Thomas2060
Kava Curious
I was having some digestive issues and mild abdominal pain last summer. I saw my GP and told them about my kava habit. Because the pain sounded possibly like an ulcer they tested for h. pylori (negative). They also did a full blood workup with CBC, metabolic panel, Lipase, etc and it was all normal. This was a relief, since I'd been using kava for about a year and while I'd taken breaks, I was using a higher dosage (6-8 Tbsp) and was worried that my liver was affected or something worse.
She prescribed 90 days of omeprazole (GERD medicine) and told me to keep hydrated. She said it could be IBS, or just anxiety, and said she's seen an uptick of digestive symptoms during the pandemic. Makes sense. Sure enough the issues went away with the meds and I resumed drinking kava.
The 90 days of meds ran out a few months ago. Since then, similar issues have returned. I get fairly mild, transient pains in what feels like my stomach & the rest of the upper digestive track. Also sometimes near my left hip, which I believe is one of the big bends in the colon. I've not had any real changes in BM, no nausea or any other symptoms, just some discomfort which is not too bad but still kind of scary because it's new and persistent.
I stopped drinking kava just to see, and within days my symptoms improved.
So kava might be causing IBS-like symptoms. But also there are habits I've developed with kava use that surely contribute. One, I drink kava in fruit juice, and usually consume it later in the evening, a few hours before bed. I also tend to save treats and sweets for that time, because it's more enjoyable on the kava and I just tend to save my pleasures for after the day's work is done.
This means I'm consuming kava with acidic liquid, then also consuming stuff with high sugar and/or fat content, then going to bed shortly after. I would usually drink a tall glass of water once the kava's effects started waning, and sometimes some Tums too. But I imagine doing this most nights for many months has taken a toll on my digestive system.
Any thoughts? I'm sure other people also drink kava in the evening and have food, and I'm wondering how other people fare. I haven't seen a ton of complaints but you never know.
She prescribed 90 days of omeprazole (GERD medicine) and told me to keep hydrated. She said it could be IBS, or just anxiety, and said she's seen an uptick of digestive symptoms during the pandemic. Makes sense. Sure enough the issues went away with the meds and I resumed drinking kava.
The 90 days of meds ran out a few months ago. Since then, similar issues have returned. I get fairly mild, transient pains in what feels like my stomach & the rest of the upper digestive track. Also sometimes near my left hip, which I believe is one of the big bends in the colon. I've not had any real changes in BM, no nausea or any other symptoms, just some discomfort which is not too bad but still kind of scary because it's new and persistent.
I stopped drinking kava just to see, and within days my symptoms improved.
So kava might be causing IBS-like symptoms. But also there are habits I've developed with kava use that surely contribute. One, I drink kava in fruit juice, and usually consume it later in the evening, a few hours before bed. I also tend to save treats and sweets for that time, because it's more enjoyable on the kava and I just tend to save my pleasures for after the day's work is done.
This means I'm consuming kava with acidic liquid, then also consuming stuff with high sugar and/or fat content, then going to bed shortly after. I would usually drink a tall glass of water once the kava's effects started waning, and sometimes some Tums too. But I imagine doing this most nights for many months has taken a toll on my digestive system.
Any thoughts? I'm sure other people also drink kava in the evening and have food, and I'm wondering how other people fare. I haven't seen a ton of complaints but you never know.
