Kava Kava And Its Use In Pots

[ramakentesh]

Kava kava is an extract of the root of the Piper something plant from the South Pacific and has been used for centuries for socialising and ceremonies and elicates a calming effect and a pleasant mood.

Recently, with my GPs cautious approval I am soon to try a low dosage of Kava for my symptoms to see if it helps. The reason we embarked on kava investigation is because it has an action similar to benzo but it does not reduce blood pressure and can actually improve congnitive function. Before I was diagnoised i used it once or twice and it helped immensely. The product I bought was never restocked at the shop so I could never try it again and later on it was actually connected with liver damage (due to contained the leaves as well as the root apparently).

As well as increasing Gaba levels and word on its effects on norepinephrine levels seems contradictory - in this link it is said to reduce reuptake but in others its supposed to dampen norepinephrine levels - norepinephrine is the chemical implicated in hyperadrenergic presentations in POTS. It may have potential as a treatment worth mentioning to your doctor.

http://www.nutrasanus.com/kava-kava.html

[ramakentesh]

recent study found that it was safe for anxiety:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/149570.php

[firewatcher]

Kava Kava seems to work on the same mechanisms as Klonopin in the CNS, just less potently and more generally. I am not trying to be a wet blanket here.

!!!!!!!!!!!THE ONLY WAY I WOULD TRY THIS IS IF YOU ARE NOT ON OTHER DRUGS FOR YOUR POTS!!!!!!!!!!

My Dad has taught me too well...Herbal Supplements are DRUGS too! You go mixing this stuff, you could end up DEAD!

Accepted 18 May 2005.

Available online 7 July 2005.

Potential for interaction of kava and St. John's wort with drugs

Yadhu N. Singh

College of Pharmacy, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA

Abstract

The present interest and widespread use of herbal remedies has created the possibility of interaction between them and pharmaceutical drugs if they are used simultaneously. Before the recent reports of apparent hepatotoxicity associated with its use, kava (Piper methysticum Forst. F.), was one of the top 10 selling herbal remedies in Europe and North America. This adverse effect was not previously encountered with the traditional beverage which was prepared as a water infusion in contrast to the commercial products which are extracted with organic solvents. Kavalactones, the active principles in kava, are potent inhibitors of several of the CYP 450 enzymes, suggesting a high potential for causing pharmacokinetic interactions with drugs and other herbs which are metabolized by the same CYP 450 enzymes. Furthermore, some kavalactones have been shown to possess pharmacological effects, such as blockade of GABA receptors and sodium and calcium ion channels, which may lead to pharmacodynamic interactions with other substances which possess similar pharmacological proprieties. St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.), used extensively for the treatment of mild to moderate clinical depression, has long been considered safer than the conventional pharmaceutical agents. However, its ability, through its active constituents hypericin, pseudohypericin and hyperforin, to induce intestinal P-glycoprotein/MRD1 and both intestinal and hepatic CYP3A4 enzyme, could markedly reduce the distribution and disposition of their co-substrates. In addition, St. John's wort is a potent uptake inhibitor of the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine all of which have a role in mood control. Consequently, the very real potential for a pharmacodynamic interaction between the herb and pharmaceutical drugs which share this mechanism of action and, like St. John's wort, are used for mood elevation. However, presently there is very little evidence to substantiate actual pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic interaction between drugs and kava or St. John's wort. This review provides a brief overview of the existing data on interactions of kava and St. John's wort with pharmaceutical agents and as a result reveals the urgent need for detailed investigations to identify clinically significant interactions for these herbal remedies that have the potential to cause adverse effects.

Keywords: St. John's wort; Piper methysticum; Kava; Hypericum perforatum

[Shimoda]

Is this the experimental drug we were talking about, jess?

[ramakentesh]

Sorry i wasnt suggesting self medication or using this with other medications. i was just thinking out allowed on its potential benefits in POTS. Since I am currently on no medication for my POTS other than licorice root this is why I brought it up with my Doctor.

Klonopin does have a significant side effects profile - including drowsiness, slowing of mental processes and lowered blood pressure, and it has the potential (although probably vastly overstated) of dependence and it does have significant withdrawal potential.

kava has none of these and in a study of kava kava and benzos for treatment of GAD, kava was found to be better tolerated and more effective.

SSRIs have significant problems with interactions. St John's Wort has this action.

[HoudiniCat]

A nutritionist at the health food store had actually suggested this to me. My POTS doc was really hesitant about letting me take it but since I wasn?t taking any other meds he agreed to let me try the kava kava tea. I want to say that it helped my symptoms (definitely not the same effect as popping a Klonopin) but I felt there was much less risk/side effects in sipping the tea than using the benzos. I have used this on and off for years to help manage my symptoms.

[ramakentesh]

I havent used this since 2003 but I remember that when I did i was surprised about hot normal it made me feel.

[EarthMother]

I've done Kava off and on for years. Again, I have never mixed it with other meds tho I do know some people who do. Its a tricky one because its not standardized. I like the brand I use (liquid, easy to titrate my dose) and others swear by their brand. Tea never had enough in it for me to notice the effect.

I tried Kava a few times in this most recent crash in early April. And it was fair in reducing sympo-overexcitation, but I was also getting a kicker of a parasympathetic rebound the next day. So I've tucked this away in my cabinet ... for now.

Tell you what I am doing that seems to help (but who knows, long term) is Motherwort. Again, I have a liquid that I can easily dose by the eyedropper. Its good for "earthquake hot flashes" the book by Susan Weed said. So I picked some up. I read a bit more about it and it is also a natural relaxant. I've not noticed any decrease in BP. But so far (fingers crossed) its been good to use when my body starts to surge. (ie my blood pressure tends to drop out after I use the bathroom, and this is often a trigger for a POTS flaire for me. The motherwort has helped reduce the duration and intensity.)

But it could well just be my body is rebalancing on its own. There's no telling from an N=1.

I also started taking Vitamin C a couple weeks ago on Ramakentesh's thoughts that this should be a precursor to the NO. I have increased natural food sources -- small doses throught the day. As well as breaking up a chewable tablet into tiny pieces and taking that 3-4 times in one day. My thought being to keep a steady dose IN my body at all times rather than high spikes that I will simply pee away.

As Firewatcher said herbals are meds. And kava much more so than say chamomile tea! Anyone considering must discuss with their health care team.

~EM

[bjt22]

I tried Kava Kava about 10 or 12 years ago. It was a period in time in which I'd come off prescription meds but was still experiencing mild to moderate symptoms. It did not agree with me at all. Instead of a "calming" effect, it did the opposite.

[mae]

I used KAVA KAVA and thats when I had the most heart palps and bad chest pains you could actually see my heart beat fluttering in my chest! I was using it for anxiety problems which it did help that, but the heart problems were too extreme and was DX at that time with MVP and years later was told I didn't have MVP no longer.

Mae