Is caffeine interfering with kava effectiveness?

[Blimpie]

Just wondering, could two cups of coffee about five hours prior to kava-drinking interfere with the effectiveness of the kava (specifically a heady kava, not one for sedation)? Does anyone have any observations about caffeine/kava interactions/interferences? I do not mind cutting caffeine down to a minimum, but I am not sure I could cut it out entirely. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[kavadude]

you're probably fine at five hours

I find it to be a bad combo personally and prefer to taper off the caffeine and leave a few hours before drinking kava. Generally it makes it more intense/edgy to me

 

[Ligermeat]

I think the caffeine should defiantly have worn off by the 5 hour mark. But if you do feel a little tweaky after that amount of time, I think you should be ok, as long as your not prone to kava-anxiety.

 

[Blimpie]

@Ligermeat What's kava anxiety? I'm actually trying to control anxiety while I am working. Caffeine/coffee is basically a maintenance dose for me now.

 

[Ligermeat]

Kava-anxiety:

A side-effect of consuming large amounts of heady kava. Essentially a nervous, flighty feeling. Unlike the unpleasant edgy feel of having too much caffeine, the kava-anxiety can be easily ignored and is usually only brought on by external stimuli.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

Caffeine and Kava don't mix well for me. I can actually get pretty panicky if I mix them up. I've tried to drink Kava to bring me down from a coffee high, and it seemed to add a level of paranoia.

 

[nosuni]

I like the combo, I used to start my morning with two joints and a pot of coffee. Now I drink a couple of shells and a couple gourds of yerba mate. It doesn't seem to affect the potency of the kava, but it gives it a different personality. I prefer heavy kavas, even during the day. Together the two plants give me a nice "flow state" and I always have a good day at work, even in the stressful kitchen.

 

[EQ]

Kava-anxiety:

A side-effect of consuming large amounts of heady kava. Essentially a nervous, flighty feeling. Unlike the unpleasant edgy feel of having too much caffeine, the kava-anxiety can be easily ignored and is usually only brought on by external stimuli.

What is the difference, in your view, from Kava-Anxiety and normal anxiety ?

 

[Ligermeat]

What is the difference, in your view, from Kava-Anxiety and normal anxiety ?

IMO, kava anxiety is heavily dependent on external stimuli. One of the big offenders for kava-anxiety is that "phased-out" sensation that you get when your really, really rooted.
However, I can control the anxiety by listening to some music, watching a peaceful program, meditating, or reading, so it really doesn't bother me unless I let it.

 

[chandra]

Headier kavas can give me kava anxiety. It's sort of the same concept as someone getting anxious from pot. For most it makes them relaxed, but too much or being really sensitive to it can cause anxiety. Kava and caffeine leave me feeling crappy if I have too much caffeine at the same time as kava, but smaller amounts of caffeine or spacing them out don't bother me. Sometimes I drink a shell of kava mixed with my morning coffee. Kava, like any herbal substance, has different effects for different people. Some strains seem to increase my anxiety while others leave me feeling very relaxed. It's really a matter of experimenting and finding out what works for you.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

The source of caffiene is important . Yerba I wouldn't even put in the same category unless it has no stems .

Caffiene is metabolized by the enzyme in which kava inhibits so if there is residual kls in the system from daily drinking then the caffiene could stay longer.

And on top of that most who experience insomnia from coffee or caffiene are past the point from which it should have left the body
So that doesnt seem to matter to much in this regard anyway .

The true question is does it for you. And the answer seems to be yes. Although that is for you to find out.
Also what effects are you talking about in reference?
I find its the chilled out krunk that gets ruined by too much caffeine and sometimes the euphoria

 

[Bula Kava House]

Just wondering, could two cups of coffee about five hours prior to kava-drinking interfere with the effectiveness of the kava (specifically a heady kava, not one for sedation)? Does anyone have any observations about caffeine/kava interactions/interferences? I do not mind cutting caffeine down to a minimum, but I am not sure I could cut it out entirely. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Hipster speedball

 

[Capitán Bastos]

Caffeine has five hour half time, if I remember correctly.

 

[Capitán Bastos]

I like the combo, I used to start my morning with two joints and a pot of coffee. Now I drink a couple of shells and a couple gourds of yerba mate. It doesn't seem to affect the potency of the kava, but it gives it a different personality. I prefer heavy kavas, even during the day. Together the two plants give me a nice "flow state" and I always have a good day at work, even in the stressful kitchen.

Joints and mate tho

 

[Jerome]

I have no problem mixing the two. Never have. I drink a lot of strong coffee throughout the day and will occasionally have a big bowl of kava mid coffee, such as on my way to work. No problems.

 

[chandra]

That's part of what makes kava so fascinating. Two different people can drink the same amount of the same root and have different experiences. To me it makes kava more personal, because finding out what is right for you is really a personal journey.

 

[KrunkMunster]

I'm a big coffee drinker and I've found that caffeine with kava just makes me feel odd. It's hard to explain, but basically it really jacks up the Kava experience for me. There are times that Kava makes me very sleepy and so I thought some coffee might perk me up a bit so I wouldn't want to go to sleep, but it really doesn't. It just makes me feel jittery. I was drinking a somewhat heady Kava when I tried this so maybe the results with a more balanced or heavy Kava would be different.

 

[avahZ]

I like my kava in my coffee in the morning! EVERY-MORNING!!!
I also like to necro this thread when this subject comes back up!

http://kavaforums.com/forum/threads/those-looking-to-potentiate-kava-try-coffee.5647/#post-66184

 

[I don't know]

I have 1 tspn of kava in my first cup of coffee every morning and have no problem. It depends on each person I guess. I also sip kava throughout the day and have coffee or sometimes an energy drink in between. No problemo. I do keep the kava to small amounts though so I can focus during the day.