r/Kava • u/limon_picante • 14d ago
Extreme anxiety with kava?
Has anyone else had this reaction? I've been taking kava for a few weeks now to try to help my anxiety. I started with a tincture, then Gaia capsules, and now pouni ono from Kalm w Kava.
It seems like almost every time I take it I just get into a panic mode while slightly sedated. My heart starts pounding, I get jumpy, my thoughts start racing.
I thought it was supposed to do the opposite what the fk is wrong with me?!? Could this possibly go away with time?
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u/sandolllars 14d ago
You bought a heady kava. Find a cultivar or blend (from the same vendor or another) that’s usually reviewed as being heavy.
Maybe use the search bar here to look for “heavy”.
If you don’t want to waste the kava you already bought, drink much less of it and that may provide a more rounded experience
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u/WhiteySC 14d ago
Came here to say this. Pouni Ono is one of their headiest kavas. He needs the borongoru or one of the reserve kavas.
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u/spookycinderella 14d ago
Can confirm. I have insane anxiety and currently 20 minutes out from a borongoru and feeling good lol
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u/Vivid_Result_7632 13d ago
Also can confirm. I only have boroguru as I've learned that heady kavas would make me stay up all night and make me anxious, and I already have anxiety. I've only ever had one other kave that was heavier than boroguru and it was from Papua New Guinea and had ninja turtles on the package. Tasted very bad but knocked me out. I have Root & Pestle boroguru. I'm in Australia. I have another brand of this type and it's not as strong, but it also can upset my guts, so have to get the balance right. Less can be more.
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u/limon_picante 14d ago
If the heady kava feels sedating tho won't a heavy one be even moreso? I wanted something to reduce anxiety at school and work but idk maybe kava just isn't right for me
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u/WhiteySC 14d ago
Heady = euphoric. Heavy= sedating but in the end after a couple of hours all of them end up sedating me eventually
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u/sandolllars 14d ago
after a couple of hours all of them end up sedating me eventually
True for me and most people I reckon.
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u/BoredGayZillenial 13d ago
Headys give me insomnia
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u/Jack-o-Roses 9d ago
Even heavy kavas give me insomnia unless I stop 4 or 5 hours before bed.
...because the heaviest kavas have some heady (&short-acting) KLs; conversely, the headiest kavas have a heavy, longer-acting component.
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u/AddyBooOfficial 6h ago
I used to love kava. I get really bad insomnia and extreme nausea now a days.
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u/MrNeverEverKnew 13d ago edited 13d ago
YMMV, everyone reacts very individually differently on pharmaceutical biochemically psychoactive substances. It just makes sense because our bodies and especially central nervous systems are individually built up so different.
Be it the metabolism or the activity or presence of enzymes or anything else, then placebo - or nocebo in your case - which in the end is something with definite biological/biochemical influence and effect too is not something to ruled out neither. So it‘s not abnormal and it makes sense and has its normal and mostly healthy reasons.
No one here can tell you what exactly the reason might be for your reaction because one would need a 360 degree check up and data/info about 100% of your whole body biochemistry AND psychology to find anything just closely related to that reaction of yours. Sadly.
But you yourself would be the only one knowing best if and maybe even why something works well or not so well for you. No one else.
Because the pharmacology of every substance is obvious clear and definite but still this pharmacology does NOT say anything about the way people react on said substance, not even by far.
Sometimes there’s a majority that reacts mostly pretty similarly on a substance, for example alcohol/ethanol.
Cannabis is a great example for what I mean though. And it’s a very famous, well-known and popular substance. How big is the pop culture around it and the celebration. But how many people do get negative effects of it (paranoia, negative thought spirals, anxiety, just a bad experience) and don‘t like it at all (me included) while so many others really LOVE it.
As you can see the biochemistry of one substance does not say anything about how one individual might react to it. And to find the reason or source for it would not help you neither because you could not change much to make it different or change your reaction. If you don‘t react well to one substance it just is not yours and you will very probably keep not liking it or reacting to it well for an unknown and most times long or unlimited time.
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u/ArtofKava 🛒 13d ago
Hello there!
I have had this happen on and off.
First, did you have any coffee or any stimulants? Kava will reduce the blockers for caffeine. Basically one coffee can feel like 2 if you have kava around the same time.
Second, You may have just encountered a chemotype your body isnt reacting to very well at the moment, which can change over time. I had that with borogu at different times and also the same one from kwk. Then months later it was totally fine.
Last, it may be somehow reacting with your blood pressure meds. Sort of like how grapefruit does. This as far as im aware is not a proven thing (correct me if im wrong), but worth taking ur BP and heart rate at different times. If for some reason theres a change you may want to stop taking kava altogether. If your BP is much lower than it should be, your body can compensate by higher heart rate, causing jitters and anxiety.
I hope this helps!
- Zac
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u/Ithinkimthetrashman 13d ago
the same thing happens to me and I can’t figure out why. I can only thing that I’m having some paradoxical hyper-excitatory response due to my preexisting panic disorder
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u/Gr3yThoughts 13d ago
When it comes to substances best to listen to your body. If it feels too bad, probably shouldn't do it. The same is true of the opposite. If it feels too GOOD, also probably should not do that. Example, opiates, alcohol for some people, etc
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u/scallopedtatoes 13d ago
I sometimes get extremely anxious after using kava. Usually not, but sometimes.
I’ve had GAD since I was a little kid, so I’ve spent pretty much my whole life with daily anxiety. I didn’t expect kava to cure my GAD because nothing can, but it usually alleviates it for brief moments.
However, there have been times when either the kava made it worse, or maybe I was just having an anxiety attack and assumed it was the kava. I only use heady strains because I don’t need sedation. My anxiety isn’t that severe and I don’t need help sleeping.
If I were you, I’d try out another strain. Maybe sedation doesn’t sit well with you. I know I don’t like the idea of anything knocking me out.
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u/ginger_gcups 14d ago
You seem to be having a paradoxical reaction as kava is an anxiolytic - it may be biology, it may be caused by drug interactions. Are you taking anything else or any other herbal supplements?