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I know they say kava isn't addictive

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Kojo Douglas

Kojo Douglas

The Kavasseur
I've had certified Noble Kava that has made me sick. I just drank too much, too fast.

Honestly, this whole discourse of Kava getting "cut" or "spiked" with Tudei is becoming a bit disturbing. I've had pure Tudei (even labeled as such) that didn't make me at all sick, or the people I was with. Again, I think we need conclusive research before we jump to conclusions.
 
nabanga

nabanga

Kava Enthusiast
Kavasseur said:
I drank Kava every day for three years. Then I moved back to West Africa and all my Kava was confiscated. No withdrawal, nothing. The only thing that sucked was not having it around. Kind of like if you eat crab a couple times a week and then all the sudden can't - you would miss it.
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Same here more or less. When I have easy access to kava like when I'm in the Pacific, I drink every night even when I have woken up very groggy after a big 6 hour session and have sworn off for an evening. It is a running joke in Vanuatu that no matter how numb and vacant you may feel the morning after a lot of good kava, by 4.30pm (end of working day) the world is fine again and your feet take you off to the kava bar whether your head wants to go there or not. In that mental. routine-following way it is addictive - but I have never felt any physical addiction.
In Vila 2014 I had promised my wife a meal at the Waterfront on our last night before leaving, but when it got close to 4pm I got "the kava urge" and started trying to make excuses to her that it was my last chance to have fresh kava (after 3 months of every night) and that we should go to the nakamal, drink kava a couple of hours, get some takeaway manioc & fried fish, and have a nice restaurant meal in NZ on the way home instead. It didn't work out.
 
CactusKava

CactusKava

Phoenix, AZ
Kava Vendor
Kavasseur said:
I've had certified Noble Kava that has made me sick. I just drank too much, too fast.

Honestly, this whole discourse of Kava getting "cut" or "spiked" with Tudei is becoming a bit disturbing. I've had pure Tudei (even labeled as such) that didn't make me at all sick, or the people I was with. Again, I think we need conclusive research before we jump to conclusions.
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I have also been sick from drinking too much noble kava; however, I know that tudei has made me feel ill each and every time I drank it. I recognize that our body types are different, and yours might be better suited for tudei than mine, but it's safe to say that people will have fewer bad reactions to noble kava vs tudei. There's a reason the noble kava movement started, and why I only sell noble kava.

It's certainly not a bad idea to question the source and type of kava consumed when trying to help folks answer questions about their reactions, which is what I think @GussWest was aiming for. No ill will towards you or your opinions, of course; I just have a different stance.

@24601 I think I was the most reckless in the first few months of my experimenting with kava, and now I always take it slow. I never drink more than 6 ounces at a time, and each time I drink another shell (normally around 4oz), I wait 20 minutes before drinking the next. I've also found problems with eating a large meal directly after drinking kava. Try to limit yourself to small snacks or light meals for the first 2 or 3 hours after drinking.

Bula!
 
24601

24601

exit stage left
Thanks everyone for your help.

I let the symptoms clear up and then gave kava one more shot. 3 tbsp one day, one day off, 3 tbsp one day. And I really have to admit that other than the maybe hour, hour and a half after I drink it, kava doesn't really make me feel better at all. People always talk about the next day effect but I have never had that. Instead, I often wake up the next day feeling depressed, or anxious, or just plain irritable.

I have had mental health issues in the past that have been reasonably well controlled as of late, but if kava could upset that balance, it's just not worth it. I don't seem to have the same reaction to it than most of the people here, so I guess I've come to the conclusion that kava is just not something that works for me. I have tried many different strains of high quality, well reviewed kava and it just isn't right for me. Thank you all for the year I spent on these forums, you've been a great help. I wish you all the best.
 
Edward

Edward

Aluballin' in the UK
Kava Vendor
@24601 Sorry to hear that you're not benefitting from kava. You are right, if it's not going to help you but in fact destabilise you in any way then you're better off without it :-( . I hope all goes well for you going forward.
 
chandra

chandra

Kava Enthusiast
That is sad. Given all the pleasant effects I feel from Kava, it's sad to think that not everyone benefits from it. Most people find pot enjoyable, but I feel like I'm on a roller coaster when I smoke. Not in a good way. My heart races and I literally can't move for a few hours. I get terribly anxious. Just not a good experience. There are other natural options for anxiety like valerian, chamomile, and wild lettuce. Kava has been an absolute lifesaver for me, but no matter how great a substance is it won't be right for everyone.
 
iglooNakamal

iglooNakamal

Kava Enthusiast
queenbrookemaddox said:
Yes, it's possible to overdo kava. Don't know why someone said it isn't. People talk about kava like it's perfect and never has side effects but that's not 100% true. Sounds like you're pretty sensitive. Also, kava doesn't hurt the liver as long as there isn't any other parts of the plant being consumed. Here's a good article on the liver damage myth: http://reset.me/story/the-ban-on-kava-and-the-bogus-liver-damage-scare/ You should definitely take less, but your liver is most likely fine.
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This is a great article to send to the people who worry about your kava drinking. One thing stood out to me this time around...
"Don’t take kava with other anti-anxiety remedies such as 5-HTP, melatonin or St. John’s wort."
anyone know why this is warned against?
 
A

Abbas

Kava Curious
iglooNakamal said:
This is a great article to send to the people who worry about your kava drinking. One thing stood out to me this time around...
"Don’t take kava with other anti-anxiety remedies such as 5-HTP, melatonin or St. John’s wort."
anyone know why this is warned against?
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My guess would just be that it's just a precautionary measure against serotonin syndrome for the possibility that one of kava's alkaloids contains an MAOI. This is the only reason I can think of. 5-htp freaks me out. I've used it in the past and it just makes me feel out of it
 
Kojo Douglas

Kojo Douglas

The Kavasseur
chandra said:
That is sad. Given all the pleasant effects I feel from Kava, it's sad to think that not everyone benefits from it. Most people find pot enjoyable, but I feel like I'm on a roller coaster when I smoke. Not in a good way. My heart races and I literally can't move for a few hours. I get terribly anxious. Just not a good experience. There are other natural options for anxiety like valerian, chamomile, and wild lettuce. Kava has been an absolute lifesaver for me, but no matter how great a substance is it won't be right for everyone.
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Yep. I always want to give pot "another chance." But whenever I do, it's Panic Town. I'm 34 years old and don't think anything is going to change.
 
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