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Kava Physiology Can't drink coffee any more?

hitsuzen

hitsuzen

Kava Curious
I've been drinking kava daily for 6 months now and find that I can't drink coffee any more. It keeps me jittery and awake for 14 or more hours. In fact, I'm awake right now because of coffee I drank this morning. I Googled this and found that kava inhibits the CYP1A2 enzyme which is responsible for metabolizing caffeine. So my question is, does anyone else have increased sensitivity to caffeine since they started drinking kava?

(Several more enzymes are affected according to the first link, for instance CYP2C9 which metabolizes ibuprofen and other drugs. They're listed in the first link and are interesting to examine. Kava could in fact affect the metabolism of hundreds of drugs and might be worth mentioning during your visits to the doctor. :happy:)

Cheers! :D
 
Edward

Edward

Aluballin' in the UK
Kava Vendor
I've had trouble drinking caffeine for years and I put it down to relatively high alcohol consumption. Maybe it's a similar mechanism?
 
Squanch72

Squanch72

Kava Vendor
I stopped drinking coffee as it seems to interfere or clash with kava. Now that I have stopped just one Excedrin Migraine can give me the jitters when I am trying to chase off a headache. I used to take four of them and barely notice the caffeine. I switched to decaf green tea and herbal teas, I don't want anything interfering with my kava.
 
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VictoryRider

VictoryRider

Kava Enthusiast
I used to be fairly sensitive to caffeine. Nowadays, I can't get enough of the stuff. I don't drink kava daily though -- only 1-2 times per week,
but have never noticed any caffeine "enhancement" like you mentioned.
 
Zac Imiola (Herbalist)

Zac Imiola (Herbalist)

Kava Connoisseur
Once back in the day I "overdosed" on caffiene because of this. The reason being because I bought an herb pharm..kava tincture and used half the bottle combining in coffee and milk and different stuff trying to get an effect. Eventually I did but it was more as if it was caffiene being stuck . It lasted 3 days it was wierd. I could sleep then I'd wake up and my jaw would immediatley clench again and I'd stay overstimulated all day and do it again ... eventually through research I found that there is a water soluble chemicals from kava that balances this effect out a bit. And decided to make a glass of kava and water mixed (before I knew to knead).. and drank that I swear I felt immediatley better, it just took it away. And that's where I fell in love with whole plant medicine and despised extracts lmao!
 
KavaJazz

KavaJazz

Kava Curious
I've had quite a bit of kava this past weekend. It has been the first time in a while. Anyways, this morning, I got a 16 oz coffee, pretty standard for me. Well, I still feel the effect and have been quite anxious all day (actually had a mild panic attack earlier which I was able to shake off, very unusual for me). Anyways, I think that kava clearly does enhance caffine's effect. This brings me to the question of whether I should have kava now or not. On one hand, it might calm me down nicely, but on the other hand, it might make the coffee's effect even greater and make it take longer to leave the system. What do yall think? Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
avahZ

avahZ

YAHWEH Shalom
I would cut back on the amount of coffe fist before doing away with it. It's more likely that the both use simular metabolic pathways and slows the elimination of the coffee. In fact I will mix a VERY small amount if cold brewed coffe with a heady moi instant or micro. For me they mix well. I have my methods to make cold brew coffee in another thread.
 
Lamakan

Lamakan

Kava Enthusiast
Interesting I never put this together before, But I could drink coffee all day long years ago. I have completely stopped altogether because I was convinced I couldn't "feel" caffeine and that it did nothing for me. 2 times now I have noticed that if I get a coffee with a shot of espresso, i get uncomfortably jittery and thought it was perhaps because I had quit but strange how I never had that reaction before kava.....I am able to drink some coffee sometimes without issue. For instance there is a coconut water beverage mixed with espresso that I love the taste of and drink occasionally without issue. But no more iced coffees with shots of espresso from dd for me...........
 
wormwood

wormwood

Kava Enthusiast
Coffee gives me INSANE levels of anxiety. I grew up drinking pop, when I got to college I bought myself a coffee maker. First morning I had a cup and felt extremely anxious. I didn't make the instant connection, but after the next morning I experienced the same thing, I threw my new coffee maker into the garbage. I then realized that pop had been doing the same thing my whole life, just to a lesser extent (pop has less caffeine than coffee)

I did some research on it. Some people enjoy their caffeine. Even if its usually only because they go into acute withdrawal if the stop taking it. But if you are prone to anxiety, there is a strong possibility that caffeine will exacerbate it. Theres not question. The anectodal reports and research all confirm this. YOur experience is not unusual.
 
D

Deleted User01

Kava the day before makes me crave coffee in the morning. I drink 4 cups in the morning and then I'm done. No problems what so ever. But many people are very sensitive to caffein and it's a common problem. Like the doctor, "if it hurts when you do that, then don't do that". :LOL: I think that's why my brother drinks Mountain Dew in the morning or tea.
 
KavaCat

KavaCat

Meow.
You know, I have actually noticed that, yes. I've always been sensitive to caffeine in the first place, so I thought that my extra sensitivity to it after kava, was just my body's way of telling me it had too much to metabolize right now. I guess not. You learn something new every day! I would just say take a little less caffeine than normal. Switch to cafe au lait (half coffee, half milk). I have anxiety, but most of the time I find caffeine is okay for me- it actually helps me focus and makes me more upbeat and positive, but I know I am a rare exception to this. If you can't seem to find a peace between your coffee and your kava, though, look for energy shots with a ton of b-vitamins instead of caffeine. When you hit your sweet spot with those, when you actually get enough vitamin b, they're amazing.
 
D

Deleted User01

Well folks, try Mountain Dew. My brother swears by it and I think caffein gives him heart palpitations. There is more than one way to skin a cat. And with all due respect to
@KavaCat. :LOL: Hmmm, that vitamin B thing sounds pretty good. Maybe I'll drop a few hits of Vitamin B in my morning coffee.
 
KavaCat

KavaCat

Meow.
Deleted User01 said:
Well folks, try Mountain Dew. My brother swears by it and I think caffein gives him heart palpitations. There is more than one way to skin a cat. And with all due respect to
@KavaCat. :LOL: Hmmm, that vitamin B thing sounds pretty good. Maybe I'll drop a few hits of Vitamin B in my morning coffee.
Click to expand...
There will be no cat skinning while I'm around! None! I'll claw your eyes out... or worse, I will claw up all your kava bags! Maybe pee on some things. Haha.
 
D

Deleted User01

Yikes:eek:. I will bury the skinner out in the back yard where my dog buries his bones. Then both him and I will to Kat Theraphy so that we may be more understanding. :rolleyes:
 
D

Deleted User01

@KavaCat, welll I just had my first dose of Kava and the whole world is funny. And you know I was just trying to be funny when I made those cat remarks. But the truth of the matter is that I'm terribly allergic to cats so maybe there is some meaness there. I apologize. Yup, didn't help my love life as a young adult either. Why do women always have to have cats in their apartments? :D Oh, now I get it. Anti-Deleted User01 Personnel Mines. Geez, now I know ....
 
D

Deleted User01

Yeah, it's bad. First you feel itchiness. Then your sinuses get clogged. Within 30 minutes, you are walking out the door telling your prospective girlfriend, "Smells ya later". :LOL:
Or perhaps, "Alas, it wasn't meant to be" (if you are into drama).
 
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