A little concerned about potential negative side effects

[kl.jits77]

Hey everyone,
I have been using kava for about 2 months now and it has
immensely reduced my anxiety. I used to use it prior to anxiety inducing
situations, however, lately I have begun using it daily.  The past month I have been drinking a cup and
half (2 and half shells) of a pretty potent batch in the morning, which
alleviates much of my anxiety for a large portion of the day. Just recently, I
started having a rapid heart rate and palpitations, which began settling down
after stopping usage of kava. I visited the doctor while still experiencing the
symptoms and had a bunch of tests that all came back fine (liver enzymes were
in normal range from blood test). At first I thought hydration was the issue,
due to the fact that kava is a diuretic and maybe I wasn’t drinking enough
fluids after usage. I tried having kava, while constantly hydrating after use,
however, I still experienced these uncomfortable heart symptoms. I was
wondering if anyone had similar experiences and has any advice, as it would be
much appreciated. Totally separate from my issues, I have recently been reading
a lot of scientific journals on the potential negative effects of kava and
wanted to share one of them.
 
Health status was assessed in 39 kava users and 34 non-users
in a coastal Aboriginal community in Arnhem Land. Twenty (27%) respondents were
very heavy (mean consumption, 440 g/week) users of kava; 15 (21%) respondents
were heavy (310 g/week) users of kava and four (5%) respondents were occasional
(100 g/week) users of kava. Kava users were more likely to complain of poor
health and a "puffy" face, and were more likely to have a typical
scaly rash, and slightly-increased patellar reflexes. Very heavy users of kava
were 20% underweight and their levels of gamma-glutamyl transferase were
increased greatly. Albumin, plasma protein, urea and bilirubin levels were
decreased in kava users, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were
increased. Kava users were more likely to show haematuria, and to have urine
which was poorly acidified and of low specific gravity. The use of kava was
also associated with an increased red-cell volume, with a decreased platelet
volume and with a decreased lymphocyte count. Shortness of breath in kava users
was associated with tall P waves on a resting electrocardiogram, which provided
suggestive evidence of pulmonary hypertension. In common with other Aboriginal
communities, there was evidence of decreased lung volumes, a high carriage rate
of hepatitis B surface antigen, and of other morbidity that was unrelated to
the use of kava. On the basis of these findings, there is a strong rationale
for urgent social action to improve health in Aboriginal communities and, in
particular, to reduce the consumption of kava and to improve the nutritional
status of kava users.
 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3374423
 
I don’t want to scare anyone as kava has drastically helped
me with my anxiety and has changed my life immensely, however, I just think it’s
good to be conscious of the potential negative effects. 
 
Anyways, thanks for reading, I would like to hear all your thoughts on the article and if any of you share the same experience as me, much appreciated!

 

[kl.Jerome]

From what I've seen of aboriginal communities in Australia, Kava would be the least of their concerns. 

I've been drinking Kava for nearly... wow, I think about 14 years now.  Sometimes heavy drinking every night and some times more moderate doses (usually when I start drinking too much alcohol).  I am healthy, liver enzymes are completely in the normal ranges,  I run, excercise and am fully employed, married with a kid on the way.  I've seen very little negative effects from Kava consumption.  Especially from moderate usage (2-3 shells a day).

On the other hand, anxiety and panic disorders are a whole other beast that sometimes even kava cannot tame.  One of the most common reported symptoms of anxiety/stress/panic is rapid and irregular heart beats, or the sensation that your heart is beating out of your chest.  My bet would be that your rapid heart rate is a manifestation of anxiety.  Could it be that you are so concerned with the negative effects of kava, that when you consume it, you are looking for symtoms, thereby creating panic/anxiety symptoms?  I know that is something I have done before, even with kava.  If the doc says everything is normal, it's probably anxiety related and not kava induced.  I've never read anything about kava inducing rapid heart beats. 

For the anxiety, I recommend regular, sustained excercise in combination with kava.  That's what keeps the anxiety monsters away from my door!  Good luck!

 

[kl.jits77]

Jerome thanks a lot for the reply. You could be totally correct about the heart rate due to anxiety and I'm going to keep investigating with kava. On a separate note I work out about an hour and a half to 3 hours a day doing mixed martial arts (wrestling, boxing etc...) and I was just wondering if you feel sluggish exercising even many hours after kava usage. I just find a good batch of kava can last an extended amount of time (6-8 hours) and feel that my muscles are too relaxed to perform like I would without it. I was wondering your opinion on how it affects your cardio and ability to exercise at an intense rate?
Thanks!

 

[kl.Jerome]

You have anxiety issues even after working out 3 hours a day?  I wouldn't have the energy to be anxious after that!  The brain is a powerful organ, thats for sure.

I used to take moderate amounts of kava throughout the day to remain calm and then would run or workout in the evenings. Now I reserve my kava drinking for the evening, well after I've finished any strenuous excercise.  I wouldn't want to do any heavy drinking before excercise.  I find a small amount of kava helps with endurance excercise, but of course too much does make you sluggish, and dehydrates you, probably not a good combination.  Too much kava throughout the day I would imagine might slow you down as far as the intesity and duration of your workouts. 

I've gotten woefully out of shape in the last year and a half and am now pushing myself hard to try to get back to a more healthy state.  I haven't noticed kava slowing me down yet. 

But as far as the safety of kava, I've been drinking large amounts for years.  And before I knew better, I would often combine it with other medications and alcohol, with no testable or observable harm done. 

Good luck with the anxiety thing.  I had severe panic disorder for a couple years and it was veyr hard to get through.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

It might not be hydration per se but electrolyte balance, especially with the level of exercise that you mention that alone will deplete electrolytes. Most diuretics also tend to deplete electrolytes especially potassium, so drinking pure water could actually make it worse instead of better. I have Crohn's Disease and even when I'm not having a flare my potassium level seems to get too low fairly easily I tend to get sort of lightheaded and sometimes muscle twitches, I usually drink orange juice because it has more potassium and less sodium than say Gatorade or Powerade. With weird heart rhythms I tend to think that sounds more like low calcium, but I am not a doctor and not qualified to give medical advice, it's just something else to think about and maybe ask your doctor about. Also, it can be a bit embarrassing, but you should mention that you're drinking kava, I'm guessing maybe you did since she (or he) tested liver enzymes. When I was on prednisone I had weird side effects similar to what you described, that can also come from high adrenaline levels.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

I was picking up some coconut water at the store today and noticed that it contains HUGE amounts of potassium, more than an equivalent amount of orange juice, I forgot that about coconut, that could be just about perfect for rehydrating if low potassium could be the problem.