Seaking adivice

[Michael Nielsen]

I have a male friend who is suffering from anxiety, depression and hypertension.

He is taking the following medications

150 mg setralin (SSRI) active substance (setralin) once a day againt anxety
,5 mg once a day resperidon angainst anxeity
30 mg mianserin mylan NaSSA active substance (mianserin )once a day against depression
2 tablets 5mg/25mg Marilamed active substance (Hydrochlorthiazid, Ramipril. ) against hypertension

Would kava benifit him.

And how does kava combine with the above medications?

Is there any pitfalls ?

Regards
/Michael

 

[kavamehameha]

Do I understand correctly that you are Seaking advice?

(Sorry, I couldn't resist...)

Back to your question: I don't think anyone can confirm for sure that there will be no interactions at all. Would it be an option to speak to a doctor?
Usually, from what I read in the forums, kava is used to eventually cut down the usual medications. If this will work for your friend -- who knows. Kava acts differently from person to person.

There are some guys here who know about chemistry and interactions with kava... Maybe they can chime in.

 

[kavamehameha]

One should be careful though. Interactions with other medications should not be underestimated.

 

[Jacob Bula]

Do I understand correctly that you are Seaking advice?

(Sorry, I couldn't resist...)

Back to your question: I don't think anyone can confirm for sure that there will be no interactions at all. Would it be an option to speak to a doctor?
Usually, from what I read in the forums, kava is used to eventually cut down the usual medications. If this will work for your friend -- who knows. Kava acts differently from person to person.

There are some guys here who know about chemistry and interactions with kava... Maybe they can chime in.

Another pokemon lover <3

 

[Aloha Kava]

I have a male friend who is suffering from anxiety, depression and hypertension.

He is taking the following medications

150 mg setralin (SSRI) active substance (setralin) once a day againt anxety
,5 mg once a day resperidon angainst anxeity
30 mg mianserin mylan NaSSA active substance (mianserin )once a day against depression
2 tablets 5mg/25mg Marilamed active substance (Hydrochlorthiazid, Ramipril. ) against hypertension

Would kava benifit him.

And how does kava combine with the above medications?

Is there any pitfalls ?

Regards
/Michael

No one is really qualified to give strong advice to your friend other than his doctor. With that ass-covering out of the way, I have known many people who have drunk kava while taking SSRI's and benzodiazepines, or weaned off of medications with kava; they often did so with the help of a therapist to understand their feelings along the way, and to build new coping mechanisms/ways of viewing the world and themselves. Medications are powerful things, so if your friend is thinking about using kava, or switching his medications for kava, he should be reminded to do whatever he does carefully and with good information and professional help. I have seen kava work its wonders in other people's lives as well as my own, so I would tell your friend to bring it up with his doctor. Unfortunately the doctor will likely not know anything about kava or its interactions. I did a quick check on WebMD's drug interaction checker, which came up with nothing for kava (for whatever reason it didn't have mianserin in there).

So it's a positive sign, but remind him again to tread lightly with all this. I wish him the best!

 

[yiki]

There is only one way to find out

Very dangerous advice. If you are taking a coctail of pharmaceuticals always...ALWAYS check interactions! Kava and Maois for instance can be dangerous.

 

[jonaspmd]

Antihypertensives probably less of a concern.
SSRSs are so wide-spread, presumably in the Pacific islands as well, that there must be plenty of people using them and kava.

However,
atypical antipsyhotic (prescribed not necessarily for psychosis) and atypical antidepressant (which is not recommended in combination with MAO inhibitors) mean that your friend should certainly not try kava without a professional supervision. There is probably no properly reported data about a combination like that, so chances are his doc won't know. If I were him, my best bet would be to try kava whenever the doc advices to change the regimen and reduce the number of drugs (eg only on SSRI) or do a gap. This will not happen quickly, as some of these drugs take weeks to see an effect and the discontinuation must be gradual.

This is a very complex regimen, so clearly the underlying issues are profound. Kava is a unique, but it's not a miracle and the effects are short-lived. Given this and the complexity of the issue, the risk benefit is against trying.

 

[Michael Nielsen]

Thanks for everything