Zac Imiola (Herbalist)
Kava Connoisseur
Even that is too much kava for me
Do you feel disconnected after several days in a row of kava use?
- Thread starter Kavaguy
- Start date
- Status
I havent drank any alcohol for a long time, but when I did, I would always go all out or none at all. I find the same is with kava. I keep drinking until enough time passes to where I am really hungry and want to eat. I never am satisfied with just a minor buzz. However, the way that I have felt lately is a lesson to watch how much I drink.
Yeah, heavy kava and high doses of kava, consumed daily, especially at night, can give you a hazy, sluggish apathetic feeling during the day. I feel it often and it looks like I have similar drinking habits as you, being that 8 Tbsp is my standard dose and I find most kavas so weak I'll often go up to 10 - 12 Tbsp sometimes too. On top of that, I usually drink heavy kava which notoriously lingers longer and seems to build up in your system day after day. DHM is the main culprit, but not the only one, because I've had the same feeling for low DHM kavas...but it's more of a sure shot with high DHM. Which, the kava you said you are drinking happens to be. It has a 245xxx chemotype, which is one of my favorites. (#5 is DHM)
On the other hand, I recently stopped drinking kava for a while and still found myself going through periods of lethargy and fogginess, so I think I also have another issue beyond just drinking big batches of heavy kava at night. It might be a blood sugar issue, cuz I noticed i'm always on the low side of normal and sometimes my blood sugar was lower after eating than before eating, which isn't right.
On the other hand, I recently stopped drinking kava for a while and still found myself going through periods of lethargy and fogginess, so I think I also have another issue beyond just drinking big batches of heavy kava at night. It might be a blood sugar issue, cuz I noticed i'm always on the low side of normal and sometimes my blood sugar was lower after eating than before eating, which isn't right.
Zac Imiola (Herbalist)
Kava Connoisseur
That's reactive hypoglycemia... which is essentially your body is over reacting to the sugar in your diet.
Lowering sugar even natural like maple syrup for a few weeks will help stabalize your blood sugar levels..
Also making sure the food is easily digestible ... it costs energy to digest energy .. if your digestive Fire is inhibited then it will cost more energy to digest food then you get ... which could be another option of what's happening.. either way a paleo diet is really key to balancing blood sugar issues
Lowering sugar even natural like maple syrup for a few weeks will help stabalize your blood sugar levels..
Also making sure the food is easily digestible ... it costs energy to digest energy .. if your digestive Fire is inhibited then it will cost more energy to digest food then you get ... which could be another option of what's happening.. either way a paleo diet is really key to balancing blood sugar issues
ThePiper
Kava Lover
I'm going to take a guess and say it's the trazadone. That's a powerful antipsychotic. The Kava may be strengthening this effect due to enzymes. I do also think heavier kavas are more numbing of the emotions. However if I am drinking noble and I feel disconnected it usually only lasts for maybe a couple of hours and a nature hike or some good sweaty exercise more than makes up for it. But yeah trazadone is going to zombify you 100x more than kava ever could.
I also think you need more than two days off of trazadone to judge the difference. It may affect you for a while. Also try a different kava that is headier and play with the dose more or just don't drink it daily
PepperyPyrone
I'll have the pyrones with some pepper, please.
I think @ThePiper nailed it. Trazadone is a strong sedative/hypnotic NOT due to H1 - histamine inhibition, but because of the alpha-1 adrenergic and 5HT2A receptor inhibition. Most of the antidepressant activity is thought to be through the presynaptic 5HT1A partial agonist pathway which can raise serotonin levels via increased secretion. It could take 3-4 days off trazadone to fully eliminate it. You are probably having an additive effect of kava (GABA agonist) and the trazadone together. That's a lot of kava to take everyday, I generally consume 4-5 tablespoons a day with no issues the next day and I am not taking any medication. I always feel very refreshed and active the next day, but I also mostly drink Hawaiian kava which I find to be cleaner the next day in comparison to some of the Fijian cultivars. Cleaner as in how good I feel, not in any negative connotations towards Fijian kava. But I have noticed some sluggishness the next day after drinking heavier kavas, mostly due to the DHM lingering effects. I am a big fan of anti-polypharmacy, and have a strong belief that kava should not be mixed with high amounts of psychiatric medications. Although I know some will disagree with me and that's ok, as long as it works for you to achieve the optimal outcomes.
I'm pretty sure 24Wave is a Fiji Lawena. Lawena is pretty much always a lighter flavor and effect.
PepperyPyrone
I'll have the pyrones with some pepper, please.
I don't think you need to stay away from Fijian kava's, you just need to find the one that works best for you, maybe a less heavy or different chemotype Fijian kava like Squanch Waka. You could also try a more balanced kava like Mahakea from GHK. It can feel a bit stimulating and fun but when you are ready to go to sleep you just close your eyes and bam! you wake up the next day feeling incredible from such restful sleep. Amazing dreams. Its pretty amazing kava, I drink it everyday. Drinking it now. But I am also not taking Trazadone, so I have no idea what to tell you to expect. The best bet would be to try kava without any other drugs on board to see its true potential.
Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
Mahakea and Squanch are both excellent. If you use either the issue won't be, IMO, with the quality of the kava but with the dosage and the prep. Everything will depend on the dosage and the prep.
Talking about Fijians and super heady kavas I have a really bad time with a lot of them. The only all heady kava I can tolerate is pouni ono and then only in certain circumstances. Most Fijian waka I have tried has just made me feel weird and not nice. I find I can tolerate heavy Fijians quite well so it's not a Fiji thing, more likely just a heady thing. I like the euphoria I get from various kavas but I like a touch of heaviness there after.
Almost certainly trying as many different kavas as you can afford would be a good idea, that's what I have done and after nearly 2 years I know roughly what I like.
Almost certainly trying as many different kavas as you can afford would be a good idea, that's what I have done and after nearly 2 years I know roughly what I like.
D
Deleted User01
I have always thought that doing Kava in the middle or late afternoon is ideal because it gives it more time to wear off. Consecutive days of Kava can make me feel overly mellow which might translate into disconnected, stony, or woozy. My cure for that, I do alcohol that day and the next day I'm cured and craving kava again. Just let your body/mind tell you when it's time for a change. That seems to be working for me and I'm alive and kicking with no discernible side effects.
D
Deleted User01
Honestly, when I say wear off, it may be a misnomer. I do fall asleep in a kava haze and I know what you are describing. I think those kavalactones hang around longer than we think and especially for those of us that have been doing it a few years. But I still think they need plenty of time to wear down so you wake up in "not a kava haze".
- Status