DOSE:	10 mg	oral	Pharms - Fluoxetine	(daily)
	4 capsls	oral	Kava	(extract)
	2 cups	oral	Kava	(tea)

BODY WEIGHT:

165 lb

Kava: My Cure-All?

After losing my job in August, having a close family member die in October, and going through a devastating breakup in January, I was full-on depressed and had terrible anxiety. I was unable to find happiness in anything in my life, and didn’t want to live being so sad anymore. My depression and anxiety were debilitating. I decided it was time to get some help, so I went to the doctor, and was put on fluoxetine (generic Prozac) at 10 mg a day. Fluoxetine is ok, but I knew it wasn’t going to get me feeling 100% better. I really don’t like prescription medications; I prefer to try things that are natural instead of “man-made” like many of the anti-psychotic pharmaceutical medications out there.

I did some research online and found kava. In reading about kava, I discovered that it would most likely be able to help me with my anxiety (racing thoughts, rapid heartbeat, inability to sleep, etc) and my depression (constant crying, sad thoughts, hopelessness, etc) so I figured it was worth a try. I went to a health store and purchased some kava tea (78 mg per tea bag, 30% kavalactones) as well as some kava capsules (250 mg per capsule, 30% kavalactones). I started off by taking one kava capsule at a time, but found it wasn’t working. I gradually increased my dosage to four capsules at a time, which I have found to be an ideal dose for me.

I have found the tea does not do very much for me on its own, although I do enjoy the taste of it, and is great for bedtime along with some additional kava capsules. I also take it with melatonin at bedtime in addition to some meditation to help ease me into a nice sleep without the use of over-the-counter sleep medications. Taking kava right before bedtime helps me to clear my mind of the obsessive thoughts that used to keep me from sleeping more than twenty minutes at a time.

My most recent kava experience was earlier today. I was feeling horribly anxious and depressed because today would have been my one year anniversary with the most recent ex, like I was not going to be able to get out of bed all day, even though the sun was shining and it looked beautiful outside. I took my four kava capsules and had a cup of kava tea with two teabags. Within 15 minutes, I was up out of bed and able to eat a hearty breakfast that I cooked up for myself, something I couldn’t do for months. Throughout the course of the day, the very happy, casual, easy-going feeling continued for another 4+ hours. As soon as I started to feel the anxiety return, I took another 3 capsules. Now I feel the anxiety going away again, and feel calm again.

When I take kava, my body feels slightly tingly and chilled out. I don’t feel “high” per say, but I feel different from my normal state. My heart rate slows down from the rapid beat it usually goes at, and I can breathe without feeling panicky. My mind feels amazingly relaxed, calm, and content. It gives me energy to get up in the morning and exercise. I can go to my job, and work without anxiety.

Kava also has some other effects that have been especially positive for me. Kava has helped clear up my moderate acne, as well as helped encourage my appetite, but for some reason, kava makes me want to eat healthy. I was unable to eat anything for months but still gained 70 lbs. Now my weight has come down from 195 lbs to 165 lbs in the past month or so, partly because of the kava’s ability to encourage my appetite for healthy foods and increase my desire to drink water, and partly because kava helps me to regain my energy to work out for hours a day. Before I became depressed, I weighed around 130 lbs. I am hoping that by taking kava in addition to a diet and exercise plan including yoga and running, I will be able to get back to my pre-depression weight. I would definitely not drink alcohol while taking kava.

Kava has literally been a life-saver. I have already bought an ample supply of kava so that I can keep taking it and continue to feel good for the first time in a very long time. I can’t believe this stuff is legal, while other substances which have had little or no effect on me are not legal. Kava has given me my life back, and it feels amazing.

Exp Year: 2009	ExpID: 77961
Gender: Female
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jan 27, 2020	Views: 2,136
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Yoga / Bodywork (202), Pharms - Fluoxetine (80), Kava (30) : Not Applicable (38), Therapeutic Intent or Outcome (49), Depression (15), Medical Use (47), Retrospective / Summary (11)