Kava instead of coffee?

[Alexie]

Hi there and Merry Christmas!
I am trying to get off of coffee starting today (12/25/18) since I have pretty bad anxiety due to my high stress job in the private wealth finance industry (plus I am moving to Thailand by the end of this month). I just came to a revelation that I should quit caffeine, namely coffee. I am wondering if anyone has used kava in replacement of their morning coffee? Also, I drink the 11 year waka throughout the day. Is this bad? (8 hours of drinking kava, sometimes after work too). I do not believe it is, based on previous poster's lab results. With me though, I take 4 medications (2 for anxiety: Gabapentin and Escitalopram - the lowest dosages, 1 for ADHD Strattera - the lowest dosage and Wellbutrin (for depression/social phobia) - the lowest dosage so that may be problematic due to medications being filtered through the liver. I just do not want to overtax my body but honestly only kava and weed (which I cannot get access to, due to the state I am in, hence, kava) are the only 2 things that really help my anxiety. Sad, I know.
Lastly, I am going to move to Thailand soon. Anyone know of international kava sellers?
Thanks for any help in advance!!

 

[Kavashua]

For me once I started drinking kava regularly coffee pretty much disappeared from my routine. It varies in between individuals but I found coffee competes with the kava way too much. So much that I nearly gave up coffee completely. Anymore if I drink a cup of coffee it’s feels like I drank 2 pots of coffee. Keep us posted I’m curious to find out how it works out for you

 

[Russell Caruso]

Others will be more educated than I about having Kava along specific medications, especially anti-anxiety ones, i'd say you're fine so long as you avoid taking them together. Drinking Kava throughout the day isn't necessarily bad, it just depends on the person. So long as it doesn't have any downsides for you, I think it's more than okay. If you drink Kava regularly I would recommend taking a milk thistle and/or NAC supplement just to make sure your liver is protected, mainly because of the other medications you take with Kava as well.
As for drinking Kava instead of coffee in the morning, I do it almost everyday! It's just really important to stay away from the heavy ones because even a small bit of heavy in the morning will keep me sleepy and lazy throughout the day. I have a tablespoon or 2 of Pouni Ono from Kalm With Kava most mornings. Before-hand I drink 2 tall glasses of water upon waking up though, then have the Kava. It just helps to prevent the dehydrating effects Kava can have, and drinking water alone upon waking up has some of it's own health benefits as well.
Hope I helped you out some! Enjoy!
Edit: I also just wanted to mention that Kava and weed should be a safe combo. I quit cannabis because it actually made my anxiety much worse, and Kava was the much better replacement (in my opinion) - but for those who react well to cannabis, I heard it can be a great combo, but you absolutely will end up more intoxicated than just one of the 2 alone, just a warning lol.

 

[nabanga]

I live in Laos, just over the northern Thai border. The only way to get kava is to have it couriered, which adds about 60% cost to a 5kg order, so you should bring as much as you can when you move - and if you end up in Isaan or visit Laos vome round for a shell.

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[kavakarma]

If you're in Thailand, look into Skullcap too. I've been looking for coffee alternatives for years and here's what I've come up with:

Skullcap - it's relaxing and focusing and kind of does the opposite of coffee but try it with some cinnamon and see how it affects your cravings and desires
Dandelion root + chickory blend - this is sold as a coffee alternative because it smells and tastes like coffee.
Kava - definitely! Whenever I have kava, I skip the coffee and have a more balanced day. I see no problem having kava instead, just stick to a mild amount. Starting your day with 3-4 shells of kava can make for a long tiresome thirsty day.

 

[BulamamatoNCIRVCKKPC]

I can't sub my coffee for anything but pure, organic coffee! It's my morning. lol. After that, it's kava all day long!

 

[rapunzel]

Hi there and Merry Christmas!
I am trying to get off of coffee starting today (12/25/18) since I have pretty bad anxiety due to my high stress job in the private wealth finance industry (plus I am moving to Thailand by the end of this month). I just came to a revelation that I should quit caffeine, namely coffee. I am wondering if anyone has used kava in replacement of their morning coffee? Also, I drink the 11 year waka throughout the day. Is this bad? (8 hours of drinking kava, sometimes after work too). I do not believe it is, based on previous poster's lab results. With me though, I take 4 medications (2 for anxiety: Gabapentin and Escitalopram - the lowest dosages, 1 for ADHD Strattera - the lowest dosage and Wellbutrin (for depression/social phobia) - the lowest dosage so that may be problematic due to medications being filtered through the liver. I just do not want to overtax my body but honestly only kava and weed (which I cannot get access to, due to the state I am in, hence, kava) are the only 2 things that really help my anxiety. Sad, I know.
Lastly, I am going to move to Thailand soon. Anyone know of international kava sellers?
Thanks for any help in advance!!

Getting off or at least reducing coffee helps me a great deal when my anxiety creeps up. But, kava in the morning does not work well for me in most cases. Can’t explain why. It can initially help with high anxiety in the day, but a few hours later, I feel agitated or something. Makes no sense to me, but there it is. I occasionally take a low dose of Ativan and don’t believe theee to be any ill effects for me. Good luck.

 

[recentreturn]

Kava has completely moved me away from coffee; unintentionally. If I am drinking a lot of kava, I just find very much caffeine to be unpleasant. Nevertheless, kava seems to perk me up, at first, at least. My problem with drinking kava in the day is a matter of temperance, I always just seem to have a little more and a little more until I don't feel like doing work. It also tends to taper off into sedation. Nevertheless, I would guess that a small amount of kava in the morning could take the place of the lift provided by caffeine, if you can keep from drinking too much. Kava and caffeine together seem to make me anxious.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Kava has completely moved me away from coffee; unintentionally. If I am drinking a lot of kava, I just find very much caffeine to be unpleasant. Nevertheless, kava seems to perk me up, at first, at least. My problem with drinking kava in the day is a matter of temperance, I always just seem to have a little more and a little more until I don't feel like doing work. It also tends to taper off into sedation. Nevertheless, I would guess that a small amount of kava in the morning could take the place of the lift provided by caffeine, if you can keep from drinking too much. Kava and caffeine together seem to make me anxious.

in general daytime drinking should be a little lighter, more sipping than chugging, more heady than heavy, shells more spaced out. Over the course of an 8 hr day at work I usually drink somewhere between 0.5 and 1L and never get krunk. Feel great, yes, but not krunk. Even at home working I still don't get krunk during the day.

 

[Zaphod]

Short answer is nope. Still love my coffee in the morning. Started a few years ago roasting my own beans and the flavor is nothing short of amazing versus pre-ground coffee from the store. That said I have on occasion had kava in the morning and it never really sat well with me. I typically, even on a weekend, don't have any until at least after noon. Most times it is not until 4-5pm after work and my workout.

 

[BaySailor]

Short answer is nope. Still love my coffee in the morning. Started a few years ago roasting my own beans and the flavor is nothing short of amazing versus pre-ground coffee from the store. That said I have on occasion had kava in the morning and it never really sat well with me. I typically, even on a weekend, don't have any until at least after noon. Most times it is not until 4-5pm after work and my workout.

Be careful roasting your own coffee. I started doing that 10 years ago with a popcorn popper, and now I have a roasting company! Seriously, though, my favorite days in the office (also a financial advisor) are ones like today where I alternate between a shell and a medium roast (Mexican Chiapas today) with 1/2 & 1/2 for the fat.