Kava mental health side effects

[kl.Rakahanga]

Hello guys I am a great follower of all your discussions and I just wanted to share my experience of drinking kava. I first tried the kona kava farm instant kava product and felt nothing, except a slight pain on the stomac after I drank it. Then I tried the instant kava of realkava.com and had the same experience. It's only after I tried the solomon kava that I really began to feel the effects of kava. After a first try that went wrong (I vomited the stuff with nakamalathome dosages), I took the ratio of one tablespoon per cup of water and really enjoyed the euphoria of the beverage on the following days. However, as the bag was almost empty, I stopped taking it for a while and started to feel a strong sad feeling for one week or so. So this is the point: I have read that some of you have felt sick and/or depressed because of kava and I just wanted to know if you know some cultivars that would'nt have such side effects. I also would like to know on what frequency you have felt these side effects and with what cultivars, quantities. I think it's important to know more precisely the risks associated with kava. I think the liver damage is not the main danger of it, but more the possible disturbances in the chemistry of the brain.  Even if it's a natural substance, I think it shouldn't be considered as harmless for anybody. This is correlated by the warning in the awabook that people who feel depressed should not take kava. Sorry for my bad english but I just wanted to put the stress on that.

 

[Vekta]

Hmm...



I never felt depressed after stopping kava for a few days. That's just me though. My social anxiety starts to come back and bother me after a few days of not having any. That's not from the kava though. That's the reason why I use kava in the first place.



The most I got from a kava that wasn't...I guess you could say a "fit" for me was feeling a tad...off? I don't know.



Try a gentle Hawaiian kava or a noble drinking variety(Borogu, Melo Melo?) from Vanuatu.

 

[kl.kavanah]

I think Wow may have made me a little agitated. Other than that, no negative psychological effects.

 

[kl.Elizabeth]

I haven't heard of that effect before.  I've read several studies that have found kava to be equally as effective as prescription anti-anxiety medicine.

 

[Prince Philip]

I would recommend the book "Rational Recovery," by Jack Timpry. Around page 182 or so, he mentions what's called the "adicto-depressive condition."



I originally got into kava because taking psychiatric medication for PTSD is a real bummer. Let's say someone stole your head and you're very upset about it because, hey, that's your head. Because of how upset you are, Dr. Morpheus gives you a supply of blue bills and tells you to take one every morning. Now, as you're shoving these pills down your headless throat, you're constantly reminded of your loss, because these pills were provided to you in order to stop you from obsessing about the fact that you have no head.



Now, kava can also stop you from worrying about your lack of head. Many kava creation myths involve themes of deep loss. But, the point is, you're not feeling "ok" when you drink kava, you're feeling deep pleasure. The point of addictive substances and behaviors is that they feel really, really good.



Kava marketed for stress and anxiety is all well and good, but for me it's not about the stress or anxiety, it's about the deep euphoria.



Oh, I have adjusted to having no head. www.headless.org

 

[kl.Rakahanga]

I've restarted taking kava for a while, to give it a last try. Definitely not for me. I drank only one cup of water mixed with one big tablespoon of tongan pride some hours ago, and now I get some sort of panic attack. I manage to stay calm but I feel something's going wrong in my head. I hope this won't last too long because it's very frightening. I specify that I haven't taken any prescription drug today and yesterday, and it's the first time that this happens to me. You may think it's not related with kava because I drink very small quantities and because it's only occuring after some days of drinking it, but after my first experience with solomon, I highly suspect it's the case. Anyway, I quit

 

[Kojo Douglas]

If it doesn't make you feel good, but rather the opposite, then don't drink it!