Allergy, itchy rash

[Jr. Woodchuck]

I was taking some 5-HTP (100 mg) and NOW Kava extract (I had already bought some out of ignorance and just wanted to finish the bottle)

I took a LOT of the kava extract pills, because they seemingly don't do much and I was bored at work. And for 2 days I've been drinking CK's Eva kava, about 4 tbsp per day.

Then BAM! woke up with a rash on my arms, legs, stomach and chest. Hydrocortisone has helped with the itching, and I'm currently covered in Desitin but I'm not sure it's helping the itch.

Clearly I've had a reaction based on either a combination of what I took, or one of the items. I read a thread from 2013 on this board and the person said they had taken 5-htp while taking Kava and they had the same rash as me, so I'm not sure.

What I'm going to do is take benadryl, not drink kava tonight, rub the rash with hydrocortisone, take a cold shower, and wait to see what happens. Then I think I'll take a lower dose of CK's Eva tomorrow if the rash clears up. Wish me luck!

 

[Groggy]

As many have noted here in the forum & have experienced, myself included, it's probably dermo. Happens with heavy consumption. Some are more sensitive than others. Amlactin is the best lotion for the problems associated with it.

Here is all the info you need;
http://kavaforums.com/forum/threads/kava-dermopathy.25/

 

[Jr. Woodchuck]

I thought it was dermo as well, but I haven't been drinking Kava for more than a month. I did binge for a week, then took a week off, and binged for 2 days though, so I'm not sure. I didn't seem to have the normal dermo symptoms, just a big rash. I'm still not sure.

 

[kavadude]

I've developed hives after taking random low-quality kavas (pretty much any kava coming in a pill bottle would fall under this). It's possible it's an allergic reaction to some kind of contaminant in the kava. I would stop taking anything until this reaction goes away.

 

[Groggy]

I thought it was dermo as well, but I haven't been drinking Kava for more than a month. I did binge for a week, then took a week off, and binged for 2 days though, so I'm not sure. I didn't seem to have the normal dermo symptoms, just a big rash. I'm still not sure.

I binged on Saturday and now the dermo is back. It had completely cleared up before. Could be an allergic reaction like kavadude said, but if you've been drinking for a month and binged a solid week + 2 days, I'd think it would be dermo.

 

[blindy107]

Dermo comes on more often and with greater intensity with some kavas. Most extracts dry me out more than dried root does.

 

[Jr. Woodchuck]

I rubbed the trouble spots with hydrocortisone throughout the day today. The rash is nearly gone. I opted to drink some craft IPAs tonight instead of Kava. Tomorrow if the rash is all clear I'm going to get krunk!!

 

[boxcar beatnik]

The fillers in the pills could have easily been makas. Binge on that and I'd think that would do it pretty quick.

 

[Jr. Woodchuck]

Update: Last night I still had some rash all over my body, but it was fading. I decided to drink some more kava. Next morning, the rash has now completely vanished and I don't itch anymore. I'm fairly convinced that binging on those NOW kava supplements is what caused the allergic reaction.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Yeah not a good idea to just eat a bottle of stuff that is known to be adulterated . Your health is worth much more than what you spent on those

 

[Jr. Woodchuck]

True. Hopefully that rash was the worst of the damage and I can move on having learned my lesson. I'm mostly very relieved that I don't have a rare allergy to kava itself.

 

[Deleted User01]

If it hurts when you do dat, then don't do dat! Yeah, you gotta stay away from the "iffy" Kava. The hydro-cortisone creme is good for lots of things .. rashes, bites, small pox, etc. I highly recommend it.