Strange newbie Kava experience

[kl.Araushnee]

Hi, I'm new.
So for a while now I have been trying to work with Kava Kava to get a good experience. I got Hawaiian Kona Kava; which I have now been reading isn't good. But my experience with it is just weird. Some of my background: I have panic attacks all the time, I recently had to come off mitazipine, and I am taking .5mg of klonopin and 2400mg of gabapentin daily.
Moving on to my experience with Kava. I originally put 1 tablespoon of Hawain Kona Kava root powder in chocolate skim plus milk (skim milk that has been thickened; it actually taste good). I shook the container for a few minutes and let it sit for an hour. I then preceded to sip it. Within 30 seconds I was having a panic attack. It hit me hard for some reason. It felt like valium gone wrong, not sure how to put it. Eventually I calmed myself down and enjoyed the rest of that one sip experience, as it felt more like valium with no euphoria. I have continued to try to get Kava to work for me. I use 1/4 of a teaspoon know in my milk and I never drink more then half of that at a time. I have continued to have panic attacks on days I have Kava Kava. I have also noticed that once Kava Kava wears off, I tend to get agitated. I think my reactions to Kava is getting better each time I use it. I think I'm just panicking over a new sensation and I'm still getting used to no anti-depressants. However it does worry me that I am so sensitive to such a small amount. I developed a sensitivity to alcohol. I get tipsy if I use alcohol based mouthwash just by swishing it around for a minute. Maybe the two are related? 
Since Kona Kava seems bad to others, what Kava Kava would you guys recommend trying to help control panic attacks. Some euphoria would be nice too. I really want this stuff to work. If I have to suffer though panic attacks to stop panic attacks so be it. I'm also only going to buy root. I prefer making drinks when it comes to herbal stuff.

 

[Vekta]

Kona Kava is scary. I haven't heard much good about it. There are some of us here that think Kona Kava is a straight scam.



I to have suffered from panic attacks and things related to that. The thing about kava is everyone will react differently to the same strain of kava. What works for me may not work as well for you.



The best kava I have ever tried is Boroguru from Bula Kava House. The owner of that establishment, Judd Rench, can be seen here on the forums and he's not afraid to put his products out there for public scrutiny. He has good reason to be as "up close" as he is. He sells a good Product. He's not the only one. You have many options. Adil Ghiasi from Paradise Kava also sells a very fine selection of kava and the very best in kava extracts on the market thus far.



I think a kava from either one of these vendors would give you a far superior kava experience to Kona Kava. The only thing I would suggest is to skip the more "energizing" kavas like Tongan for now and stick with a strain from Vanuatu or Hawaii, the Vanuatu strains being a tad more heavy in effects than some of the Hawaiian strains in general. Well maybe heavy is the wrong word...I don't know. I would describe it as the difference between being more relaxed physically or more cheerful and warm inside mentally.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

Gabapentin is a GABA analog and Klonopin is a GABA-A agonist. Kavalactones are also thought to have GABA-A agonist activity plus MAO-B inhibitor activity. I'm not sure what the combined effects of kava plus the GABA-ergics that you are already taking would be, you might want to do some research on the combination and potential side effects.



With Kona Kava I got no effects, it was basically like sawdust with very little kavalactones, it didn't seem oily at all when I strained it. Good kava should feel oily, not as oily as peanut butter, but when you squeeze it it should kind of clump together like graham cracker pie crust.

 

[kl.midas]

I originally put 1 tablespoon of Hawain Kona Kava root powder in chocolate skim plus milk (skim milk that has been thickened; it actually taste good). I shook the container for a few minutes and let it sit for an hour. I then preceded to sip it

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Did you strain the root powder out before drinking it? It's very fine powder so try and find a fine strainer too or you'll have huge amounts of root powder in your drink, not sure if that's any harm, but it tastes drinking sandy water and upsets my stomach. I'm not a fan of Kona Kava's root powder, the only real effect I've gotten from it is a mild headache.

 

[kl.Araushnee]

As far as straining, I did attempt it with the strainer I got with the Kava. I also tried a coffee filter with pin holes. The milk was just too think, it wouldn't even drip. I think it is because of the additive to the milk, cause normal skim milk is rather watery. But I drink so little of the stuff, I have no stomach problems from it.
I did do research into interactions. There was one benzo that had a bad reaction due to the way it was metabolized threw the liver, but it wasn't klonopin. Kava came with the same generic cns depressant warnings that many other things do, as well as added sedation. I recall valerian root having similar warnings. So nothing I saw as an interaction had me worried; I've seen worse. But yes it is possible that my current medications could have caused this. 
But if the kona kava is really bad, then I would think the kava did it, plus my hyper sensitivity to some things. This root is very dry and not oily.  I remember getting old stale K@ from a place and it had strong but bad effects. Also some strains of K@ gave me panic attacks, while others didn't. 
I'll try kava from one of the suggested places, and see if that helps to resolve my issue. I had some more kava today, and I think I'm done trying to get this brand to work. I'm not having panic attacks from it anymore, but it just doesn't feel right.

 

[kl.CarolinaBC]

I'm no doctor but what I'd do on a day you don't have a lot to do is not take your meds and that morning (once you get some good root powder) is make a batch of 16 ounces using about 2 heaping tablespoons and strain it real well.  Drink about 1/3 and give it about 15-20 minutes.  If you don't start feeling real nervous drink another 1/3.  If it does start making you nervous then cease and take your meds.

 

[The Kap'n]

With Kona Kava I got no effects, it was basically like sawdust with very little kavalactones, it didn't seem oily at all when I strained it. Good kava should feel oily, not as oily as peanut butter, but when you squeeze it it should kind of clump together like graham cracker pie crust.

That is about the most accurate and helpful description I've heard in a while about the consistency of what kava should feel like. I always wondered what "oily" meant when squeezing kava topics came up.

 

[Buddhacide]

Speaking as someone who also has an anxiety disorder, I would venture to guess that the amounts of kava you are doing are not sufficient to actually effect you and that your anxiety condition is getting the best of you. In my opinion, taking a whole tablespoon full of kona kava, let alone a sip,  would not do anything, and neither would a "1/4 of a teaspoon".  My normal dosage is two heaping table spoons, unstrained, in milk with various fixins. Depending on the kava this might be enough, but often it isnt. I am also on various prescription drugs, and I have not noticed much of an interaction. That said, I do believe its possible to have an adverse reaction to kava of the sort you are describing, I just doubt thats whats causing yours.
 
In my opinion the nature of anxiety/panic disorder is a physiological overreaction to a novel or stressful situation (or the potential for one). Trying a new exotic substance like kava for the first time could surely, in theory, provoke a bit of hypochondria in an axious person. Particularly one in the middle of a medication change.

 

[kl.new2kava]

Kona kava is really only good for getting past the reverse tollerance. In my experience kava really only has full effects after about a month of drinking it regularly. My personal theory on kona kava is those guys use their kava to make various extracts and instant kavas, the kava dust they have left with minimal kavalactones they sell as their kava. Kona ruins kava for alot of newbies as they get it and in addition to the reverse tolerance they are also drinking the bunkest possible kava on the market.



I'd recommend getting from Bula Kava House, not only are their prices the best I've their quality and customer is top notch. I think it's hard to suggest that someone else will or will help with a certain ailment. Kava seems to effect each person differently as well as each strain with various kavalactone profiles seem to give various effects to different people. I personally love BKH boroguro and would highly recommend it, thats because I love high DHM strains. I think the best bet for a newbie would be is to order a 1/4 kg of a few different varieties, say one of boroguro, melo melo, fu'u and borogu. BKH lists their kavalactone profiles so you be able to evalutate which profiles were the most agreeable to you, thats basically how I found boroguro and have stuck with it.



All I can say is don't give up on kava without trying a few different vendors, try reputable honest vendors. BKH is great but also; Kava by Rex and Paradise Kava are great and N@H is the vendor that redeemed my faith in kava. I'd also advocate trying Steve's kava kava candy and instant drink mixes, not only are his products great, he seems like a pretty rad dude.

 

[kl.hunghung.sustainedreaction]

i still do not have much experience with kava, but i had (have?) panic/disorder myself. meanwhile i'm on Fluoxetin, Duloxetin, Venalafxin, Mirtazapin and Agomelatin (looks as absurd to me as it sounds), but that's the state of the ... art, whatever.



Now, what i wanted to say is, when i ordered my first pound of Stone Kava i didn't dare to take a full dose and started chewing on little amounts of it, which gave some really strange effects. I'd have taken it for placebo, but a friend i gave it to experienced the same, so maybe you might down at least a full tablespoon dose and the effects may turn to the opposite you experienced untill now ... of course i can not assure you it will do you good, but i'd say there's a good chance that it may turn out a completely different experience.



Meanwhile i managed to overcome my fears again (never had problems popping what ever in younger years) and started bigger doses - 3 heaped tablespoons at least - and find it very enjoyable. It's a pity legal situation here will not allow me to change at least some of my pills for kava in the long run.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

As far as straining, I did attempt it with the strainer I got with the Kava. I also tried a coffee filter with pin holes. The milk was just too think, it wouldn't even drip. I think it is because of the additive to the milk, cause normal skim milk is rather watery. But I drink so little of the stuff, I have no stomach problems from it.
I did do research into interactions. There was one benzo that had a bad reaction due to the way it was metabolized threw the liver, but it wasn't klonopin. Kava came with the same generic cns depressant warnings that many other things do, as well as added sedation. I recall valerian root having similar warnings. So nothing I saw as an interaction had me worried; I've seen worse. But yes it is possible that my current medications could have caused this. 
But if the kona kava is really bad, then I would think the kava did it, plus my hyper sensitivity to some things. This root is very dry and not oily.  I remember getting old stale K@ from a place and it had strong but bad effects. Also some strains of K@ gave me panic attacks, while others didn't. 
I'll try kava from one of the suggested places, and see if that helps to resolve my issue. I had some more kava today, and I think I'm done trying to get this brand to work. I'm not having panic attacks from it anymore, but it just doesn't feel right.

I strain with a nylon jelly strainer first to get out the coarse particles, that makes it easier to filter through the fine strainer without clogging.  I get Norpro jelly strainers from Amazon, haven't tried Mirro but they're probably alright.  Having too much root powder in the strained kava seems to make it more likely to cause side effects, it seems that several people have had bad reactions to N@H WOW! because of that myself included.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

With Kona Kava I got no effects, it was basically like sawdust with very little kavalactones, it didn't seem oily at all when I strained it. Good kava should feel oily, not as oily as peanut butter, but when you squeeze it it should kind of clump together like graham cracker pie crust.

That is about the most accurate and helpful description I've heard in a while about the consistency of what kava should feel like. I always wondered what "oily" meant when squeezing kava topics came up.

Thanks, I thought the same thing when I heard people say "oily" then I was thinking about what it feels like when I'm squeezing the solids or dumping the stuff out of the strainer and it occurred to me the way that it clumps together kind of feels like making graham cracker crust, not super wet, kind of gritty.

 

[kl.hunghung.sustainedreaction]

Since the taste of my years old kava was so ugly i made a water-ethanol extract - of course i let the alcohol evaporate afterwards, and ... wow

had some difficulties to figure out the right dosis, but now that i go it i'm thinking about doing the same to my tongan pride i recently received.

but i'll give it at least one try "au natural" first. Found out with my first try with 96% ethanol that it gave me almost too much euphoria - the kind of you simply have to expect a crash afterwards (burnt child, if that proverb exists in english, too) but almost no body feeling (of course no crash, hooray ). this almost pure alcoolic extract was of a light yellow, the extract with 50% ethanol and another wash with warm water afterwards is of an almost black dark brown and yes, i'm very nicely ... what's the word? stoned? crunked?



ps.: also no more nausea! seems that plant residues aren't for every one ...