Not sure if Kava is for me.

[Lao]

Hello. I just joined this forum. Thanks for having me. I have severe anxiety and social phobia. I go through times where I don't leave my apartment for weeks. I have given up pills and other drugs for the most part, but I drink alcohol to feel sane, especially when it is pms time. I am drawn to Kava because I would like to give up the nightly drinking and overeating. I used to depend of xanax, but that stuff is too addictive. I have been trying kava, from the suggestion of an acquaintance, for the past month. I first bought an extract in a vitamin shop. It made me just a little heavy. I then bought a Vanuatu instant green kava from Bula Kava House. It made me really speedy. Ok, bad one for me. So now I am trying Melekula Magic, as it seemed to have good reviews. I have tried it a few times now, at two tablespoons or 3. I think that may be high? I didn't feel anything at lower doses. But the feeling I get is surprisingly similar to an mj high. Paranoia. Part of it feels good, like my body has some energy and feels relaxed in a productive way. But what ruins it is that my head doesn't align with the rest of my body and feels heavy while my body feels more accelerated. Also I wonder if any type of kava gives the abdomen any relief. It's like my whole body can be relaxed, but just my abdomen is still electric, tingly feeling with anxiety or whatever causes that agitated sensation. I notice is a far away kind of depressed feeling and I think that is associated with the heavy feeling in my head. I would love to find a kava with more effect on the body and not so much with the head. After all, that's why I swore off marijuana. Ok, well hoping I can find some answers here and meet some cool people in the process.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Kava's can effect people differently, one that might give you sensations you don't quite like, may not have the same effect on the next person. In general however, one's that are strongly "heady" are more likely to give you a stimulation-like feeling and not really affect your body much at regular doses. You might prefer heavy kavas, like BOROGURU. Try GHK's Boroguru or Nakamal at Home's WOW!, which is also Boroguru, but even more on the sedating side.

2-3 Tablespoons is certainly not too much, there's a group of people that do get good effects from that small of a dosage, while there's another group that drink 6-12 Tbsp to get good effects. Finding out if kava's for you, really takes persistence and trial & error. Some people have to sample many varieties, doses, preparations and drinking schedules before they find what works best. It works best by chugging 'shells' on an empty stomach...and keeping it up for many nights in a row.

 

[Groggy]

Hello. I just joined this forum. Thanks for having me. I have severe anxiety and social phobia. I go through times where I don't leave my apartment for weeks. I have given up pills and other drugs for the most part, but I drink alcohol to feel sane, especially when it is pms time. I am drawn to Kava because I would like to give up the nightly drinking and overeating. I used to depend of xanax, but that stuff is too addictive. I have been trying kava, from the suggestion of an acquaintance, for the past month. I first bought an extract in a vitamin shop. It made me just a little heavy. I then bought a Vanuatu instant green kava from Bula Kava House. It made me really speedy. Ok, bad one for me. So now I am trying Melekula Magic, as it seemed to have good reviews. I have tried it a few times now, at two tablespoons or 3. I think that may be high? I didn't feel anything at lower doses. But the feeling I get is surprisingly similar to an mj high. Paranoia. Part of it feels good, like my body has some energy and feels relaxed in a productive way. But what ruins it is that my head doesn't align with the rest of my body and feels heavy while my body feels more accelerated. Also I wonder if any type of kava gives the abdomen any relief. It's like my whole body can be relaxed, but just my abdomen is still electric, tingly feeling with anxiety or whatever causes that agitated sensation. I notice is a far away kind of depressed feeling and I think that is associated with the heavy feeling in my head. I would love to find a kava with more effect on the body and not so much with the head. After all, that's why I swore off marijuana. Ok, well hoping I can find some answers here and meet some cool people in the process.

Welcome to the Forum! I can relate to much of what you are describing, If the headier kavas are giving you a bad reaction, perhaps a balanced kava is the way to go, like GHK Mahakea or a Borogoru. My other suggestion is to play with the dosage, find a balance that takes the edge off but won't cause you to feel unconfortable.
It took me a little trial and error to find the kavas that best suit my needs, for me the headier variety really helps.

 

[24601]

Hi! Certain heady kavas can do something similar to me too. I just tried Kalm With Kava's Boronguru and it's very good at relieving anxiety, at least for me. I was looking for something that wouldn't cause agitation, would relax me without putting me to sleep, and that one seems to be the one. I'm not sure if instant is different, for mostly financial reasons I drink medium grind, but my usual dose is 2 tablespoons and one cup of water.

I used to drink only heady kavas because at first I liked the rush, but after a while I started getting anxiety, muscle tension, and it wasn't as pleasant any more. I've started branching out into more balanced kavas and it's much better.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Edward]

All good advice above. I used to drink alcohol everyday and since I've been drinking kava (about 9 months) I have almost completely cut it out. I seem to remember kava having different effects on me when I first started and as I got used to it and knew more what to expect the effects were slightly different. I would definitely say hang in there and try a few more types if you are able to. Above all keep asking questions here if you need help, it's a really great place to be.

 

[Lao]

OK. Thanks so much y'all. I will have to some more research on balanced, heavy kavas.

 

[verticity]

I'll second @24601 's recommendation of KWK borongoru for anxiety. It's not so sedating as borogoru, nor is it very euphoric like heady kavas, but is great for relieving anxiety.