Newbie with anxiety

[Cocool]

Greetings,

I have been reading a lot of good things about kava, so I have decided to give it a try, hoping it will reduce my anxiety and panic attacks. But I’m still pretty anxious about it because I have had some bad experiences with weed. I’m afraid of what it will do to my mind etc. Maybe I should start with a gentle kava product? I have been thinking about starting out with Nene instant (although I can’t find it anywhere..?) But I really don’t know what would be best for me. I prefer something easy though, like instant. I’m looking for something to use in the daytime and in the evening.

Also, whats the deal with the numb mouth and throat that people mention? Is it uncomfortable? Because a lot of my anxiety comes from discomfort in my throat...

Any advise would be much appreciated.

 

[The Kap'n]

Greetings,

I have been reading a lot of good things about kava, so I have decided to give it a try, hoping it will reduce my anxiety and panic attacks. But I’m still pretty anxious about it because I have had some bad experiences with weed. I’m afraid of what it will do to my mind etc. Maybe I should start with a gentle kava product? I have been thinking about starting out with Nene instant (although I can’t find it anywhere..?) But I really don’t know what would be best for me. I prefer something easy though, like instant. I’m looking for something to use in the daytime and in the evening.

Also, whats the deal with the numb mouth and throat that people mention? Is it uncomfortable? Because a lot of my anxiety comes from discomfort in my throat...

Any advise would be much appreciated.

First of all, welcome. Many if not most of us turned to kava for the same issues. Glad to have you with us!

In terms of how it effects your mind, in comparison to cannabis, it doesn't. You won't find yourself peeping around blinds and worrying about who, without a doubt, is just about to knock on your front door. Kava is nothing like that. About the most pull you'll get from kava is the desire to go to sleep. It doesn't forcibly change your thinking either. You'll find those intrusive thoughts begin to diminish slowly, and then you feel your body begin to relax as if you're lying down to go to sleep. About the strangest thing kava can do, and only in really high doses, is make it difficult to coordinate your muscle movements. You'd actually have to TRY to get to that level, so it's nothing you should be worried about just starting.

You just about hit the nail on the head with Nene. It's smooth, more sedative, and doesn't leave you groggy in the least bit the next morning.

Really if you want to boil kava down to simplicity, it's a non-intrusive sedative that helps you sleep and also has clinically shown to be as effective as diazepam without the risk of addiction and withdrawal.

 

[The Kap'n]

Also, the throat numbing is characteristic of kava. It's not like Novocain. If any actual numbness occurs it's gone within minutes. The quicker you drink your kava, the less likely the numbing effects are to be. It's not in any way uncomfortable, just strange for a minute, and then it's gone.

 

[NotKrunk]

Hello and welcome! I personally like the tongue and throat numbness, it goes with the experience. I would suggest this as a someone who has anxiety and is rather a novice to kava, appx 4 months. I tried using Kava during the day, for me its a total no go. Every kava I have tried ends up making me sleepy, so for me its pretty much a night time deal. That being said, I often get the shield effect the next morning and this greatly eases any anxiety. Do it in the early evening at least 3 hours before bed to one see how it affects you and to make sure it wont mess with your sleep. For me a lot of Kava just before bed really screws up my sleep. Through trial and error I found I can have a moderate dose, appx 4 tablespoons medium grind 2 hours before bed and I sleep fine. For some people this may be too close in terms of time. Go slow and find out which kava and dose works best for you. It can be easy to just keep shelling when you start to feel really good, don't risk the temptation until you find your boundaries. Your mindset and what you are doing I think is important. Set a time for yourself when taking kava is all you have to do. For me doing task oriented things scares away the kava gods.
P.S. Pot for anxiety sucks IMO. Kava is king

 

[Krunkonaut]

I started using kava for my anxiety as well and had the same concerns due to numerous panic attacks from weed. Kava keeps me in the moment not thinking about anything. Just a state of being happily relaxed in the moment without any worries. which feels good especially if your a day wasn't going to plan or basically just any busy weekday in general. I'd personally recommend a balanced kava, sometimes for me the in your face kava's can actually help the most but I guess it depends on the moment I'm in. Also I only drink kava in the evening before going to bed because I lay the worries of the day to rest. During daytime I can't enjoy that aspect as much because there's still a day ahead of you. Goodluck with your search!

 

[ph0ng]

Greetings,

I have been reading a lot of good things about kava, so I have decided to give it a try, hoping it will reduce my anxiety and panic attacks. But I’m still pretty anxious about it because I have had some bad experiences with weed. I’m afraid of what it will do to my mind etc. Maybe I should start with a gentle kava product? I have been thinking about starting out with Nene instant (although I can’t find it anywhere..?) But I really don’t know what would be best for me. I prefer something easy though, like instant. I’m looking for something to use in the daytime and in the evening.

Also, whats the deal with the numb mouth and throat that people mention? Is it uncomfortable? Because a lot of my anxiety comes from discomfort in my throat...

Any advise would be much appreciated.

You and I are in the same boat. I would say once or twice a week I get terrible anxiety attacks. I don't tell anyone and just try to struggle through. It is mentally, emotionally, and physically fatiguing. No matter how much I try to control it, I can hear it creep into my voice and how it effects my interactions. I just want to run. I just want to be able to get away. But I can't, which then fuels the attack. Sometimes it will pass in an hour, sometimes it can last all day.
Any anti-anxiety drugs turn me into a zombie. The only thing that worked for me very low-dose Tramadol, but they won't prescribe it for that use.
So here I am, testing Kava.

Got the MeloMelo and Pouni Ono. Tried my first shells of MeloMelo with an Aluball just now, and I'm really surprised. The effects come on fast. I wouldn't describe it as mouth numbing. It's more a tingling sensation on your tongue and lips, like when you fall asleep on your arm. Very very mild suggestion of that 'pins and needles' sorta sensation.

I feel like a huge weight has been taken off my chest. Breathing feels easy. Not that breathing isn't easy, but it's a physical sensation the kava brought on. I'm very relaxed. I don't know that it motivated me in anyway, but I don't believe that's it's therapeutic purpose. That's what I got the Pouni Ono for. I will update with my Pouni Ono experience for curtailing possible anxiety attacks at work.

Again, I was pretty surprised how quickly the effects come on. Probably 2 minutes to start feeling it, and maybe 30 minutes until you hit the full effect. The MeloMelo is definitely 'mellow'. It's a difficult sensation to describe. Your body doesn't feel heavy and sedated and sluggish like anti-anxiety meds, you feel very weightless and light and open.

 

[Cocool]

Thank you all for the replies..!

Currently I have set my eyes on Borogu and Pouni Uno from Kalm With Kava. Nene seems to be out of stock..?

I have been taking meds (SSRI) but with terrible side effects. So I tossed em out.. I really hope kava can turn things around. In my current state I can’t go to work or see my friends. I have a hard time just leaving the house.. But I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what kava can do for me.

 

[NotKrunk]

Thank you all for the replies..!

Currently I have set my eyes on Borogu and Pouni Uno from Kalm With Kava. Nene seems to be out of stock..?

I have been taking meds (SSRI) but with terrible side effects. So I tossed em out.. I really hope kava can turn things around. In my current state I can’t go to work or see my friends. I have a hard time just leaving the house.. But I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what kava can do for me.

Anxiety does suck. I took SSRIs for depression in the past, I did not like them. SSRIs just seemed to mask the problem, I found with depression actually working with it and sitting with it not masking it or trying to drive it away was what over time finally worked. I am applying the same idea to anxiety. Kava and the supplements I take don't mask or drive away my anxiety, but they tend to hamper that fight or flight response. I don't use Kava during my day but I do get shield effects . This still let's me encounter and work with my anxiety, I am not running away from it and making it stronger. I deal with whatever comes Kava is just there for support. Unwinding with Kava at night is a treat

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Greetings,

I have been reading a lot of good things about kava, so I have decided to give it a try, hoping it will reduce my anxiety and panic attacks. But I’m still pretty anxious about it because I have had some bad experiences with weed. I’m afraid of what it will do to my mind etc. Maybe I should start with a gentle kava product? I have been thinking about starting out with Nene instant (although I can’t find it anywhere..?) But I really don’t know what would be best for me. I prefer something easy though, like instant. I’m looking for something to use in the daytime and in the evening.

Also, whats the deal with the numb mouth and throat that people mention? Is it uncomfortable? Because a lot of my anxiety comes from discomfort in my throat...

Any advise would be much appreciated.

one of the main advantages of kava is with kava you maintain mental clarity and alertness, unlike with the ways cannabis is traditionally consumed. That said, starting with something very gentle can still be a great idea, but not for mental clarity, which you'll get to keep regardless. If you like your mental clarity, you'll get to keep your mental clarity.

Numbness with kava rarely occurs in the throat, with one or two very rare exceptions. Numbness in the lips and tongue can be common though for many people that disappears after the first few months. It just tapers down and down till it's gone and you rarely notice it until you offer someone a shell and they say "wow, this is super numbie" and you're like "What????" because you have no numbing feeling at all. But even the very very strongest numbing I've felt, and I have felt a fair bit, it was never uncomfortable and it never lasted more than a few minutes or less.

At the beginning, the only rough things are the RT, the flavour (although with time some people adjust - I used to think Doug was superhuman in his ability to enjoy the flavour of kava till one night I suddenly changed and I loved the taste, too), possible dermopathy and possible overdose. None of these is guaranteed to happen. Some people don't go through any of it and just go straight to all the best parts, like with our older son. Loved it from is first taste, no RT, no dermo, nuthin' but just a good feeling and never any problems