changes induced by the ubiquinol, ultimately increasing proneness to an anxiogenic reaction.

Appetite loss: A side effect that has been reported by a subset of ubiquinol users is appetite loss.  Any reduction in appetite experienced while taking ubiquinol may be related to increases in energy levels from supplementation.  Some individuals eat because they feel as if they are running low on energy, however, if their energy level significantly increases, it’s reasonable that appetite may decrease – perhaps more significantly than expected.

Other possible reasons for appetite reduction could be increased anxiety levels and/or hormone changes, each of which might cause a person to feel full and/or decrease desire to eat.  It should also be considered that miscellaneous side effects of ubiquinol such as diarrhea, dizziness, nausea, and stomach aches could interfere with one’s appetite.  In most cases the side effect of appetite reduction from ubiquinol is modest, but some believe it could help with weight loss.

Blood pressure changes: Some individuals might experience changes in blood pressure as a side effect of supplementing with ubiquinol.  In most cases, when blood pressure is altered by ubiquinol, it slightly decreases from an elevated state during the first few weeks of supplementation.  After several weeks of supplementation, the body usually adjusts to the ubiquinol and blood pressure typically stabilizes within a predictable (usually healthier) range.

That said, it is possible that your blood pressure might fluctuate unpredictably as a ubiquinol side effect such as by slightly increasing, modestly decreasing, or exhibiting a combination of increases then decreases until the body adapts to its effect.  For this reason, anyone that’s been diagnosed with pre-hypertension, hypertension, or who has a history of hypertension should monitor their blood pressure and be cognizant of possible blood pressure fluctuations during supplementation.  Also realize that if you’re simultaneously using an antihypertensive agent (e.g. beta blocker) along with ubiquinol, it’s antihypertensive effect may be amplified with ubiquinol.

This amplification could lead to greater reductions in your blood pressure than expected, possibly inducing a state of hypotension.  In the event that you experience hypotension, a myriad of symptoms may emerge including:  dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, and/or fainting.  If you suspect that ubiquinol is affecting your blood pressure, contact a medical professional for guidance and assurance that ubiquinol is safe with your current medical history and medication regimen.

Cholesterol changes: There’s some evidence to suggest that ubiquinol supplementation is capable of reducing LDL (low-density lipoprotein), the notoriously “bad” cholesterol.  Furthermore, it appears as though ubiquinol is able to inhibit statin-induced cellular damage, ultimately protecting muscle cells from myopathies.  For this reason, most professionals recommend high doses of ubiquinol be administered along with cholesterol-reducing agents.

Nonetheless, there’s a chance that combining high doses of a statin with high doses of ubiquinol may reduce LDL concentrations to abnormally low levels such as below 40 mg/dL of blood.  Though reducing LDL cholesterol below 40 mg/dL is highly unlikely to occur as a result of standalone ubiquinol, it’s possible that the supplemental ubiquinol may enhance reduction of LDL, leading to abnormalities.  Some theorize that if LDL drops below the 40 mg/dL threshold, individuals may be at increased risk of experiencing: anxiety, cancer, depression, and/or stroke.

Diarrhea: A disconcerting adverse reaction to ubiquinol that a small subset of users experience is diarrhea or abnormally loose stools.  Among those that experience diarrhea during supplementation, it is unclear as to whether ubiquinol itself is solely responsible for inducing diarrhea.  There’s a chance that, at high doses, ubiquinol could alter gastric motility and expedite the flow of food through the GI tract to provoke a diarrheal response.

Then again, the most likely cause of diarrhea from ubiquinol supplementation is a sensitivity or inability to tolerate added ingredients.  Ubiquinol supplements are emulsified in an oil-based agent such as MCT oil which may irritate the GI tract, cause stomach aches, and ultimately diarrhea – especially in newer users.  If an oil-based emulsification agent is causing your diarrhea, you may want to scale back on the dose of ubiquinol for awhile and see if your body can accommodate lower doses.

Eventually your body may adapt to the oil and the diarrhea may completely diminish over a duration of several months.  Then again, you could also switch to another ubiquinol supplement with a different emulsifier and/or additives to determine whether you find other additives more tolerable than those in your current supplement.  Other options for managing the diarrhea include: taking ubiquinol with food (as opposed to on an empty stomach), eating fewer foods with high fiber, drinking more water, and/or trying over-the-counter Imodium.

Dizziness: Among the most common side effects associated with any supplement or drug is dizziness.  If you start taking ubiquinol and experience dizziness, there’s a chance that you may have initiated supplementation at too high of a dose.  Initiating ubiquinol supplementation may reduce your blood pressure more than expected, whereby you suddenly feel dizzy as a result of a vasodilatory response.

The hypotension-induced dizziness may be more likely to occur among those with a history of high blood pressure who are simultaneously administering an antihypertensive agent (e.g. beta blocker) with their ubiquinol.  Another reason you might become dizzy from ubiquinol could be due to reducing your blood sugar more than expected, especially if you have diabetes and/or are using insulin.  If the dizziness cannot be attributed to blood pressure or blood sugar fluctuations, it could be related to an allergy or sensitivity to ubiquinol or one of its constituents.

It’s also possible that dizziness is related to an anxiogenic response that occurs among individuals taking extremely high doses or an interaction between ubiquinol and another substance you’re using.  Then again, some slight dizziness could be a transient reaction to ubiquinol that eventually subsides as your body adapts to supplementation.  In most cases, cutting back on your ubiquinol dose and/or switching to another supplier may decrease severity and/or likelihood of dizziness.

Fatigue: Although extremely uncommon, some persons will report fatigue and/or lethargy as a side effect of ubiquinol.  Since ubiquinol enhances cellular energy, there doesn’t appear to be an obvious mechanism by which it could induce fatigue in certain individuals.  For this reason, if you are experiencing fatigue while taking ubiquinol, you may want to objectively determine whether the fatigue is legitimately being caused by the ubiquinol supplement or if an external factor may be more culpable such as: high stress, excessive exercise, and/or lack of quality sleep.

Assuming you’re convinced that fatigue was caused by ubiquinol, it is possible that you might have a sensitivity to the ubiquinol.  What’s more likely though is that, rather than exhibiting a sensitivity to ubiquinol, you’re sensitive and/or allergic to an additive within the supplement.  Examples of added ingredients to which you might be sensitive include:  colorings, gelatins, oils, soy, glycerin, beeswax, etc.

Another possible cause of fatigue could be that your batch of ubiquinol was somehow contaminated or expired, although this is unlikely if you purchased your supplement from a supplier with high standards for quality.  In the meantime, you may want to rule out potential interactions, contraindications, sensitivities, and allergies to the ingredients within your supplement.  To counteract the occurrence of fatigue, you may want to try taking your ubiquinol at night (as opposed to first thing in the morning) so that fatigue won’t impair your performance.

You might also wish to try an alternative ubiquinol brand (containing different added ingredients than your current brand) to determine whether the additives may have affected your energy level.  Furthermore, in the event that you experience fatigue as a side effect of ubiquinol, realize that it may eventually diminish as your body adjusts itself to regular supplementation.  Moreover, optimizing your ubiquinol dosage by increasing or decreasing daily intake may attenuate fatigue-related effects.

Flu-like symptoms: Some medical sources report that flu-like symptoms may occur as an adverse reaction to ubiquinol supplementation.  Common flu-like symptoms that may emerge in a small percentage of ubiquinol users include:  chills, dizziness, fatigue, fever, headaches, muscle aches, nausea, and/or vomiting.  If you’re experiencing flu-like symptoms from ubiquinol supplementation, your best bet is to immediately stop using the supplement and seek medical evaluation.

The onset of flu-like symptoms after taking ubiquinol should be interpreted as an incompatibility between your body and the supplement you’re using, hence the reason you’re feeling sick.  There’s no convincing evidence that ubiquinol itself is likely to cause flu-like symptoms in most people, especially when used at medically-recommended amounts.  That said, it is possible that flu-like symptoms may occur from: using abnormally high or mega doses, an interaction between ubiquinol and another substance, or an allergy to one of the added ingredients.

Another thing to consider is that the batch of ubiquinol that you received was contaminated, tampered with, and/or expired prior to your ingestion – causing you to feel sick each time you use it.  If you’ve talked to a doctor and confirmed that ubiquinol is safe for you to take, yet are experiencing the flu-like symptoms with each administration, test a different brand (with alternative ingredients) and start with a low dose to determine whether the issue persists.  If the flu-like symptoms persist regardless of modifications you make to dosing and/or the supplier – you may need to accept that ubiquinol isn’t a good fit for your biology.

Headache: Among the most common ubiquinol side effects reported by users is headaches.  Headaches occurring as a side effect may be related to an activating and/or arousal-promoting effect of ubiquinol whereby a user experiences increased energy to cause anxiety, which in turn activates the sympathetic nervous system to induce vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels) within the brain.  If you feel more anxious than usual while taking ubiquinol or notice that your energy levels have skyrocketed, but also experience headaches, you may want to scale back on your dose and/or make an effort to upregulate parasympathetic activation to counteract the sympathetic-mediated vasoconstriction.

It is also possible that headaches might occur as a result of being sensitive to one of the constituents within your ubiquinol.  Testing a different brand of ubiquinol (containing alternative ingredients to your current brand) may help determine whether an ingredient sensitivity was the cause of your headaches.  It should also be noted that some individuals may end up experiencing full-blown migraines, which might occur as a result of increased vasodilation (widening of blood vessels) upon introduction of ubiquinol supplementation.

In the event that headaches or migraines persist while supplementing, you may want to: stop the ubiquinol altogether, reduce your ubiquinol dosage, increase water intake (to stay hydrated), ensure that your electrolytes are optimized, and/or continue supplementing in hopes that your body adapts and the headaches subside.  Anyone with a history of medically-diagnosed headaches and/or migraines may be most at risk of experiencing headaches as a side effect of ubiquinol.  Additionally, you may want to consider asking your doctor about safe, adjunctive intervention for managing ubiquinol-induced headaches.

Heart palpitations: An odd reaction to ubiquinol that has been anecdotally reported in a small number of cases is heart palpitations.  Since ubiquinol can increase energy levels, it is possible that some users may end up feeling overly stimulated or activated, especially after taking a high dose.  The overstimulation effect may be associated with increased activity within the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system, leading some individuals to experience palpitations or abnormal changes in heart rhythms.

The palpitations may exacerbate underlying anxiety, which in turn could become a vicious circle in which anxiety also exacerbates palpitations, leading to more anxiety to perpetuate future palpitations.  It is thought that individuals most likely to experience palpitations are those with underlying anxiety disorders and/or cardiovascular issues.  If the palpitations are becoming unbearable and/or seem to be getting worse, you may want to discontinue your ubiquinol or lower the dose.

It is also possible that you may be sensitive to an ingredient within your ubiquinol supplement, and that the sensitivity generates a stress response in your body, causing your heart to beat faster than usual.  If you’re experiencing palpitations, it’s best to engage in relaxation exercises (e.g. meditation, paced breathing, etc.) to downregulate sympathetic activity.  Moreover, if you have a history of heart issues, have a cardiologist confirm that your heart is healthy and that the ubiquinol you’re taking isn’t contraindicated or interacting with another substance you’re using.

Hormone fluctuations: It’s possible that regular supplementation with ubiquinol could affect a person’s hormone levels as a side effect.  If ubiquinol is capable of altering hormone secretion and/or concentrations, most theorize that it’s likely to promote healthy hormone levels.  Still, any fluctuations in concentrations and/or secretions of hormones resulting from ubiquinol might provoke unexpected reactions among certain users.

A study conducted by Thakur, Littaru, Funahashi, et al. (2016) assessed the effect of ubiquinol (150 mg/day) on reproductive hormones of women (ages 20 to 40) with amenorrhea (absence of menstruation) over a 4-month duration.  Results of the study indicated that follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) increased 3-fold, luteinizing hormone (LH) increased 2-fold, prolactin decreased, and progesterone appeared to increase.  The effect of ubiquinol on hormones may be occur as a result of decreased oxidative stress within the neuroendocrine system, thereby enhancing HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis function.

It is unknown as to how ubiquinol affects the neuroendocrine system of persons without amenorrhea, however, it is possible that it significantly modulates hormone levels.  Any modulation of hormone concentrations could lead to unwanted side effects in both men and women.  Then again, the facilitation of hormone changes by ubiquinol may be favorable in most individuals and won’t provoke side effects.

  • Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27382208

Insomnia: A ubiquinol side effect that’s seldom reported by users is insomnia.  It is possible that you could experience insomnia from ubiquinol supplementation, especially if you find that it significantly increases your energy levels and/or provokes anxiety.  The easiest way to deal with insomnia caused by ubiquinol is to reduce your ubiquinol dose and try taking it at a different time of day (e.g. morning instead of evening).

If altering the time of ubiquinol administration and/or tweaking the dose doesn’t seem to help, you might want to assess whether ubiquinol may act synergistically with another supplement you’re using.  For example, if you’re taking a stack of supplements to enhance mitochondrial function such as: PQQ, creatine, acetyl-l-carnitine, alpha-lipoid acid, and others – the synergistic energy increase may be overwhelming enough to keep you awake at night.  Modifying the doses of other supplements you’re using with ubiquinol could help reduce insomnia.

Another thing to consider is that insomnia may be related to an ingredient sensitivity, whereby the body’s stress response is triggered to promote insomnia.  That said, insomnia may be nothing more than a transient side effect that diminishes with continued ubiquinol supplementation.  You might want to ask your doctor about safe anxiolytics and/or hypnotics that can be used with ubiquinol to help you mitigate the insomnia reaction.

Irritability: Only a few reports have been documented in which individuals experience irritability after supplementing with ubiquinol.  There are no obvious mechanisms by which ubiquinol would make someone feel more irritable than usual, in fact, it is more likely to decrease irritability.  One might theorize that that irritability may be related to a significant increase in energy levels, whereby an individual becomes anxious and/or irritable from feeling overly energetic.

If you’re allergic or sensitive to any of the ingredients within your ubiquinol supplement, the allergy may trigger a low-grade stress response in your body to upregulate activity in the sympathetic branch of your autonomic nervous system.  Ongoing sympathetic activation without sufficient parasympathetic counterbalancing can cause stress and induce feelings of irritability.  For this reason, you’ll want to rule out all possible allergies or sensitivities to the ingredients within your product.  To manage irritability, you may want to cut back on your ubiquinol dosing and determine if a lower dose is less activating.

You may also find it helpful to exercise more often to decrease energy levels and/or engage in some sort of relaxation exercise each day to decrease sympathetic tone.  Irritability may be exacerbated by environmental stressors, poor sleep, and/or circadian rhythm changes.  Should the irritability become overwhelming, discontinuation of ubiquinol or usage of an adjunct anxiolytic to counteract irritable emotion may prove helpful.

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia): Preliminary evidence suggests that ubiquinol supplementation enhances glycemic control by modulating insulin secretion without any adverse effects.  Despite favorably modulating insulin secretion, it appears as though some individuals taking ubiquinol may experience unexpected onset of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia.  Those who are most prone to experiencing hypoglycemia as a side effect of ubiquinol are individuals that have been diagnosed with diabetes and/or using antihyperglycemic medications, insulin, or any glucose-lowering agents – each of which lower blood sugar.

What likely happens is that someone taking their usual or predictable dose of an antihyperglycemic agent adds ubiquinol to his/her regimen and the ubiquinol prevents significant hyperglycemic spikes.  As a result, the antihyperglycemic agent may end up reducing blood sugar to a lower level than expected, leading to emergence of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).  In the event that you experience hypoglycemia from ubiquinol, symptoms such as: anxiety, confusion, heart palpitations, nausea, shakiness, unresponsiveness, and/or vomiting – may emerge.

Though odds of experiencing hypoglycemia from ubiquinol are low, it is something to beware of if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes.  Monitor your blood sugar levels closely when introducing ubiquinol and report any significant changes to your doctor.  You may need to adjust the dosage of your antihyperglycemic medication and/or ubiquinol if your blood sugar becomes more difficult to manage.

Nausea: A side effect of ubiquinol that has been reported is nausea, characterized by feeling sick as if you’re on the verge of vomiting.  In extreme cases, it’s possible that nausea resulting from ubiquinol could lead to a vomiting reaction.  Those who experience nausea as a side effect of ubiquinol generally are taking an extremely high dose and/or haven’t fully adapted to its biological effects as a supplement.

If you experience nausea when first initiating ubiquinol supplementation, it could be an adjustment-related side effect that subsides after several days or a couple weeks.  On the other hand, it’s also possible that nausea is a byproduct of other ubiquinol-induced side effects such as anxiety and/or agitation.  Additionally, nausea might be triggered as a result of an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients within your particular supplement and/or ubiquinol interacting with another medication.

To manage the nausea, you may want to try taking ubiquinol after eating a large meal and avoid administering it along with other drugs or supplements.  You may also want to scale back on the dosage that you’re taking and determine whether a dosage reduction is helpful.  If the nausea fails to subside and/or intensifies, it’s probably a good idea to discontinue your ubiquinol and discuss the reaction with a medical doctor.

Sleepiness: Though unusual as a side effect, sleepiness has been reported by some ubiquinol users as a reaction to their supplementation.  If you’re feeling sleepy from supplementing with ubiquinol, there’s a chance that the sleepiness is a result of an ingredient-related sensitivity.  Switching to another supplier of ubiquinol that lacks the ingredient to which you are sensitive may fix the sleepiness reaction.

On the other hand, you may experience sleepiness regardless of the ubiquinol supplement ingredients, especially if you’re a new user.  Over time your energy level may increase as your body adjusts to the regular ubiquinol administration.  That said, you might also want to ensure that the ubiquinol isn’t somehow reducing your blood pressure (inducing a state of mild hypotension) whereby you could become sleepier than usual.

If you want to continue supplementing with ubiquinol but are hung up on the sleepiness reaction, administering it at night (as opposed to first thing in the morning) may minimize daytime somnolence.  Additionally, you may want to drink some coffee or green tea in the mornings to offset fatigue and/or feeling sleepier than usual.  If the sleepiness fails to diminish, stopping the ubiquinol for awhile should restore your energy level.

Stomach aches: A side effect that may occur among those supplementing with ubiquinol is stomach aches.  The stomach aches experienced from ubiquinol are most likely to occur among persons taking ubiquinol on an empty stomach.  Sometimes the constituents within ubiquinol such as oils can irritate the lining of the gastrointestinal tract to induce pain throughout the stomach region, possibly accompanied by other reactions (e.g. constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, etc.).

The most obvious way to minimize susceptibility to stomach aches as a side effect of ubiquinol is to administer it after eating a large meal.  Also ensure that you’re drinking plenty of water and aren’t supplementing with an unnecessarily high dose.  Stomach aches could also be related to an anxiogenic reaction to ubiquinol in which a user might notice an increase in his/her anxiety, and this anxiety may induce a stomach ache (rather than the ubiquinol).

If your stomach aches become severe from ubiquinol, it makes sense to discontinue it for awhile until you feel better.  Additionally, after you discontinue for awhile, you can always reinstate supplementation with a low dose and/or using another ubiquinol supplement to determine if it’s more tolerable.  In most cases, stomach aches are of mild intensity, easily managed, and may even diminish as the body adapts to supplementation.

Sweating: A reaction that may occur in some ubiquinol users is increased sweating.  Increased production of sweat or profuse sweating (e.g. hyperhidrosis) isn’t typically associated with ubiquinol, but may occur in reaction to added ingredients within the supplement and/or from administering an excessively large dose.  It’s also possible that ubiquinol could induce sweating via an interaction with another substance (drug or supplement) or hormonal modulation.

Furthermore, if ubiquinol makes you feel more anxious than usual, the anxiety may have primed your sympathetic nervous system, causing you to sweat more frequently.  Then again, you may want to consider that sweating you perceive as a side effect of ubiquinol may be nothing more than a correlation rather than a byproduct of its usage.  To accurately know whether the ubiquinol is causing you to sweat, stop taking it for awhile and monitor your sweat production to determine whether it decreases; if it does, then you can be sure it was related to your ubiquinol.

Tiredness: Numerous anecdotal reports circulating around the internet suggest that ubiquinol can cause tiredness.  Most speculate that tiredness occurring from ubiquinol supplementation may be transient and eventually subside as an individual optimizes his/her dose and continues using it for 1-2 months.  Assuming the tiredness never goes away even after supplementing for 2 months, most likely that the tiredness is caused by one of several things including: allergies/sensitivities to ingredients, dosing (perhaps too high or too low of a dose), and/or blood pressure reductions.

To rule out allergies and/or sensitivities to ingredients, a person could try ubiquinol supplements from a supplier with different additives than their current.  If the tiredness abates over the course of a few weeks, it was probably triggered by an ingredient-related sensitivity.  Assuming the tiredness persists despite switching to another supplier, a user may want to tweak his/her dosage to determine whether dosing alterations have any effect on the tiredness.

Furthermore, it is a smart idea to track blood pressure, especially considering that ubiquinol might reduce your blood pressure to a state of subclinical hypotension, perhaps an explanation for feeling tired.  Interestingly, some that have documented tiredness while taking ubiquinol report feeling better when taking CoQ10 (ubiquinone).  If the tiredness is significant and impairing your ability to function, there’s little reason to continue supplementing with ubiquinol (unless deemed medically necessary).

Note:  For a majority of individuals, ubiquinol supplementation will not cause any side effects nor adverse reactions.  It is possible that the majority of “side effects” reported by those supplementing may be unrelated to ubiquinol itself.  Medical literature suggests that side effects and/or adverse reactions can occur in a subset of users, however, these occurrences are rare.  That said, if you have any questions regarding the side effects listed above, be sure to contact a medical professional.  Moreover, if you experienced a ubiquinol side effect that wasn’t mentioned in this article, feel free to share it in the comments section below.

Variables that influence Ubiquinol side effects

There are several influential variables that influence the specific ubiquinol side effects that you’ll experience, as well as their respective severities.  Influential variables to consider when attempting to contemplate ubiquinol side effects include: the ubiquinol specifics (brand, ingredients, quality, expiration date), user specifics (age, co-administered substances, genetics, etc.), and administration details (dosage, regularity, total term of administration, etc.).  It is the interplay between these variables that explains why one user may experience zero side effects, yet another user may report an adverse reaction.

  1. Ubiquinol specifics

There are many different brand of ubiquinol on the market, however, all of them contain Kaneka QH as the active ingredient.  Kaneka is the company responsible for manufacturing the ubiquinol, which is sold under the trade name “QH.”  Nearly every supplement manufacturer will purchase the ubiquinol (Kaneka QH) from Kaneka as the active ingredient within their ubiquinol.  That said, supplement companies may differ in terms of total ingredient composition within their ubiquinol product, as well as quality control.

Added ingredients: While most individuals are able to tolerate any brand of ubiquinol supplement without side effects, a subset of ubiquinol users will notice unwanted side effects and/or adverse reactions from one particular ubiquinol supplement and not another.  Supplement-specific side effects are unlikely to signify an allergic reaction to the actual ubiquinol, however, they may indicate an allergic reaction or sensitivity to one of the added, inactive ingredients.  Ingredients within ubiquinol supplements to consider as potential triggers for allergies include: natural colorings, polysorbate 80, soy lecithin, and various types of oils.

  • Ascorbyl Palmitate: Some ubiquinol suppliers add less than ascorbyl palmitate to their supplement (as less than 2% of the formulation). Most would not consider ascorbyl palmitate (a fat-soluble form of Vitamin C) as likely to provoke any sort of sensitivity or allergy.  The only individuals that might exhibit a sensitivity to ascorbyl palmitate include those with extreme allergies to corn and/or soy.
  • Colorings: Some ubiquinol suppliers add natural colors to their supplement such as: natural caramel, titanium dioxide color, etc. Usually these colorings make up less than 2% of the actual supplement and aren’t much of a concern for ubiquinol users.  That said, it is possible to have a titanium dioxide allergy and/or sensitivity.  Realize that if your product contains titanium dioxide and you experience an adverse reaction, it could be partially to blame.  Fortunately, there are suppliers of ubiquinol that don’t add coloring capable of triggering an allergy.
  • Gelatin: Gelatin is a form of hydrolyzed collagen that is derived from ligaments, tendons, and skin of animals. Ubiquinol is generally emulsified in oil and manufactured within a gelatin capsule.  Not all of the gelatin capsules are necessarily equal in terms of quality or sourcing though.  It is possible that you may be allergic to the gelatin, especially if its something like “fish gelatin” and you’re allergic to the fish.
  • Glycerin: Glycerin is an odorless, colorless thick liquid that is non-toxic and regarded as a safe preservative within food products. Although extremely rare, it is possible that some individuals might be sensitive to the small amount of glycerin within ubiquinol.  Not all ubiquinol manufacturers include glycerin as an ingredient within their supplement, so you want to test a different ubiquinol supplier if you suspect that glycerin in your current supplement is triggering side effects.
  • Polysorbate 80: A subset of ubiquinol products may contain the substance known as “polysorbate 80.” This is a non-carcinogenic substance consumed at an average of 100 mg per day by most Americans.  That said, there are cases in which an individual may be sensitive to polysorbate 80, ultimately triggering an adverse reaction or side effects.  Individuals diagnosed with Chron’s disease are more prone to reacting with polysorbate 80, and some theorize that the substance may be harmful to their health.  Studies assessing the effect of low-dose polysorbate 80 in mice show that it may induce low-grade inflammation and metabolic syndrome in certain strains of mice; it is unclear as to whether this may apply to a subset of humans.  Nevertheless, if you’re experiencing side effects while taking ubiquinol, polysorbate 80 may be the cause.
  • Medium chain triglycerides: In many ubiquinol supplements, there’s a small amount of MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oil utilized for emulsification. Although a small amount of MCT oil is unlikely to provoke any reaction in most users, it is possible that certain users may experience MCT Oil side effects while taking ubiquinol such as diarrhea or upset stomach.  In most cases, these side effects should subside as the body adapts itself to accommodate the bit of MCT.  That said, it’s possible that some individuals are highly sensitive to any medium-chain triglycerides and should avoid ubiquinol products with MCT constituents.
  • Olive oil: Another emulsifier used in ubiquinol supplements is pure olive oil. Assuming the olive oil is 100% pure, free of contaminants, and extracted from a high-quality source, most will not have issues with this additive.  Some individuals are allergic to olive tree pollen and/or dermatitis from olive oil contacting the skin, but most shouldn’t have a sensitivity to the olive oil within ubiquinol.  Like other oils though, olive oil might cause a bit of GI distress in a small percentage of users.
  • Soy lecithin: A problematic ingredient in ubiquinol supplements for some individuals is soy lecithin. Although most people with soy allergies can safely consume foods with soy lecithin and soybean oil, a subset of persons may exhibit a sensitivity to the soy lecithin ingredient.  If you have an underlying soy allergy or know you’re sensitive to soy lecithin, avoid ubiquinol products containing soy lecithin to avert adverse reactions.
  • Sunflower oil: It is possible that some individuals may be sensitive to sunflower oil, another emulsification agent utilized in some ubiquinol supplements. Allergies to oral ingestion of sunflower oil are extremely uncommon and do not occur in most persons.  Even if you are allergic to sunflower seeds, you will not necessarily exhibit a sensitivity to oil (as has been documented in scientific literature).  Nonetheless, it is possible that you may experience some GI distress and/or inflammation from sunflower oil.

Note: A majority of ubiquinol supplements are devoid of dairy products (milk/egg-related), fish byproducts, nuts (e.g. tree nuts, peanuts, etc.), gluten/wheat, and soy.  Furthermore, some supplements are also free of: silica / silicon-dioxide, stearic acid / magnesium stearate, titanium dioxide, lecithin, as well as Plasdone / povidone.  For this reason, serious allergic reactions to most ubiquinol supplements are uncommon.  That said, you should always double check the ubiquinol label to ensure that you aren’t allergic to any of its constituents.

Brand + retailer: The brand of ubiquinol that you take might affect whether you experience side effects.  One particular supplement company may engineer their ubiquinol product to contain certain ingredients to which you may be sensitive and/or allergic.  Additionally, the quantities of ingredients associated with triggering allergies or sensitivities may differ from one brand to another, ultimately affecting the severity of any adverse reaction that you experience.

Quality control standards of most supplement companies are high, however, some have higher standards than others.  Some ubiquinol suppliers may sell a lower quality supplement containing cheap ingredients and/or oxidized oils that provoke side effects.  Attaining your ubiquinol from a highly-reputable source is the best way to ensure that you won’t experience adverse reactions from abysmal quality standards.

In addition to the supplement company responsible for manufacturing your ubiquinol, you’ll also want to consider the seller.  Things like how long the ubiquinol was sitting in a warehouse, storage conditions, possible contamination, and/or date until expiration should be taken into consideration.  If you’re attaining your ubiquinol that was stored in hot temperatures, the oil-based emulsifiers (e.g. olive oil) will likely have oxidized, which could trigger inflammation.

  1. Individual factors

Hypothetically, two individuals (devoid of any allergies or sensitivities to ubiquinol ingredients) may take the same ubiquinol product and dose, starting on the same day.  Based on the fact that they are using equal doses from the same manufacturer, and neither has an allergy to the ingredients, we would expect similar side effects.  That said, it may turn out that one user experiences low blood pressure whereas the other user reports diarrhea with increased energy.

What explains the differences in side effects between these two individuals?  In the aforestated hypothetical scenario, it is likely that individual factors such as: a person’s age, co-administered substances, dietary intake of ubiquinol, genetics, and medical conditions – influenced the individually-distinct side effects experienced while taking ubiquinol.  It may have turned out that the first individual exhibited a reduction in his/her blood pressure as a synergistic effect of ubiquinol plus another medication, whereas the second user experienced a flare-up of a preexisting GI disorder from the oils in ubiquinol, leading to diarrhea.

  • Age: Your age may influence the side effects that you experience from ubiquinol. It is understood that individuals under the age of 25 are biologically capable of converting CoQ10 to ubiquinol and therefore may not benefit as much from ubiquinol supplementation.  A younger individual (e.g. teenager) supplementing with ubiquinol may be more sensitive to supplementation due to the fact that his/her body may already manufacture sufficient amounts to combat oxidative stress and enhance mitochondrial function.  A middle-aged adult (e.g. 40 years old) will be less likely to experience side effects associated with an oversupply of ubiquinol.  Though a person’s age is unlikely to have a major impact on ubiquinol side effect occurrence and/or severity, it may have a minor one.
  • Allergies / sensitivities: As was already noted, it is possible to exhibit an allergy to an ingredient within ubiquinol supplements. If you have an allergy or sensitivity to any ingredient within your current ubiquinol supplement, you should expect some side effects to occur.  For example, if you’re allergic to soy products and your ubiquinol contains soy lecithin, it might be to blame for an unwanted reaction.  Assuming you have no allergies or sensitivities to common ingredients within ubiquinol, you are extremely unlikely to experience side effects.  Some hypothesize that, although extremely unlikely, a person might be allergic or sensitive to the actual ubiquinol – ultimately explaining side effects each time he/she uses it as a supplement.
  • Co-administered substances: If you’re taking any other substances (drugs or supplements) along with ubiquinol, you may be more prone to side effects or adverse reactions as a result. Co-administered substances may act synergistically with ubiquinol, in such a way, that certain biological reactions are amplified.  For example, administering ubiquinol with mitochondrial enhancers such as acetyl-l-carnitine, creatine, and nicotinamide riboside – might generate so much extra energy, that a person feels anxious, nauseous, and/or restless.  It’s also possible that substances used along with ubiquinol might interact with it, in such a way, that individuals experience interaction-related side effects.  Co-administered agents may also mask against ubiquinol side effects, making them unnoticeable or less severe (e.g. caffeine administration may override ubiquinol-induced tiredness).  Finally, it’s possible that some individuals may mistakenly attribute side effects to ubiquinol that are actually caused by other substances that they’re using.
  • Dietary intake: There’s a chance that if you’re consuming foods high in ubiquinol such as beef liver and pork shoulder, you might marginally more prone to side effects from high-dose supplementation. Still, even if you consumed 1 pound of beef liver which contains ~40.1 mcg/g of ubiquinol, you’d only be getting around 0.41 mg – which isn’t very much.  Under half of a milligram is unlikely to affect your response to ubiquinol supplementation, however, there’s a chance (an extremely small one) that among high-dose users, a slightly increased quantity from diet could exacerbate side effects associated with supplementation.  If you’re optimizing your blood levels of ubiquinol and/or are only taking a maintenance dose of 100 mg, the impact of dietary ubiquinol intake on side effects doesn’t warrant consideration.
  • Genetics: Your genetics and epigenetic expression may dictate whether you experience side effects from ubiquinol. Individuals with certain genes and/or exhibiting a particular epigenetic expression might be more likely to experience side effects from ubiquinol, whereas others with different genes or epigenetics may be less likely.  As of current there’s no data indicating which particular genes might induce reactions to ubiquinol.
  • Medical conditions: If you’ve been diagnosed any medical condition, it’s possible that you may react differently to ubiquinol than others. For this reason, you’ll want to consult a medical professional to confirm that the ubiquinol supplement you’re taking is safe in accordance with your medical diagnoses and/or medications that you use.  It should also be noted that high-dose ubiquinol is often recommended for the management of various medical conditions.  When administered at extremely high doses (exceeding 3 grams per day), there’s a chance that it may induce toxicity.  Moreover, ubiquinol may act synergistically with another substance you’re taking for a medical condition, ultimately potentiating the biological effect of another agent to induce side effects (e.g. low blood sugar in persons with diabetes taking insulin).
  1. Administration details

The ingredients within a particular ubiquinol supplement, as well as individual factors typically account for most side effects associated with supplementation.  That said, details of ubiquinol administration such as: dosage amount, cumulative duration and regularity of administration, and whether taken with food vs. on an empty stomach – may influence side effect severity.  By making slight tweaks to administration details, some users will report fewer side effects.

  • Dosage: The dosage of ubiquinol you’re taking could have a significant impact on the number of side effects that you experience, as well as the severity of each. In general, the higher the dose of ubiquinol you take, the more substantial effect it will exert upon your biology.  While a more substantial effect may yield a greater therapeutic response, it might also increase susceptibility to side effects.  The lower the dose of ubiquinol you take, the lower the likelihood of side effects resulting from ubiquinol altering biological processes.  Furthermore, lower doses decrease odds of adverse reactions to inactive ingredients within ubiquinol products due to ingesting a lower total quantity.  Most individuals will take between 200 mg/day and 300 mg/day of ubiquinol to optimize plasma levels, and thereafter, they’ll drop down to a maintenance dose of 100 mg/day.  Extremely high doses of ubiquinol (1000-3000 mg/day) are most likely to provoke reactions.
  • Duration of administration: The cumulative duration over which you’ve been taking ubiquinol may dictate whether you’re likely to experience side effects. Some individuals initiate ubiquinol supplementation and experience side effects as a result of their bodies adapting to the supplement.  Usually the adaptation phase is related to a biological adjustment to various ingredients within the supplement (e.g. oils).  Over a long-term, most ubiquinol users report that they can tolerate the supplementation without a problem; they have fully adapted.  Moreover, plasma concentrations are generally optimized after several months of supplementation, meaning that low maintenance doses (e.g. 100 mg/day) are taken compared to in the earlier weeks/months of supplementation.  Individuals that have only been taking ubiquinol for a few days and/or weeks are most likely to report side effects than longer-term, well-adjusted users.
  • Food vs. empty stomach: Whether you take ubiquinol with food or on an empty stomach might also influence the occurrence of side effects. Some individuals may find that when they take ubiquinol supplements on an empty stomach, side effects such as diarrhea, stomach aches, and/or flatulence occur.  Gastrointestinal side effects from taking ubiquinol on an empty stomach are generally related to the emulsification agents within ubiquinol irritating the GI tract.  Taking ubiquinol with food or after a large meal should help minimize side effects for most.  Then again, it is important to realize that a small percentage of people might exhibit fewer side effects from ubiquinol when taken on an empty stomach compared to after eating.
  • Regularity of administration: The regularity of your ubiquinol administration might also dictate the side effects you experience. For example, someone taking ubiquinol on an infrequent basis such as once per week, or every-other-day – might experience more side effects due to taking high doses and/or the fact that his/her body never fully adapted to the supplement.  On the other hand, some may find that irregular, infrequent administration causes fewer side effects compared to ubiquinol administration on a daily basis.  That said, it is possible that taking ubiquinol regularly (e.g. daily) might provoke side effects in some users due to plasma accumulation (associated with using abnormally high doses) and/or developing a sensitivity to ingredients over time.
  • Time of administration: Though the time of day at which you administer ubiquinol is unlikely to affect the side effects you endure from supplementation, your circadian rhythm may synergistically enhance or antagonistically attenuate side effects that tend to occur immediately after taking your supplement that are irrespective of plasma concentrations. For example, if ubiquinol supplements are making you tired for 3-5 hours after your dose, taking them at night (e.g. before bed) may render this side effect unnoticeable.  On the other hand, if you took ubiquinol in the morning, the tiredness effect may seem severe.
  • Titration: In the early stages of supplementation with ubiquinol, there are multiple schools of thought. Some professionals recommend starting with a large dose (e.g. 200-300 mg/day) to increase blood levels of ubiquinol as fast as possible.  After plasma levels plateau, then dosage can be reduced to 100 mg/day as a maintenance dose.  Starting with a high dose may lead to more side effects in the early weeks of supplementation due to such a rapid increase in ubiquinol over a short duration.  Oppositely, slowly titrating your dosage from a small amount to a larger amount over a longer-term might decrease likelihood of adaptation-related side effects.

Ubiquinol: Do the benefits outweigh the side effects?

If you’re taking ubiquinol, you should always evaluate whether the health benefits of supplementation outweigh the side effects that you’re experiencing.  Since ubiquinol is among the safest of all dietary supplements and most adults would benefit considerably from extra ubiquinol intake, it is likely to yield noticeable and/or measurable health benefits without triggering any unwanted side effects.  Assuming you’re similar to the majority of ubiquinol users and are benefitting from its supplementation, continued usage is a smart option.

A small subset of individuals taking ubiquinol will report a combination of health benefit with a few minor side effects.  For these individuals, the minor side effects are usually worth tolerating and/or managing for the health benefit associated with ubiquinol.  In extremely rare cases, some individuals may experience a combination of health benefits with severe side effects.

Assuming the severe side effects cannot be attributed to an allergic reaction or ingredient sensitivity, it’s probably smart to avoid ubiquinol supplementation and pursue other options.  If you aren’t benefitting from ubiquinol (of any supplier) and are simultaneously experiencing unwanted side effects, it makes a lot of sense to discontinue treatment.  Understand that anyone with severe side effects from ubiquinol may find that idebenone and/or CoQ10 are easier to tolerate.

To track how you respond to different ubiquinol supplements, you may find it helpful to maintain a daily journal.  In your journal you can document things like: your ubiquinol dosage, side effects (on a day-to-day basis), the specific brands of ubiquinol you’re testing, as well as if you suspect any interaction between ubiquinol and another substance you’re using.  Journaling will help provide a “big picture” perspective regarding how well you tolerate and/or function with ubiquinol over an extended duration, and catalogs all side effects for later discussion with your doctor.

Possible ways to reduce Ubiquinol side effects

If you happen to experience unwanted side effects from ubiquinol, there are a few strategies you may prove helpful for side effect mitigation.  Examples of side effect mitigation strategies include: dosage modification or titration, altering administration details, discontinuing unnecessary substances (that might interact or synergize with ubiquinol), switching to a different brand of ubiquinol, and/or continue using ubiquinol in hopes that your body adjusts.  Prior to implementing any of the recommended strategies below, be sure to confirm the safety and hypothesized efficacy of each with a medical professional.  Moreover, understand that the degree to which side effect mitigation strategies reduce side effects may be subject to individual variation.

  1. Medical professional advice: Anyone experiencing side effects from ubiquinol should consult a medical doctor to confirm that the supplement isn’t contraindicated based on their personal medical status and/or history. Additionally, a doctor should be able to determine whether some side effects you’re experiencing from ubiquinol may be related to an interaction between ubiquinol and another substance (medication or supplement) that you’re taking. Moreover, a doctor should be able to assess whether any ingredients in your supplement might provoke a sensitivity/allergy-like response to your ubiquinol, as well as recommend a safe daily dose to minimize odds of side effects.
  2. Modify dosing: Assuming you’ve already consulted a medical professional to rule out contraindications and/or interactions, and are still experiencing side effects, you’ll want to modify your ubiquinol dosing. In most cases, the higher the dose of ubiquinol you’re taking, the greater the impact the ubiquinol and added ingredients are exerting upon your biology, ultimately increasing odds of unwanted side effects and/or adverse reactions. For this reason, it’s usually helpful for most individuals who are enduring side effects to transition to a lower dose (e.g. cut their current dose in half) or a “minimal effective dose” (the lowest quantity of ubiquinol necessary for health benefit).  That said, some individuals might actually benefit from increasing their current ubiquinol dose based on individualized dose-response effects.
  3. Dosage titration: If you’re a new ubiquinol user and are experiencing side effects, it’s reasonable to speculate that some of these side effects may be due to the fact that your biology hasn’t fully adapted to the ubiquinol administration. Side effects resulting from lack of biological adaptation to ubiquinol are often amplified if an individual initiates his/her supplementation with a high daily dose (e.g. 300 mg/day) as opposed to a lower one. For this reason, you may want to start with a low dose (e.g. 100 mg/day) and titrate up to a maximum amount over a longer-term.  Though it’ll take longer for your plasma ubiquinol levels to increase with titration over a longer-term, you may experience fewer and/or less severe adaptation-related side effects.
  4. Switch brands: Since allergic reactions and/or sensitivities to the actual “ubiquinol” within a supplement are extremely rare, most users won’t experience any side effects nor adverse reactions. However, among those who end up dealing with side effects from ubiquinol supplements, the most logical cause of these side effects is a sensitivity and/or allergy to inactive ingredients such as: oil-based emulsifiers, colorings, soy, fish-residue, etc. Knowing that inactive ingredient composition differs drastically among ubiquinol brands, it’s reasonable to speculate that you may tolerate another brand better than your current.  For this reason, switching brands might alleviate all side effects and/or adverse reactions that you’re currently dealing with.
  5. Eliminate other substances: If you’re taking other substances along with ubiquinol (drugs or supplements) that aren’t medically necessary, you might want to eliminate them from your regimen. Though the likelihood is low, it’s possible that certain agents you’re taking with ubiquinol might exert a synergistic effect upon your biology to provoke and/or exacerbate side effects. For example, using high doses of mitochondrial enhancers (e.g. acetyl-l-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, creatine monohydrate, etc.) may somehow augment ubiquinol to dramatically ramp up physical and/or mental energy – leaving you with anxiety or restlessness.  It’s also possible that they don’t exert synergistic biological effects, but may exhibit similar side effects (e.g. drowsiness and/or tiredness) that become intensified when administered with ubiquinol.  Moreover, you might’ve wrongfully attributed the side effects you were experiencing from another substance to ubiquinol, and upon discontinuation, you may realize that ubiquinol wasn’t really the cause.
  6. Adjunctive agents: If you’re taking standalone ubiquinol and know that it’s causing side effects, but is also improving your general health, you may want to consider using an adjunctive agent to specifically target the unwanted side effects. For example, some individuals have reported that ubiquinol makes them feel somewhat tired and/or reduces their energy level as a side effect. To counteract this tiredness, it might be helpful to consume some green tea and/or coffee for some caffeine-induced energy.  Oppositely, if ubiquinol were to make you agitated and/or anxious, you might try some magnesium or some sort of anxiolytic agent.
  7. Alter administration details: Another possible strategy that might help you manage and/or alleviate some of the side effects resulting from ubiquinol supplementation is to slightly tweak the administration details. If you’re currently taking your ubiquinol in the morning and tired and/or as though ubiquinol is reducing your energy, try taking it in the late afternoon and/or evening when the tiredness wouldn’t be as bothersome (or possibly even helpful for getting a better night’s sleep). You could also alter whether you take ubiquinol with or without food to determine if GI-related side effects improve.  Other things to try include: dividing your daily dose up into smaller doses (spacing them out) and/or administering ubiquinol at least several hours apart from other substances (drugs or supplements) that you take.
  8. Continue usage: If you happen to be a new ubiquinol user and are experiencing side effects, you may want to continue using for awhile in hopes that side effects subside and/or cease. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for a person’s biology to adapt to the ubiquinol and/or constituents within the specific supplement, and for this reason, adaptation-related side effects occur over a short-term. However, with continued daily supplementation, the user’s biology adapts itself to accommodate daily ubiquinol supplement, ultimately attenuating any adaptation-related side effects after several weeks of usage.
  9. Discontinue: Under the assumption that you’ve tried everything on this list with no side effect reduction, and your side effects associated with ubiquinol are still somehow severe, you may want to talk to your doctor about pursuing alternative options. For example, you might find that using a CoQ10 supplement or idebenone are better tolerated by your biology plus yield favorable health effects. Don’t be afraid to discontinue ubiquinol supplementation if it’s somehow making you feel miserable – always listen to your body and collaborate with a medical professional to come up with solutions.

Have you experienced Ubiquinol side effects?

If you’ve taken ubiquinol and experienced side effects, feel free to report them in the comments section below.  What was the most noticeable or pronounced side effect that you endured during ubiquinol supplementation?  On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being negligible and 10 being severe, what numeric rating would you assign to the side effects you experienced from ubiquinol?

To help others get a better understanding of your situation, also provide specific details such as: your ubiquinol dose, the brand you were taking, whether you may have been allergic or sensitive to any ingredients, your usage of other substances (e.g. drugs or supplements), and medical conditions you’re dealing with.  Document how long it took for side effects to emerge after you began ubiquinol supplementation (e.g. on the first day).  Additionally, if you continued to use ubiquinol despite the side effects, share whether they fully ceased, diminished in intensity, or worsened over time.

Have you tried multiple brands of ubiquinol to determine whether you’re able to tolerate one better than another?  If you have any strategies for coping with and/or managing ubiquinol side effects that you think others might find helpful, include them within your comment.  Understand that although ubiquinol is regarded as extremely safe, you should always listen to your body and discuss side effects you’re experiencing with a doctor.

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9 thoughts on “Ubiquinol Side Effects & Adverse Reactions (List)”

  1. Took 100 mg daily on doctor’s advice for slight carotid artery blockage. I’m 74 and take .075 levothyroxine daily for hypothyroidism caused by 3/4 removal of thyroid gland at age 34. Initially felt very good on Ubiquinol.

    My TSH and blood pressure were great. But started to experience insomnia and stopped taking it. Now experiencing fatigue and slight depression. It’s been a week now being off it.

    Reply
  2. Started taking 100 mg of Ubiquinol 2 weeks ago. I stopped 10 days ago. I now have vertigo, extremely dry eyes, and rashes.

    Reply
  3. I started to take 100 mg daily – as read it is good for egg quality when you are over 35 and trying to conceive. Since then I have had a buzzing in my left ear which hasn’t stopped.

    Reply
  4. I started taking Ubiquinol coQ10 three weeks ago – 200 mg per day 12 hours apart. I have had heart palpitations but I also felt those might be the result of the anxiety and stress I have felt after being diagnosed with carotid artery disease.

    I have also felt slight light-headedness and some sinus headache symptoms. I am hoping these will diminish over time but since I have been taking this for three weeks now, I’m considering lowering the dosage to 100 mg. I also may switch brands to see if that helps.

    Reply
  5. I took 1 200 mg. capsule of a famous brand of ubiquinol and had a severe reaction which lasted 6 or 7 hours. I experienced profound exhaustion and severe shoulder, hip, leg and neck pain. It gradually diminished as the evening came on and the next day was completely gone. I returned it and ordered 50 mg. capsules so I can titrate up gradually.

    Reply
  6. Taking 300 mgs of ubiquinol for 3 months my doctor called 911 because my heart was beating fast and irregular! I am on blood pressure medicine! I stopped taking it for a few days now my heart is beating normal!! WHO KNOWS!?

    Reply
  7. I experienced extreme fatigue while taking ubiquinol. After switching back to regular CoQ10, ubiquinone, that went away completely.

    Reply

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