Kava has been a Godsend when it comes anxiety. Only problem is 2 weeks in I broke out in a rash within a half hour after my nightly kava. I laid off and let everything clear up. Tried again last night and woke up with a swollen face that is red like when you wake up hungover and a rash again. I haven't had any alcohol since I started drinking kava. Right now I am trying to stay awake from taking benadryl. The kava I have been drinking is micro from kalm with kava. I use 2TBS and it puts time in the just the right place. I read through just about every bit of info on this stupid rash. I don't want to give up on kava because as I get younger my anxiety has gotten worse and kava has made a huge improvement in my life already. Does anyone have any suggestions that maybe I Haven't seen? If I keep taking benadryl and kava will this reaction eventually go away? Is it safe to even mix the 2? I have learned so much reading here and I am hoping I don't have to give up kava. Thank you for reading my long post.
Do I have to give up Kava
- Thread starter Peanut
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Kojo Douglas
The Kavasseur
Hi Peanut, I'm sorry to hear about your rash and the swelling that you are attributing to the Kava. How long did you drink Kava before these symptoms started? What other kinds of Kava have you tried outside of the Kalm with Kava micronized? Certainly you should try to refrain from drinking Kava until the symptoms go away. It is unfortunate that you suffer from anxiety and have an adverse reaction to something that is helping you.
I was drinking kava for about 2 weeks nightly before the rash started. I stopped drinking it till the everything cleared up and tried again last night. Got the rash again. I have only tried Kalm with kava micronized so far. Haven't even gotten to try the many wonderful kava's that are out there yet.
Micronized causes dermo more.
Use medium grind, buy an Aluball.
Kojo Douglas
The Kavasseur
This does seem to be the case. I'm assuming it's because of the presence of makas in the Kava. I rarely drink micronized Kava because it gives me an upset stomach. Perhaps we need to be finding ways of testing Kava that will prevent people from getting dermo and swelling? Vendors who sell micronized Kava should reconsider their stance on this issue, if it is discouraging people who would otherwise benefit from Kava.
After all, micronized Kava consumed through toss n wash isn't traditional. I'm a bit surprised that @Gourmet Hawaiian Kava sells it, since they don't want to sell extracts. Surely the people of the Pacific never processed dried root into micronized toss n wash blends.
HeadHodge
Bula To Eternity
Swollen face doesn't sound good. Might mean your somehow allergic and some allergic reactions can be dangerous.
I was prescribed a medication years ago that gave me bad hives. But I really needed it, so I cut my dose to 1/3 of what they wanted me to take for awhile until I was able to tolerate the drug. Then I upped that to a 1/2 dose for awhile, and now days I'm taking full doses without issue.
I would recommend also trying an instant or candy for awhile to see if maybe there is something else present in the micronized sediment causing problems for you. I'm a Webmd doctor not a real one.
Are there any other medications you are taking? Sometimes other meds have negative side effects with kava. As for the dry skin, it is a common side effect for many of us, that drink regularly or in large quantities. I have what I joke about as "Perma Dermo" I never give my skin a break from kava, being an anxiety sufferer as well, it out weighs the negatives for me.
Rashes come and go but kava is forever. As @KrunkyMonkey says it's a cost/benefit analysis that is personal to us all.
I don't take any medications. I can live with a little itchy scratchy but this is beyond that. Last time it was my back and arms and was bad. This time I think it feels worse because it is mostly on my face. It looks like hives.
Yeah I am familiar with the feeling and it can be painful too. There is a product called Amlactin (lotion) that you can buy at your local pharmacy, that does wonders for the symptoms. The main ingredient in it is Alpha-Hydroxy. You may want to check with your doctor on the swelling though, that is not a typical side effect from kava. Which is why I asked about other meds.
violet
Do all things with love
There's a big difference between hives and dry skin. I didn't see where the OP mentioned dry skin? There are some anecdotes of kava ingestion causing a hive like rash, which would indicate some type of immune mediated reaction.
As HeadHodge illustrated you might be able to try desensitizing yourself to it by starting with tiny amounts and working up. I wouldn't use kava again until the rash was completely clear. If kava is inducing you to have hives, you run the risk of increasing the sensitization if you try to push through the rash.
You may want to give instant kava a try. Instant kava is made from dehydrated fresh kava juice, contains no sediment at all and would probably be the least likely to cause a reaction if you were going to have one.
As HeadHodge illustrated you might be able to try desensitizing yourself to it by starting with tiny amounts and working up. I wouldn't use kava again until the rash was completely clear. If kava is inducing you to have hives, you run the risk of increasing the sensitization if you try to push through the rash.
You may want to give instant kava a try. Instant kava is made from dehydrated fresh kava juice, contains no sediment at all and would probably be the least likely to cause a reaction if you were going to have one.
Kojo Douglas
The Kavasseur
D
Deleted User01
Some people cannot handle micronized. In my case, all I do is GHK micronized. Try running the Micro though a bag or Alubal and see if that helps. But you may want to wait it few days to let the allergy Kalm down. For people who may or may not be allergic to kava, I always recommend they try Nene before they pass judgement. That is the most noble of kavas and less likely to give side effects. It's not the strongest one for sure but it's great for relaxing and sleep. If you get a bad reaction from that, then you will have to give up kava. Allergies can't be helped sometimes.
Thank you guys for the info. I think I will order a sample of instant or medium grind and see if that works out better. Definitely waiting for everything to clear up again first. I can't give up till I have exhausted all possibilities. Do you guys think medium grind or instant would be the best as far as minimizing the chance of possible reactions again?
Kojo Douglas
The Kavasseur
If I were you, I'd wait for the rashes and other reactions to go away. After that, try instant or medium grind (traditional prep) and see if there is any improvement. As @violet recommended, start with low dosages and move up from there.
HeadHodge
Bula To Eternity
I think the instant would be better as a 'test' to start
I would try an instant first and then maybe try medium grind but make sure to strain it really well.
D
Deleted User01
If you do micronized or medium grind, just strain real good like @Edward said. Instant should be ok. But only if the fiber theory is the culprit. If you are totally allergic to kava, then nothing will help. If you have any micronized left, strain that and see how it goes. I used a fine mesh nylon bag that I "used" to employ when I brewed beer. It's a hop bag. It's pretty darn sturdy too.
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