I have extreme mood swings and my doctor out me on zoloft (sertraline). i would rather not be on medication, is kava extract okay?

Please see below: May be you want to discuss with your doctor about risk and benefit of zoloft (sertraline) vs kava.

Extreme mood swings: Before you consider supplements, have a good heart to heart talk with your psychiatrist about how you are responding to zoloft, (sertraline) as well as why you don't want to be on medications. Extreme mood swings might require medication to begin with, until there's more stability. Then alternatives can be explored. If you can't talk to your doctor, find one you can trust. Better not to explore supplements yet.

I think it would be: Important to really pin down your mood swings before taking kava (which can impact liver health). Have you had a comprehensive evaluation by a psychiatrist or a psychologist? That would be quite important.

Discuss with doctor: Kava does not treat depression or mood swings and technically is considered a herbal medication which is not fda controlled and not proven to work. I would follow your doctor's recommendation.

Mood swings : If you're having mood swings, it's very important that you see a psychiatrist to evaluate for the possibility of bipolar and other disorders. If bipolar, it's dangerous to be on zoloft (sertraline) by itself -- it could destabilize mood further. Also, kava will not eliminate mood swings. And unless you're very careful about the preparation of kava you use, you could expose yourself to liver toxicity. Not okay.