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Blood pressure

mlenny

Kava Curious
Kava seems to recently be increasing my blood pressure (I mean A LOT). Does anyone have any ideas why this might be happening and how to address it?

Thanks,
Matthew
 

Forretressqt

Kava Curious
I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say it’s due to the dehydrating effect as well as the diuretic effect- I believe a full bladder can raise your BP up to +20 systolic.
I have labile hypertension and I’m pretty prone to large spikes and have never noticed a change from kava.

if it’s only for a while post-kava you’re likely fine (assuming it’s not a horrifically high number) however try stay extra hydrated before and after drinking it and see if it makes a difference.
 

Katya

Newbie
I haven't drank kava yet myself but .. Do you drink heavy or heady kavas? Maybe it's something so do with the stimulant effects?- not sure if kavas heady/heavy effects are anything like cannabis or not but there have been times where i could feel my blood pressure was high after smoking, depending on what strain I smoked (altho I think even heavy strains can affect your bp) and the state of my mind and body. But I even find things like chamomile and lemon balm to have quite a strong effect on how my body feels, I've had nauseating effects from all of the above and I find nausea can affects my bp.
The only thing I can think of to help is, other than seeing a doctor is, diaphragmatic breathing (and slowing down your breathing as well) and seeing if there are any factors in your daily life that could be contributing to high BP.
 
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hyperdown

Kava Curious
Unfortunately, I've been noticing my blood pressure spiking quite high after drinking kava as well. I'm usually at around 120/70, but last night (about 1.5 hours after beginning a session), measured 143/84 (that was before eating too). It's got me a little concerned...
 

The Kap'n

The Groggy Kaptain (40g)
KavaForums Founder
I had a nice typed up response, but removed it because I've NEVER tested my blood pressure after drinking kava.

Off to amazon to buy a blood pressure monitor.

For the record my BP has been within the normal range for every physical I've had in at least the last 3 years.
 

The Kap'n

The Groggy Kaptain (40g)
KavaForums Founder
Got the blood pressure monitor in. We're gonna see what it does (at least to me)
 

hyperdown

Kava Curious
Additional testing has shown my bp is all over the place, with or without kava. So, it's probably just me.
 

Forretressqt

Kava Curious
It definitely raises my heart rate, and there was a marked BP rise. I'll continue doing this for a while to get an average.
That's really interesting, I'd love to see how it goes over time.

I've actually noticed too I have a slight increase in heart rate although BP cotinues to have no obvious change.

Just editing- I took a beta blocker last night (I have ongoing congenital cardiac symptoms that I get regular tests for) and kava today hasn’t affected my heart rate, so perhaps it affects adrenaline/noradrenaline or maybe for me at least the effect isn’t so strong as to override other factors that can lower heart rate.
 
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nabanga

Kava Enthusiast
After a big session I get pounding blood pressure that keeps me awake like a drum in my head. The next morning it is back down to 130/80 or so.
 

The Kap'n

The Groggy Kaptain (40g)
KavaForums Founder
so perhaps it affects adrenaline/noradrenaline or maybe for me at least the effect isn’t so strong as to override other factors that can lower heart rate.
This is exactly what I suspect.

Edit: Important to keep in mind these studies elucidated these effects at the lowest dosage concentration of 10µM, which is much much higher than concentrations found after kava consumption in brain regions of rats, by a factor of about ten.

Seitz, U., A. Schüle, and J. Gleitz. 1997. “[3H]-Monoamine Uptake Inhibition Properties of Kava Pyrones.” Planta Medica 63 (6): 548–49. https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-957761
 
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