How many capsules can I have?

[Maximo]

the bottle says 3 capsules a day, between meals. But what if I just had all 3 at once? Is that dangerous? Look at the attached picture of the bottle for info, I find it really confusing

 

[Deleted User01]

I would say 3 capsules before each meal. I used to take the Gaia Capsules and they helped me overcome Reverse Tolerance. @Kapmcrunk could give you more information on dosage 'cause he also used them in the old days.

 

[Runding]

I used to use 9 at a time. They helped me get over RT as well, but they make you burp, which is kinda gross.

For reference, one shell of kava is anywhere from 150mg to 500mg of kavalactones, so taking three really isn't that much.

 

[Blippy5]

I took capsules for a while, and they did give me burps/ stomach upset. I actually dumped them in a few oz of water and drank it. That seemed to help.

 

[Maximo]

The jar says 225 mg kavalactones (is that what I look at?) in 3 capsules. So if I were to take all 3 at once, is that too much? What's the maximum you can take at once, and what about in a day?

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

1 shell of traditionally prepared kava would have 200~500 mg of kavalactones in it, then several of those shells would be drunk. You can absolutely take more than what's recommended on the bottle, overdoing it might make you groggy and nauseous...or otherwise, incredibly relaxed and buzzing with peace.

 

[verticity]

The jar says 225 mg kavalactones (is that what I look at?) in 3 capsules. So if I were to take all 3 at once, is that too much? What's the maximum you can take at once, and what about in a day?

There isn't an "official" maximum, in the sense that it is non-toxic even at high doses. But if you take too much, your body will tell you; you may experience stomach upset/nausea/excessive sedation.

When I was using Gaia capsules, I would usually take 6 at a time for a nice experience. Taking 3 would give some effects and anxiety reduction, though.

 

[blindy107]

Yeah I typically go against the recommend amount and use 6-10, mood dependant. They give a decent "rooting" and are very predictable which I find nice. It feels less fickle I guess. I know what the outcome is when I take them. That's the plus side to science I suppose. No sub for traditional prep but in a pinch they can work well.

 

[sumguy]

If you're using them medicinally (I'm trying to fight anxiety and insomnia), would it work better if you took them 1 at a time (for a total of 3) throughout the day like the label says? I've been taking them 3 at a time in the evening for insomnia, and it's been working so far, but I'd probably rather have less effects and less anxiety throughout the day. Or will there eventually be enough build up that it really doesn't matter?

 

[sumguy]

Due to the lack of response, I thought I'd go ahead and give it a try. I've actually felt less anxiety today, so far. Now to see if it still helps me sleep without taking a bunch in the evening...

 

[Steve Mariotti]

Due to the lack of response, I thought I'd go ahead and give it a try. I've actually felt less anxiety today, so far. Now to see if it still helps me sleep without taking a bunch in the evening...

I was tempted to let others who had first hand experience with Gaia caps respond first, as I haven't tried them.

I think I've seen "at least 6 caps at a time" thrown around on the forums.

 

[verticity]

I was tempted to let others who had first hand experience with Gaia caps respond first, as I haven't tried them.

I think I've seen "at least 6 caps at a time" thrown around on the forums.

It depends on what kind of experience you want. Basically 3 capsules is like a shell. 6 capsules will give you a nice "recreational" experience. If you just want general anxiety relief over the day, you could use less, possibly 1 capsule every 8 hours would have some effect, or you might need 2 or 3 at a time. You just need to experiment to see what works for you.

 

[sumguy]

Thanks. The last couple of days I've had one before breakfast, one before lunch, and one before dinner. It's helped with the anxiety, and (at least last night) still helps with the sleeping. It will be interesting to see if I still sleep well tonight, having just got up from my Sunday afternoon nap (which often causes problems Sunday night).

 

[sumguy]

I ended up doing that (taking 1 at a time, 3 times a day) Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I chose the 3 day weekend so I could see how it worked while not at work. It helped a lot with my physical anxiety symptoms and I also slept really well. Today, I decided to try going back to just taking 3 together in the evening. The physical anxiety symptoms are back.

So, now that I see what appears to work for me - and I only intend to use kava medicinally - my big question remaining is how to fit my exercise in. I'd like to be able to ride my bike to and from work (20+ miles a day). Is that going to be a problem with taking the kava throughout the day?

 

[verticity]

So, now that I see what appears to work for me - and I only intend to use kava medicinally - my big question remaining is how to fit my exercise in. I'd like to be able to ride my bike to and from work (20+ miles a day). Is that going to be a problem with taking the kava throughout the day?

Probably not, since your dose is pretty small. You should probably take your morning kava after you get to work, and then the evening one after you get home before dinner, since kava before exercise is not really a good thing.

 

[sumguy]

Looks like I posted my followup to a different thread. This is what I said: For the last 3 days I've been taking the capsules throughout the day to help with both anxiety and insomnia. Yesterday I ended up taking about 5 because the anxiety was so bad. I've only taken 3 today, but I've been feeling really lethargic and sleepy. I'm now starting to wonder if taking the capsules throughout the day isn't such a good idea. If I have to choose between dragging myself through the day and having anxiety, I might just choose anxiety.

 

[Steve Mariotti]

Looks like I posted my followup to a different thread. This is what I said: For the last 3 days I've been taking the capsules throughout the day to help with both anxiety and insomnia. Yesterday I ended up taking about 5 because the anxiety was so bad. I've only taken 3 today, but I've been feeling really lethargic and sleepy. I'm now starting to wonder if taking the capsules throughout the day isn't such a good idea. If I have to choose between dragging myself through the day and having anxiety, I might just choose anxiety.

On the other thread I said: "Try Ozia Kava candies."

You will find those much more effective.

 

[verticity]

Looks like I posted my followup to a different thread. This is what I said: For the last 3 days I've been taking the capsules throughout the day to help with both anxiety and insomnia. Yesterday I ended up taking about 5 because the anxiety was so bad. I've only taken 3 today, but I've been feeling really lethargic and sleepy. I'm now starting to wonder if taking the capsules throughout the day isn't such a good idea. If I have to choose between dragging myself through the day and having anxiety, I might just choose anxiety.

Well a feeling of lethargy and sleepiness can be a side effect (or desired effect) of kava, but it usually would take a much larger dose than you are taking to have much of that effect. But I would recommend to keep experimenting, and listen to your body. I'm not sure where those capsules rate on the heady/heavy scale (they didn't seem very sedating to me when I took them in much larger amounte), but maybe you would do better with something very heady like Mo'i instant or micronized.

 

[The Kap'n]

Take 4-6 capsules an hour before bed. I did this when I first started with kava and I slept like a newborn. Originally I had NO idea kava could do what it does, so I was just using it for anxiety relief. Low dosages around 200mg are the clinically studied dosages, and they've shown significant anxiety relief. On par with Valium in terms of anxiolytic.

 

[sumguy]

How many capsules would it take to keep me from yelling at my naughty kids?