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Coenzyme Q10 improves dry mouth (and eyes) in Sjogren's patients

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  • Coenzyme Q10 improves dry mouth (and eyes) in Sjogren's patients

    So this post is specifically for Sjogren's patients who have sicca syndrome (dry eyes and mouth), but I wanted to share it with everybody. My oral pathologist recently shared with me that Coenzyme Q10 supplementation has been shown to significantly improve salivary flow and the signs/symptoms of dry mouth. The study is published and I read it and the results are actually quite impressive. My oral pathologist has sicca syndrome herself and said that she noticed an improvement after taking CoQ10 for about 3 weeks.

    She recommended 100 mg once a day. This is a supplement you can find in any pharmacy or health food store; it is generally recommended for heart health. It is a normal enzyme that is found in the body. The supplement is quite expensive, but I tried it and man does it really help! I'm buying Nature Made brand.

    1) I started noticing increased saliva production after about 2 weeks. I was hoping this was real and not a placebo effect, but at that point I didn't care because I was more comfortable and feeling better.

    2) My hygienist made the following comments at my recent routine cleaning: "You actually have a puddle of saliva in your mouth. I've never seen you with this much saliva before. Usually my instruments are sticking to your mucosa. I actually have to use the suction on you. What have you been doing differently?" Aha! I hadn't told her about the CoQ10 so this was independent confirmation that my increased saliva wasn't a placebo effect. Yay!

    3) I now get the wonderful effect of my Salagen (pilocarpine) helping me to produce tears. I've even experienced a little epiphora -- aka euphoria! Other people had commented on this before and I had never experienced this with Evoxac or Salagen. So to be honest, I thought ya'll were a bit crazy. I asked my oral pathologist if the pilocarpine caused her to produce more tears and she said yes. She also said that at the 7.5 mg dose, only 40% of people have increased lacrimal production along with the increased saliva production. With the improvements I'm having from the CoQ10 I'm happy to have joined the ranks of the 40%!

    Of course, I wouldn't recommend something that wasn't backed up by science. So here's the journal article with the published results.

    Coenzyme Q10 salivary flow.pdf

    Happy salivating!

  • #2
    Hi willwork4tears!

    What great news!! I am thrilled that you are noticing increased salivation with CoQ10. This supplement is great for a variety of health concerns.

    I had been taking 60mg of CoQ10 prior to my lasik surgery, for general health. As we get older our bodies don't make enough of this, so it is important to supplement. I haven't been on it for some time as I ran out and am taking so many other supplements for dry eyes, that I haven't bothered to get more of the CoQ10. . . but maybe I should add that to my arsenal

    When I was taking it, I didn't notice that it made any difference to my dry mouth. For several years now I have been aware of having a very dry mouth. I really only notice the dry mouth in the middle of the night. My GP says that my blood tests do not suggest that I have an auto-immune condition such as sjogren's, and I don't test positive for diabetes. So the dry mouth is a bit of a mystery. I'm wondering if it might not just be stress related.

    It is so good that the Salagen is helping with tear production. Do you think you are noticing the effect of the Salagen on tear production now, because of the CoQ10?

    Thank you sooo much for sharing your euphoria with the rest of us! It is always such comfort to read good news

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    • #3
      Yes, I def think the increased tear production from the Salagen is due to the Q10 supplement. I never noticed it before taking the Q10. But now I have a nice rim of tears about 10 min after taking the Salagen, and sometimes 1 or 2 spill over onto my cheek. It's such a delight!

      Perhaps you didn't notice a difference with the dry mouth b/c you were only using 60 mg. The research article used 100 mg and this is what my doctor recommended.

      Also, I have had $4000 in autoimmune blood tests on two different occasions and both times every test came back completely normal. My Sjogren's was only definitively diagnosed after having a positive salivary gland biopsy. And I certainly have all the classical signs/symptoms of SS despite being completely seronegative. So just because the bloods tests are normal, doesn't mean you may not have an autoimmune condition. These tests have lots of false negatives. For example, only 70% of SS patients are positive for SSa and only 40% of SS patients are positive for SSb, the Sjogren's specific autoantigens.

      The dry mouth could also be stress related, or due to side effects from drugs, or caused by other factors (chemo, radiation) or diseases. If you have dry eyes AND dry mouth I would strongly suspect SS despite the negative blood tests. If you are really motivated to confirm, the salivary gland biopsy is the gold standard. However, it is invasive and painful. I would just treat the sign/symptoms accordingly. It really doesn't matter if you have the official diagnosis or not, it shouldn't change how your doctor manages your issues.

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      • #4
        Hi willwork- I have Lasik induced dry eyes, plus later diagnosed Sjogrens. I was prescribed COQ10 by my rheumatologist and to be honest, I have been lax about taking it. I did in the very beginning and then I just stopped taking it. She did not say it would give me more moisture, however, just that it was for fatigue. Perhaps I'll get on with the show and start taking them again. I have a good supply so there is no reason. Lucy
        Don't trust any refractive surgeon with YOUR eyes.

        The Dry Eye Queen

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        • #5
          Question for you Willworkfortears, 7.5mg dose of pilocarpine would make that a tablet not a drop am i correct? I have drops at 4% 5 under the tongue, any idea what the 7.5mg equivalent might be and how often do you take it in a day? If you don't notice this post I will PM you later...thanks F/G

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          • #6
            Thank you for posting the CoQ10 article and your successful experience. I have dry eye and mouth due to Grave's disease. I plan to start the CoQ10 today. I had tried the 60 mg without any noticeable change. Will try the 100 mg dosage. Many thanks and continued success with managing your Sojgrens.
            Blinks

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            • #7
              HI Blinks: I am searching for a cure for my Sjogrens and have come across a book called Autoimmune: The Cause and Cure by Annesse Brockley and Kristin Urdiales. I bought it online but there is a chapter in the book that talks about Myasthenia Gravis. You will need to get the book and study it but she says "Myasthenia Gravis is caused, in part, by a lack of acetycholine." She goes on to explain how that happens and later in the book what you can do about it with regards to your diet. I believe there is help for Graves, you just need to unravel the mystery and solve the problem. I hope this helps...cheers...F/G
              Last edited by farmgirl; 14-Jul-2012, 07:14. Reason: Spelling mistake

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              • #8
                Hi Farmgirl,

                Thank you for your suggestion and good luck with your Sjogrens. I'll order the book from my library through Interlibrary Loan . Definitely worth exploring. I'm not really sure if I'm still having autoimmune issues, since my thyroid tests are "normal" after drinking the radio-iodine cocktail to kill the thyroid. Really regret that treatment now, but there's no "way-back" machine! My dry eye doesn't improve with age either!

                Best,
                Blinks

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                • #9
                  i tried the co q10-for about 3 days now.. taking 3 pills throughout the day to see if that dose would help....it may helpmy dry mouth just a tad but unfortunatley not my eyes.. has it helped anybody else??? i will keep taking it til i run out and see tho!
                  Jenny

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                  • #10
                    Good luck Jenny! Keep us posted on whether it works for you. I think this is a really new discovery, so I'm really interested to hear how many other people do or do not benefit from the CoQ10, particularly those who do not have Sjogren's syndrome.

                    It does have to build up in your system for a couple weeks before seeing a benefit. So everyone, please give your feedback (positive or negative) after you've tried it for 4-6 weeks.

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                    • #11
                      I was on pilocarpine and the side effects were horrible (hot flashes) I could not take it, my body felt like it was buring on the inside. Does this supplement have anything like that. I took myself off all medicines. I did not know what was worse the side effects or the sjrogens

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