Posted by Shawn. T. on October 4, 2002, at 15:15:22
In reply to Celexa and Kava ?, posted by linkadge on October 4, 2002, at 14:03:50
Kava's active constituents are thought to affect GABA-A receptors. It may act by increasing levels of binding sites for these receptors in certain areas of the brain. Because it contains several different active ingredients, it may or may not affect other systems in the brain. One study has shown that kava may affect MAO-B in platelets, although this result has not been replicated to my knowledge. It awaits to be seen whether or not kava affects MAO-B in the brain in vivo. MAO-B metabolizes dopamine and phenylethylamine (found in small amounts in chocolate). MAO-A metabolizes serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine; so kava should not directly affect serotonin transmission because it does not interact with MAO-A. I don't believe that there are any reports of kava use resulting in serotonin syndrome symptoms.
An issue has come up that kava could cause liver damage. One thing to note is that the problem usually disappears after afflicted users stop taking the drug. If you have had hepatitis or liver problems in the past, it would generally be unwise to use kava. Discussing the issue with your doctor might be a wise thing to do. I personally regard alcohol as much more toxic to the body than kava, and there doesn't seem to be a big fuss by the FDA over what alcohol does to the liver. Mixing alcohol and kava probably isn't a smart choice. You definitely shouldn't mix benzodiazepines, which act on GABA-A receptors, and kava. Benzodiazepines include Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, and similar drugs. I would argue that the potential effects of SSRI's on the gut are just as bad as what kava could possibly do to the liver if taken in large amounts. Mixing an SSRI such as Celexa with kava should pose no risk. SSRI's and benzodiazepines are generally not considered to interact, and kava does not affect GABA transmission as strongly as the benzodiazepines. So be aware that risks do exist, although this issue really applies to most drugs used in psychiatry today.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7701051&dopt=Abstracthttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9832350&dopt=Abstract
http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/fulltext/kava2-5.html
Shawn
poster:Shawn. T.
thread:122328
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020930/msgs/122339.html