New to Kava Kava and need help please

[jetsman21]

Hi Everyone,

I am brand new to using Kava Kava and could use some advice. I'll start by telling you that I have general anxiety disorder and have been taking Zoloft for the last two years. I also have a prescription for Xanax. The reason I have started taking Kava Kava is because I have found that I have been relying on Xanax a lot more lately than I'd like to and have built up a tolerance and am scared of becoming addicted if I keep taking them. Initially I would take 1mg of Xanax a day and as of last week I needed 2.5mg just to get through my anxiety attacks- not good! I decided yesterday to stop using Xanax altogether so I don't become fully dependent.
Yesterday I did some research into herbal anxiety remedies and found Kava Kava. I went to the Vitamin Shoppe and bought a bottle of Gaia Kava Kava root pills (60 count). I chose these because the reviews on Amazon were very good.
These pills say they have 442mg of Kava root extract and 75mg of Kavalactones. My questions is how many should I take to start seeing a decrease in my anxiety. I read online that some people need to take as many as 8-10 pills per day for it to work in pill form but the bottle says to only take 1 capsule. Please keep in mind, i'm not trying to get high or anything- I just want to take the right amount to quiet my anxiety and not need Xanax anymore. BTW- yesterday I took 4 capsules total (2 at lunch and 2 at dinner) and didn't notice any effect at all.
Any advice or assistance is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[jetsman21]

Also- can you overdose on Kava? One of the Amazon reviews I read said the person takes 8-12 pills per day (which is like 750+ MG of kavalactones). I just want to be safe......

 

[NAMBATU]

You can't really get high or overdose on kava. Brief periods of euphoria are common if you use good stuff and you may have to run to the lav' if you take too much. However, you won't wake up shaking in hospital with concerned relatives divvying up your estate. It's nothing like sleeping pills or our friend Mary Jane.

 

[jetsman21]

That's definitely a relief. With my anxiety I go into panic mode around just about anything. Just wanted to make sure that I shouldn't be concerned about safety. Thank you!

 

[The Kap'n]

Your decision to stop the xanax is a wise one. I've only heard absolute horror stories about quitting. Yes, @NAMBATU is absolutely correct. Kava is one of those things that tells you how much you do. The gaia herbs caps you've purchased are actually a quality product. Expensive, but definitely quality. When I was taking them I'd take around 3-5 at a time.

 

[jetsman21]

Yes- I've had friends get addicted to Benzo's and I felt like I was on that path so decided I needed to make a change. You are right about the pills- they are expensive. I did see that they are cheaper on Amazon but I think I'm going to order something from the store here to make the drinks. Any suggestions?

 

[Deleted User01]

Welcome to the forum @jetsman21! At the start, I would just follow the instructions on the bottle. That would be about 3 a day. If there are no ill effects, then you can slowly increase the amount until you hit the right dose. By then, you should be over Reverse Tolerance and ready for the real thing. Then you can find a kava strain that works best for you. Good luck!

P.S. I too was using Xanax for work related stress but I always had a hangover the next day. I would be ill tempered at best. If I took another, I felt better. Well, this is how people get addicted so I found another way.

 

[jetsman21]

It was getting that way for me to. I'd take a few Xanax in the morning and by lunch I'd be going back to get more. It also made me very tired when I was "coming down". It's a scary cycle to be stuck in. Provided Kava provides the relief I need I'm not even going to fill my prescription again.

 

[Deleted User01]

@jetsman21, I would advise that you fill the prescription and have it for emergencies (assuming you have refills). I have insurance so I get mine cheap. I hate to admit it, but it's get used when others have "emergencies". I know at least one other member who keeps a jar handy "just in case". Just cover your tail for all eventualities.

 

[jetsman21]

Haha good points on that. Seems like half my office is on something anyway.

 

[verticity]

Hi Everyone,

I am brand new to using Kava Kava and could use some advice. I'll start by telling you that I have general anxiety disorder and have been taking Zoloft for the last two years. I also have a prescription for Xanax. The reason I have started taking Kava Kava is because I have found that I have been relying on Xanax a lot more lately than I'd like to and have built up a tolerance and am scared of becoming addicted if I keep taking them. Initially I would take 1mg of Xanax a day and as of last week I needed 2.5mg just to get through my anxiety attacks- not good! I decided yesterday to stop using Xanax altogether so I don't become fully dependent.
Yesterday I did some research into herbal anxiety remedies and found Kava Kava. I went to the Vitamin Shoppe and bought a bottle of Gaia Kava Kava root pills (60 count). I chose these because the reviews on Amazon were very good.
These pills say they have 442mg of Kava root extract and 75mg of Kavalactones. My questions is how many should I take to start seeing a decrease in my anxiety. I read online that some people need to take as many as 8-10 pills per day for it to work in pill form but the bottle says to only take 1 capsule. Please keep in mind, i'm not trying to get high or anything- I just want to take the right amount to quiet my anxiety and not need Xanax anymore. BTW- yesterday I took 4 capsules total (2 at lunch and 2 at dinner) and didn't notice any effect at all.
Any advice or assistance is appreciated. Thank you!

2.5 mg of Xanax is a moderately large dose. It might not be a good idea to quit cold turkey. You could experience dangerous withdrawal symptoms. I would recommend talking with your doctor to set up a tapering schedule.

Another option would be to get a scrip for a longer acting benzo like Klonopin, which would be easier to taper off of.

Kava can certainly help with this process. Gaia capsules are a good product. As a rule of thumb, it seems like 3 capsules are roughly equivalent to 1 shell of kava. You could try taking 3 caps, and then wait an hour-- if it is doing nothing maybe take 3 more. You can't overdose on kava, but I did experience a little stomach upset if I took too many of those capsules. They work much better if you take them on an empty stomach-- that is, before lunch or dinner, not during or after. And drink lots of water with the capsules.

 

[jetsman21]

Thank you so much for your comment and advice. I believe you are right- I should talk to my doctor and will set-up an appointment to do so. So far today I've had 8 Gaia pills total because my anxiety has been flaring. However, I have noticed a change over the course of the day (my second) in that I do feel much more relaxed at this point and am only experiencing minor anxiety at best. My fear is that I will "overdo" it- which is a common problem for me. I've been reading through a number of other posts on the forums here and have found some great information. I honestly don't know if I have experienced the reverse tolerance either because I am definitely feeling something and it is helping. My fear of continuing with the benzo's is that I've always been a "more" type of person. This pertains to all things in my life- food, alcohol- you name it. While I don't consider myself an alcoholic, I definitely drink to get drunk when I do drink. This is especially true on Friday and Saturday nights when I get totally sloshed and can't stop. That is scary in itself but to also get fully addicted to benzo's- I just don't think I could handle that. I'm hoping that Kava can help me on all fronts and get me moving in the right direction. I read in another post that Kava actually reduces cravings for alcohol- I hope that's true as well because I know that drinking doesn't help with my already persistent anxiety issues. On a positive note, I've lost 40lbs since January and have been working out extremely hard to make it happen. A big part of this has been not drinking at all. Over the last 3 weeks or so though we've went to a number of family parties and I've gained 5lbs in that timeframe even with working out- all thanks to over indulging in alcohol! I'm sick of it! I have committed to myself that I won't touch a drop of alcohol until July 4th at a minimum and I truly hope Kava can help me to achieve that goal and get back on the right track.

 

[verticity]

Thank you so much for your comment and advice. I believe you are right- I should talk to my doctor and will set-up an appointment to do so. So far today I've had 8 Gaia pills total because my anxiety has been flaring. However, I have noticed a change over the course of the day (my second) in that I do feel much more relaxed at this point and am only experiencing minor anxiety at best. My fear is that I will "overdo" it- which is a common problem for me. I've been reading through a number of other posts on the forums here and have found some great information. I honestly don't know if I have experienced the reverse tolerance either because I am definitely feeling something and it is helping. My fear of continuing with the benzo's is that I've always been a "more" type of person. This pertains to all things in my life- food, alcohol- you name it. While I don't consider myself an alcoholic, I definitely drink to get drunk when I do drink. This is especially true on Friday and Saturday nights when I get totally sloshed and can't stop. That is scary in itself but to also get fully addicted to benzo's- I just don't think I could handle that. I'm hoping that Kava can help me on all fronts and get me moving in the right direction. I read in another post that Kava actually reduces cravings for alcohol- I hope that's true as well because I know that drinking doesn't help with my already persistent anxiety issues. On a positive note, I've lost 40lbs since January and have been working out extremely hard to make it happen. A big part of this has been not drinking at all. Over the last 3 weeks or so though we've went to a number of family parties and I've gained 5lbs in that timeframe even with working out- all thanks to over indulging in alcohol! I'm sick of it! I have committed to myself that I won't touch a drop of alcohol until July 4th at a minimum and I truly hope Kava can help me to achieve that goal and get back on the right track.

Kava is an excellent, safer alternative to alcohol for many of us. One nice thing about it is that it really is non addictive (in the sense that there are no physical withdrawal symptoms-- you may come to like and want it a lot though...) but it is kind of self limiting, especially if you use traditional preparation, the kava will tell you if you have had too much via various undesirable symptoms: nausea, tiredness, double vision with very high amounts. But these bad effects will go away pretty quickly, and your mind always remains clear, so you are able to observe what is happening unimpaired and stop when you want to.

Another thing is that kava has long-acting components, so there can be a cumulative effect. Your second shell (or dose of capsules) may have more effect than the first one... it can creep up on you, so be patient..

 

[Blippy5]

Since I started drinking kava, I drink almost no alcohol any more.

I ran out a few days ago, so I had some alcohol this weekend. I didn't realize it as much before, but I do much better without alcohol. Gives me heart burn, bad sleep, irritable the next morning, and effects my depression much more than I thought.