Is Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Safe with Oral contraceptives?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Consider supplementing with 100–200 mg of CoQ10 (ubiquinol form preferred) daily, especially if experiencing fatigue or muscle weakness while on birth control.
Why this interaction occurs
Oral contraceptives may interfere with the mevalonate pathway, which is involved in endogenous CoQ10 synthesis. Lower CoQ10 levels can impair mitochondrial energy production, contributing to fatigue and reduced antioxidant capacity.
Evidence
Evidence level: limited.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 22,854 reports mentioning Oral contraceptives. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Oral contraceptives + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) interactions → · All Oral contraceptives interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.