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Diminished euphoria from kava (tolerance)

T

Thomas2060

Kava Curious
I recently started kava again after a 2.5 month break. I ordered Temo Purple from Art of Kava, and my first several sessions were nice, giving me pleasant body relaxation and subtle, lingering euphoria. Pretty much the ideal kava session where it feels nice but doesn't leave you with side effects. I generally take the kava 4-5 hours after dinner when my stomach is empty.

However after only a week or so, the sessions have become bland. It's not that the kava doesn't affect me -- it definitely does. But instead of pleasing body buzz and euphoria, it's just a nondescript overall numbing effect. I just feel kind of stoned and tired. It's not UNpleasant but it's not why I use kava.

I've noticed this in the past too. Many people talk about "reverse tolerance" but I feel like I experience the opposite. I'm not using crazy high doses or anything but fairly quickly after a break, the kava stops giving the desired effect.

How common is this? are there any strategies to counteract this, other than constantly taking breaks?
 
O

Orz[EST]

Kava Enthusiast
Try making kava with relatively strong damiana tea. It does not increase euphoria (IMO kava is not euphoric at all) but it may feel a bit more 'interesting' or 'buzz'. Nothing to write home about but something to try.

The same can be said about glycine. Nootropic, good for liver and good for sleep quality but mild indeed.

Focusing on reading, writing, gaming, etc. as if reduces effects of kava while music or meditative states are conductive to enhancing subtle effects of kava.
 
Bubba Bula

Bubba Bula

krunkadelic relic
It happens. I've also found that there is a point where simply drinking more quantity won't matter in this regard. There is a sweet spot, and drinking more is pointless. Indeed, beyond the sweet spot is the pointless zone, and beyond that is the bad effects zone such as dizziness and of course further stomach upset.

Then there is the problem of weak kava where you don't know if its tolerance issue, or a weak kava issue because the potency varies between batches even from the same vendor. Its a weird plant. I've found that I'll simply let my supply run out and take a break to dial back tolerance and to give my body (and especially my skin) a break.

If you want a really great kava vendor, try the NZ Kava Society. It will cost a premium, not because the kava is expensive, but the shipping costs from NZ is terrible.
 
fueledbykava

fueledbykava

Kava enthusiast
Tolerance is real. I had gone from about 40g to 80g, but recently had about a 5 month break as a result of starting SSRIs for anxiety and had trepidation about having kava given the liver enzymes inhibition. With adequate research, I felt comfortable dabbling back into my kava enjoyment and found that I am still comfortable at about 70g, and though the effects are better than they were when I started the break, they are still not the same as they were when I began and broke through reverse tolerance.

My advice: Switch cultivars or vendors and mess with different amounts of kava until you find an upper gram limit where you can tolerate the taste and you dont get nauseous from it (the taste gets stronger as you use more obviously). Your body will adapt tolerance towards specific kavalactone profiles (my experience, anyway) so switching up the type of kava can help with breaking through tolerance towards any one kava with another, all-the-while your tolerance to the former kava type should diminish a bit depending on the kavalactone profile of the latter type.
 
Go Krunk Yourself

Go Krunk Yourself

Kava Enthusiast
fueledbykava said:
Tolerance is real. I had gone from about 40g to 80g, but recently had about a 5 month break as a result of starting SSRIs for anxiety and had trepidation about having kava given the liver enzymes inhibition. With adequate research, I felt comfortable dabbling back into my kava enjoyment and found that I am still comfortable at about 70g, and though the effects are better than they were when I started the break, they are still not the same as they were when I began and broke through reverse tolerance.

My advice: Switch cultivars or vendors and mess with different amounts of kava until you find an upper gram limit where you can tolerate the taste and you dont get nauseous from it (the taste gets stronger as you use more obviously). Your body will adapt tolerance towards specific kavalactone profiles (my experience, anyway) so switching up the type of kava can help with breaking through tolerance towards any one kava with another, all-the-while your tolerance to the former kava type should diminish a bit depending on the kavalactone profile of the latter type.
Click to expand...
On SSRI for years had no elevation of liver enzymes. Tested many times. ALSO on statin. So SSRI + Statin + heavy kava use for weeks at a time = no affect on liver.
 
fueledbykava

fueledbykava

Kava enthusiast
Go Krunk Yourself said:
On SSRI for years had no elevation of liver enzymes. Tested many times. ALSO on statin. So SSRI + Statin + heavy kava use for weeks at a time = no affect on liver.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear that! My concern was potentially causing serotonin syndrome if kava was inhibiting the same drug pathways that the ssris use, but that seems to not be the case.
 
Blergs

Blergs

Kava Curious
Orz[EST] said:
Try making kava with relatively strong damiana tea. It does not increase euphoria (IMO kava is not euphoric at all) but it may feel a bit more 'interesting' or 'buzz'. Nothing to write home about but something to try.

The same can be said about glycine. Nootropic, good for liver and good for sleep quality but mild indeed.

Focusing on reading, writing, gaming, etc. as if reduces effects of kava while music or meditative states are conductive to enhancing subtle effects of kava.
Click to expand...
I disagree on euphoria opinion
 
kavakarma

kavakarma

Kava Enthusiast
When you said art of temo purple my first thought , "switch cultivars!" Try a fijian waka or a tongan kava or a different Vanuatu kava.
Respect to Yiki, saying it does not help to switch cultivars, for me the Temotu Island kava is something I tried recently and have drank,kava from Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Hawaii, Paupa new Guinea, Solomons, in the past couple years, the temo is unlike all the others, and not a hundred percent in a positive way, it is a bit of a sleepy one for a social gathering and has a taste that I can imagine would wear on you over time. Malok! All being said I am receiving sone temotu kava tomorrow and I look greatly forward to it. Perhaps because I have been drinking 3:1 waka:lawena mix feom fiji.
 
avahZ

avahZ

YAHWEH Shalom
Some don’t feel the euphoric effects at all. Some of us can. It’s rare for me but when it hits it‘s wonderful.

My bro has tried pretty much everything so I take his word for it. He says it can hit like a weak ecstasy.

True Fijian, original 11yr (“11yr“ is hit and miss but I always have some in my collection), and mahake are a few that hit me well.
 
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