Supplement · Grade C

PQQ and medications.

Not yet catalogued in the Distil interactions database. We surface that distinction explicitly.

PQQ is in the Distil supplement database, evidence Grade C. The page below lists every medication we have explicitly assessed it against.

PQQ, or pyrroloquinoline quinone, is a small redox-active compound taken at 10 to 20mg a day. Its distinctive mechanism is mitochondrial biogenesis: it appears to stimulate the formation of new mitochondria through activation of PGC-1alpha, which sets it apart from CoQ10, which supports the mitochondria you already have, and from NMN or NR, which top up NAD+. The evidence is Grade C and covers cognition only: small human trials in older adults suggesting better attention and working memory. Read it cautiously: every positive PQQ trial published so far has been run or co-authored by a company selling the product, there is no independent replication, and the one independent trial (Hwang 2019) found no effect on performance. The indexed human trials number six, all short and small, and not one of them reports a fatigue, energy or ageing outcome. It also acts as an antioxidant. On the interaction side there is little to worry about: no meaningful negative interactions are reported at standard doses, and it pairs sensibly with CoQ10 because the two mechanisms complement each other. Tolerance in trials has been good. Mitochondrial biogenesis is a mechanism, not a benefit: PQQ raises PGC-1alpha without a matching change in performance, so treat it as an unproven cognitive option rather than a mitochondrial or anti-ageing one, and keep the dose modest.

We have not yet completed an explicit assessment of medications for PQQ in the Distil interactions database. We surface this distinction deliberately: the Distil checker tells you when we have explicitly assessed a pair and when we have not, because both are useful information. If you take PQQ alongside a medication, the checker below will surface anything already in our database, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes uncatalogued pairs into our next curation pass.

What this list does not say. Pairs not flagged here are not implicitly safe. They are either not yet in our database, or fall outside our inclusion scope. Use the checker below to surface any medication, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.

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For adults over 18. This tool gives evidence-graded information, not medical advice. Always discuss changes with your GP or pharmacist, especially if you take any medication, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a serious health condition.

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How the checker decides

Every result has a source

Each pair we have assessed is cited to a published study (PMID) or the British National Formulary, so you can read the source yourself.

Four kinds of answer

Severe, caution, no known interaction, and not yet assessed. A pair we have not assessed is never shown as clear.

Severe
Caution
No known interaction
Not yet assessed

Nothing in our data is not a clearance

When nothing in our data records a problem with a pair, the result says no known interaction at typical doses, which is not a clearance: your pharmacist or GP can check the pair against your full medical history.

Read the full methodology

The full report

A full supplement review, built around you, not a generic stack.

The free checker answers one interaction question at a time. A Distil report reviews the bigger picture: your goals, diet, medications, current supplements and any blood results you provide, then shows what appears worth keeping, changing, adding or leaving out.

what your diet already covers, so you are not adding a capsule for something food is already handling
which evidence-graded compounds are worth considering for your goals, and which were considered but left out
what to keep, change or stop from what you already take, plus the order to introduce anything new
how your medications and complete supplement stack fit together, with daily timing and a clear point for reassessment

The interaction check is one section of the full report. You also get the reasoning behind each recommendation and the evidence references used.

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Distil's interactions database is reviewed and updated every quarter. We grade evidence transparently and publish our methodology, including every database change, at /about/methodology. This tool is information, not a substitute for clinical judgement. If you take medication and supplements together, your GP or pharmacist can review your full regimen against your medical history. If you want a full personalised stack reasoned against this same database, the Distil report is the next step up.