New to Kava... First Kava Experience.

[kl.goldenslumbers]

Hm... About an hour later and no effects. I'm assuming I have a reverse tolerance. I've never responded to St. John's Wort or even laughing gas, so I may need to up the dosage to get any sort of reaction out. I have a lot of time on my hands so I can make more capsules. Maybe I'll do two tbsps next time.

 

[kl.goldenslumbers]

So now 3 hours later and I got nothing. I guess I'll have to up the dose a bit?

 

[kl.CocoKava]

You may have got some bunk Kava or your sensitivity is still low.


Give it a couple days and try again.


By the way, there are also instant Kava mixes and extracts out there as well. An easier more palpable way.

 

[kl.goldenslumbers]

To be clear I'm definitely getting some effect... By the end of last night I felt a bit odd. Dizzy and light-headed, a lot like the flu. Not pleasant. But now that I think about it quite moderate. Today I had the same feeling but a lot lighter and only for a couple of minutes. Should I up the dosage tomorrow or wait? I'm going to continue to try filling the caplets...

 

[kl.CocoKava]

I would suggest waiting another day. Just to be on the safe side.


Seems like your getting somewhere with it though. Hope the best to you.

 

[kl.NDG]

sound dehydrated dude, drink some water, regardless of the magnitude of psychoactivity it's diuretic effects have no tolerance.

 

[kl.btbam13]

Might I suggest orange juice? My girlfriend refuses to drink it straight but has found it tolerable with orange juice. Try it out and lemme know what you think!

 

[kl.Lente]

In the words of Coach from The Waterboy what mamma don't know can't hurt her. Or something like that.



I would recommend a ratio of one tablespoon for you, and three for the garbage, for every 5 or 6 ounces of water. I bet you tear right through that pound.



Lente.

 

[The Kap'n]

In the words of Coach from The Waterboy what mamma don't know can't hurt her. Or something like that.





I would recommend a ratio of one tablespoon for you, and three for the garbage, for every 5 or 6 ounces of water. I bet you tear right through that pound.





Lente.

Hahaha, I like your thinking. I too would advise this method.

 

[kl.sakamoto]

I think in general, if you have any doubt or hesitation about ingesting a substance, you should not ingest it. If your current kava is really making you anxious, then put it in the back of the cupboard (or strategically trash it, as suggested above.)


If you really want to manage anxiety and depression, your best bet is talking to a therapist. Kava will only handle your symptoms. Plus, it's good to have someone to give you a "reality check" about your changes over time.


If your therapist encourages you to try kava, consider Ozia candies or Paradise extracts; they have a bit of an aftertaste, but nothing like the taste of soak-and-kneaded kavas.

 

[Paradise Kava]

Good input fellas!


Try a piece of fruit instead of a cracker ASAP after each shell.


All the best to you GS,

AG

 

[krunkedout]

I think in general, if you have any doubt or hesitation about ingesting a substance, you should not ingest it. If your current kava is really making you anxious, then put it in the back of the cupboard (or strategically trash it, as suggested above.)



If you really want to manage anxiety and depression, your best bet is talking to a therapist. Kava will only handle your symptoms. Plus, it's good to have someone to give you a "reality check" about your changes over time.



If your therapist encourages you to try kava, consider Ozia candies or Paradise extracts; they have a bit of an aftertaste, but nothing like the taste of soak-and-kneaded kavas.

I'm going I have to disagree with you here about kava covering up symptoms. With substances such as alcohol and cannabis I find this to be completely true, but kava is incredibly unique for me because it doesn't cover up symptoms it brings the root of my problem to light while I am krunk and allows me to see whats really going on and fix what needs to be fixed. Kava is a problem revealer and aids in the healing of the problems by making you calm and happy and content. Just what I have noticed

 

[kl.goldenslumbers]

So... Yesterday I tried preparing capsules again. This time I took 41 caplets, which I think is equal to almost 2 tbsp. I took it with lots of water so I wouldn't get dehydrated. I had woken up in a good mood, and I was just hoping to enhance it with taking some kava. I took it on an empty stomach.

I've already forgot most of what happened, but I'll see what I remember...


About 2 hours after I took it, I started to get disinterested in the game I was playing on the computer. It was disappointing because I woke up excited to play it. I began to lose interest in everything and became extremely bored, a familiar feeling for me but this time it was very intense. I lost my appetite and got extremely nauseous. Thinking I was dehydrated, I tried to drink water but my gag reflex was triggered every time I tried to swallow. I got very dizzy, kept bumping into things. Again, in my head I almost felt like I had the flu. Confused, not balanced, very depressed. I did not want to talk to anyone at all; I was way too bored and disinterested, not to mention dizzy and confused. I rolled up in a ball on my bed and kind of half-slept for 4 hours maybe. I didnt fall completely asleep.


When I woke up, I still had no appetite, but I was ready to talk to my friend. I was still bored and disinterested, but not nearly as extreme as before. This morning, I feel moderately depressed, which is fairly usual for me. Disinterested, constantly bored, no desire to do anything.


Needless to say, I don't think I'll be taking kava anymore. Even if I wanted to try it again, my parents would not allow me. My dad just thinks it's an "old wive's tale" which is dangerous (I knwo it isnt.)


Does anyone know why this is my reaction to kava? Is it the type I'm taking? Am I intolerant? Or do I have a reverse tolerance? I'm very disappointed because I want to feel the kava effects, and I'm only getting the ailments its meant to treat from it!

 

[kl.midas]

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience with this stuff. It's impossible to say exactly since I'm unfamiliar with that product, but it could be a poor quality kava, and it could have something to do with reverse tolerance too. I'm guessing that product you bought is root powder, so it should really be strained rather than consumed whole, that could definitely be a cause of the nausea.


I know that my early experiences with kava were similar to what you describe there, I put it down to using not very good kava (kona kava) and reverse tolerance. I was getting the hungover feeling without getting any of the good effects. I think once you're over the tolerance issues you need to consume less to get the desired effect, and drinking less means you get less of the nausea/hungover effects.


If you ever do get around to trying kava again, I would recommend buying an instant product from a good vendor. It will be less horrible-tasting that root powder, and it will take all the uncertainty out of preparing it properly.

 

[kl.goldenslumbers]

Hmm, I guess I'll consider taking less. How much should I take? How do I know if its just the quality of the kava?

 

[kl.midas]

I think you should try straining and making it the traditional way, if you can tolerate the taste! Straining it should improve the taste a little from just dumping it in a glass of water and chugging it, you'll have no gritty bits etc. Using rice milk/coconut milk/hazelnut milk instead of water will help with the taste too. You can use a pair of tights, a paint strainer, a sock or something to strain it if you don't have a kava strainer. Start out with 2 tablespoons in 1 cup of water/milk and see how that goes.

 

[kl.sakamoto]

sakamoto wrote:I think in general, if you have any doubt or hesitation about ingesting a substance, you should not ingest it. If your current kava is really making you anxious, then put it in the back of the cupboard (or strategically trash it, as suggested above.)


If you really want to manage anxiety and depression, your best bet is talking to a therapist. Kava will only handle your symptoms. Plus, it's good to have someone to give you a "reality check" about your changes over time.


If your therapist encourages you to try kava, consider Ozia candies or Paradise extracts; they have a bit of an aftertaste, but nothing like the taste of soak-and-kneaded kavas.

I'm going I have to disagree with you here about kava covering up symptoms. With substances such as alcohol and cannabis I find this to be completely true, but kava is incredibly unique for me because it doesn't cover up symptoms it brings the root of my problem to light while I am krunk and allows me to see whats really going on and fix what needs to be fixed. Kava is a problem revealer and aids in the healing of the problems by making you calm and happy and content. Just what I have noticed

 

I think we're more in agreement that might seem.  Note that I said kava handles symptoms, not covers them up.  This is still not very precise, so let me restate this: for some people, kava reduces anxiety symptoms enough to allow a more in-depth understanding of the causes of their anxiety.  For example, kava reduced my worrying about "being wrong" (symptom), which helped me better see things from other people's perspectives (cause).  You state something analogous: kava makes you "calm and happy and content" (i.e. reduces symptoms?) so you can "see what's really going on and fix what needs to be fixed" (i.e. address cause?)


Note that once the symptoms are reduced, we still need to put forth some effort, as you state yourself: looking what is really going on, fixing what needs to be fixed.  I think it's important to make this symptom/cause distinction because if not we risk inadvertently sending a message that taking kava will somehow just solve the problems of anxiety without further effort.  On the contrary, kava may give you the chance to work on the root causes of anxiety, but this takes effort; therapists and counselors are good guides of this effort.

 

[kl.goldenslumbers]

The other day I tried it in pill form again, but took half the dose I did before (1 tbsp in gel caplets) and didn't get any effects. I just really, really can't handle the taste. It puts me in a bad mood and triggers my gag reflex so I can't keep it down anyways. Oh well. I've never responded to any other sort of "mood lifters" or anything psychological. St. John's Wort- nothing. Phenylalanine- a tiny bit of something. Laughing Gas at the Dentist- nothing. So I'm not surprised the kava isn't doing anything. Very disappointed, I was hoping it would help me at least some with my depression. Thanks for the help!

 

[kl.sakamoto]

... I've never responded to any other sort of "mood lifters" or anything psychological. St. John's Wort- nothing. Phenylalanine- a tiny bit of something. Laughing Gas at the Dentist- nothing. So I'm not surprised the kava isn't doing anything. Very disappointed, I was hoping it would help me at least some with my depression. ...

 

That might be an indication that your depression doesn't have a neurological cause, in which case you should consider talking to a therapist or counselor of some kind - look into talk therapy and/or cognitive behavioral therapy, for example.  It might be that your depression has a physiological cause, in which case you should consider talking to your doctor about it.


Either way, it's a good thing that you recognize your depression and are looking at options to manage it.  Best of luck, and don't give up hope!