Kava Kava questions
May 11, 2010 6:16 AM Subscribe
How dangerous is it to take Kava Kava supplements while also imbibing alcohol (but not at the same time)?
I am something of a beer geek, and I picked up some Kava Kava as I had heard it could help take the edge off of social anxiety and general anxiety disorder, two issues I have, not knowing that it has interactions with alcohol.
The warning on the bottle says not to use it "if you use alcohol." Will my drinking (3-4 beers over the weekend, 2-3 over the week, averaging out to less than a beer a day) be an issue with this medication? I'm not a heavy drinker, drinking one or two beers at a time, which I savor slowly. I could definitely quit, but as an avid homebrewer, it'd kind of be a shame to do so. Would it be an issue to take Kava Kava on the same day I drank, even if they were hours appart?
And is the liver disease a side effect I should be concerned about? Errowid makes it sound like I shouldn't, but I don't know how good they are with science/medicine. Should I see if my insurance will pay for liver tests to see if it is harming me, if I do use it regularly?
Also, what's a good dosage for dealing with social anxiety as needed (like before a party or job interview)? Should I take it daily or as needed? And should I tell my psychiatrist about this (he knows that I drink)? I'm not really looking to trip or get a high, although it'd be interesting to hear how much more Kava Kava is needed to be comparable to the beverage drunk in the Pacific Islands.
I'm currently on Abilify, Effexor XR (an SSRI), and Adderall (which I actually take only days I need a boost in concentration).
Email me at alivefish@live.com. Asking anonymously, as I don't want my medical regimen public.
I am something of a beer geek, and I picked up some Kava Kava as I had heard it could help take the edge off of social anxiety and general anxiety disorder, two issues I have, not knowing that it has interactions with alcohol.
The warning on the bottle says not to use it "if you use alcohol." Will my drinking (3-4 beers over the weekend, 2-3 over the week, averaging out to less than a beer a day) be an issue with this medication? I'm not a heavy drinker, drinking one or two beers at a time, which I savor slowly. I could definitely quit, but as an avid homebrewer, it'd kind of be a shame to do so. Would it be an issue to take Kava Kava on the same day I drank, even if they were hours appart?
And is the liver disease a side effect I should be concerned about? Errowid makes it sound like I shouldn't, but I don't know how good they are with science/medicine. Should I see if my insurance will pay for liver tests to see if it is harming me, if I do use it regularly?
Also, what's a good dosage for dealing with social anxiety as needed (like before a party or job interview)? Should I take it daily or as needed? And should I tell my psychiatrist about this (he knows that I drink)? I'm not really looking to trip or get a high, although it'd be interesting to hear how much more Kava Kava is needed to be comparable to the beverage drunk in the Pacific Islands.
I'm currently on Abilify, Effexor XR (an SSRI), and Adderall (which I actually take only days I need a boost in concentration).
Email me at alivefish@live.com. Asking anonymously, as I don't want my medical regimen public.
(which I actually take only days I need a boost in concentration)
Not your question, but I've been told this is exactly not the way to take amphetamines to combat ADHD/ADD/and its derivatives. You might want to look into that.
I had Kava a long time ago by someone who prepared it from the leaves. They explained to me that Kava makers will process the entire plant, the stems of which are bad for your liver. Wikipedia confirms this:
Safety concerns have been raised over liver toxicity largely due to the use of stems and leaves by supplement makers, as opposed to solely the root of the plant as dictated by traditional uses.
For what it is worth, I am dubious to Kava's effects. It had the same effects of Benadryl (diphenhydramine), but much less pronounced. I would stay away from Kava if you don't know how it was processed, simply because there are no real benefits and some real side effects.
posted by geoff. at 6:57 AM on May 11, 2010
Not your question, but I've been told this is exactly not the way to take amphetamines to combat ADHD/ADD/and its derivatives. You might want to look into that.
I had Kava a long time ago by someone who prepared it from the leaves. They explained to me that Kava makers will process the entire plant, the stems of which are bad for your liver. Wikipedia confirms this:
Safety concerns have been raised over liver toxicity largely due to the use of stems and leaves by supplement makers, as opposed to solely the root of the plant as dictated by traditional uses.
For what it is worth, I am dubious to Kava's effects. It had the same effects of Benadryl (diphenhydramine), but much less pronounced. I would stay away from Kava if you don't know how it was processed, simply because there are no real benefits and some real side effects.
posted by geoff. at 6:57 AM on May 11, 2010
Hepatoxicity comes up a lot in pubmed searches. Go there and search for "liver" and "kava".
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943335
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19966149
...
If you want to take drugs to reduce social anxiety, take drugs that have been tested and evaluated for safety. Why on earth would you take a drug with poorly understood risks and benefits, manufactured by companies that don't have rigorous quality control? There are plenty of drugs out there that actually *work* and at least have quantifiable risks associated with them.
Nature is full of dangerous chemicals...don't trust it!
posted by pjaust at 7:16 AM on May 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943335
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19966149
...
If you want to take drugs to reduce social anxiety, take drugs that have been tested and evaluated for safety. Why on earth would you take a drug with poorly understood risks and benefits, manufactured by companies that don't have rigorous quality control? There are plenty of drugs out there that actually *work* and at least have quantifiable risks associated with them.
Nature is full of dangerous chemicals...don't trust it!
posted by pjaust at 7:16 AM on May 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Why are you taking kava kava when you have a psych? Can't you just ask hir to prescribe anti-anxiety meds? You really should work with the doc on this, so you can have a regimen of medications that work together.
posted by sugarfish at 7:40 AM on May 11, 2010
posted by sugarfish at 7:40 AM on May 11, 2010
For what it's worth, I used kava kava extract as a sleep aid. Contrary to geoff.'s experience, it worked very well for that purpose (and much softer experience overall than with diphenhydramine). But the liver damage studies made it much harder to get and I decided to quit using it. I would love a diphenhydramine alternative that was safe.
Anyway, as far as using it as a psych med, I wouldn't. Social anxiety is treated very effectively and safely with SSRIs like Prozac these days.
posted by dhartung at 12:17 AM on May 12, 2010
Anyway, as far as using it as a psych med, I wouldn't. Social anxiety is treated very effectively and safely with SSRIs like Prozac these days.
posted by dhartung at 12:17 AM on May 12, 2010
When I take it I take 1000mg (2 500mg capsules) before bed. It seems to be helping me. I'd try it before trying any psych prescriptions but I don't like the way I act on psych drugs so YMMV.
posted by irisclara at 10:24 PM on May 12, 2010
posted by irisclara at 10:24 PM on May 12, 2010
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Errowid makes it sound like I shouldn't, but I don't know how good they are with science/medicine.
This is exactly why you should see a doctor. The supplements market is largely unregulated. Niobody can recommend you an effective dose for the simple reason that there's no guarantee you're getting that amount of the active compound(s).
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 6:24 AM on May 11, 2010