Do Kalms contain caffeine?
In this guide, we will see “Do Kalms contain caff
eine”, the main ingredients and others that may be included, what are Kalms tablets and what are they used for, who shouldn’t take them, possible interactions with other drugs, how to take them, what happens if you take more than the recommended dose and additional considerations.
Do Kalms contain caffeine?
Kalms does not contain caffeine, and there is a simple and scientific reason behind it. Caffeine is the world’s most used natural stimulant, which you can find in different types of beverages such as energy drinks, coffee, sodas, green tea, black tea, and even dark chocolate.
Meaning, it is not a good option for relieving anxiety, stress or even as a sleeping aid, on the contrary, your anxiety and stress levels will spike and won’t be able to sleep at all.
Moreover, we know that caffeine stimulates the brain and our central nervous system helping us to stay alert and awake.
Once we have caffeine intake our body quickly absorbs it and sends it to our bloodstream.
After it reaches our bloodstream, it goes to our liver and it is broken into compounds that may affect the function of many organs.
As indicated by Alina Petre from Healthline.com, “caffeine’s main effect is on the brain and It functions by blocking the effects of adenosine, which is a neurotransmitter that relaxes the brain and makes you feel tired.”
Normally, adenosine levels tend to build up throughout our day making us feel more tired and making us want to go to sleep.
Subsequently, caffeine acts by connecting the receptors in the brain without activating them, reducing our tiredness.
As we have discussed, caffeine can’t be one of the ingredients in Kalms because they actually need to have the contrary effect (sedating) to help relieve mild anxiety symptoms, stress, and even serve as a natural sleeping aid.
What if I can’t sleep?
You may be familiar with the feeling of being fatigued or drowsy during the day, or maybe even both.
If so, you may have turned to your morning caffeine fix to be able to cope with the day ahead. The lack of sleep can be responsible for being irritable, memory problems, or difficulties recalling information.
You may have been diagnosed with insomnia or you may suspect you have it. Let’s see some of the symptoms:
• Difficulty falling asleep
• Waking up often during the night and having trouble getting back to sleep
• Waking up too early in the morning
• Feeling tired upon waking
In addition, you may be looking for all the options available to you to treat insomnia.
You may have heard about how herbal remedies such as Kalms, passionflower, Nytol Herbal or hop strobiles are used as sleeping aids.
Here at Holland & Barrett you will find the Best Herbal Remedies.
However, you may have also been considering antihistamines found in over the counter medication such as Nytol.
Our recommendation is to be careful and if you are really suffering from insomnia or you suspect, talk to your physician to study the options that may fit you.
Other than the question answered above, many inquire whether Kalms contain gluten, lactose or paracetamol.
What are Kalms tablets?
According to the patient leaflet “Kalms Day contains Valerian Root Extract. A traditional herbal
medicinal product used for the temporary relief of symptoms associated with stress such as mild anxiety, based on traditional use only
.
However, before you decide to take Kalms consider the following:
- If you are allergic or you suspect you may be allergic to any of the ingredients we have
- mentioned, do not take Kalms and talk to your physician.
- Do not take Kalms if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- You are under the age of 18.
- If you are taking medicine for sleep and/or anxiety avoid using Kalms. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken other medicines, including those that are obtained without a prescription.
Types of Kalms
There are a variety of Kalms products such as:
- Kalms Night One-A-Night
- Kalms Night
- Kalms Day
- Kalms Lavender One-A-Day Capsules
Consequently, depending on the type of Kalms tablets you are considering taking, ingredients
may vary but the main active component (Valerian Root) stays the same.
Here is a list of the best Kalms range of products for anxiety.
However, the Kalms Lavender One-A-Day capsules are the only type that has Lavender instead of Valerian as the main component. If you like lavender, you should try the best lavender teas for anxiety.
If you don’t like pills or capsules, you can check out the Best Syrups for anxiety, plant extracts rich in adaptogens.
Kalms Night Ingredients
First of all, be aware that Kalms night is a traditional herbal medicinal product used for the temporary relief of sleeping problems.
Be aware there is also a Kalms One-A-Night type.
There are 4 types of Kalms but here we will include the ingredients of the ‘Kalms Night’ tablets.
To see the other versions and their ingredients you can see them here.
According to the Kalms Night patient leaflet, here are the ingredients:
- Dry extract from Valerian root…………………………… 96 mg
(Valeriana officinalis L.) (equivalent to 384 – 480mg of Valerian root) Extraction solvent: Ethanol 60%v/v
Excipients: Maltodextrin, Colloidal Anhydrous Silica.
The other ingredients are:
- Core: Croscarmellose Sodium, Magnesium Stearate,
- Silicified Microcrystalline Cellulose, Talc, and Silicon Dioxide.
- Coating: Hypromellose, Talc, Titanium Dioxide,
- Macrogol, Saccharine Sodium.
What is anxiety?
Even though anxiety is considered normal and part of our lives, experiencing it at higher levels
than usual or feeling too overwhelmed or unable to cope with it can actually result in a
significant impact on our daily activities.
Anxiety can have different root causes which can vary from one person to the other, but here
are some of the most common:
- Your current life situation or certain specific events you have gone through recently.
- Childhood experiences such as trauma, being abused, a death in the family.
- Having a medical condition or suffering from chronic illnesses.
- Having a mental health illness such as depression or having phobias.
- Certain medications and substances can exacerbate anxiety symptoms.
Can I combine Kalms while using other medicine?
It is not recommended to start taking Kalms if you are taking prescribed or over the counter
medicines. Talk to your doctor or pharmacists first if you have started or you have been taking
other medicines.
Moreover, it is important to consider that Kalms contains sucrose and if you have been told by
your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, consult with them before starting to
take the tablets.
How to take Kalms Tablets
For the temporary relief of the symptoms of stress, mild anxiety, and irritability including
symptoms associated with menopause such as flushings, cold sweats, and even as a sleeping aid.
In addition, this is for oral short term use only and the tablets should be swallowed whole with some water or other liquid.
The adult and the elderly dose are 2 tablets three times per day with water after meals.
However, consider that the maximum daily dose is 6 tablets and refrain from taking more than the leaflet tells you to.
Also, the effects of this product may not occur immediately, the tablets should be taken continuously for 2-4 weeks.
If symptoms worsen or do not improve after 4 weeks, a doctor or a qualified healthcare practitioner should be consulted.
What happens if I overdose?
If you take too many tablets at once or more than the recommended amount, consult with your doctor or qualified healthcare practitioner as soon as possible.
In addition, if you forget to take one dose, do not attempt to take two at the same time to make up for the missed dose.
Valerian possible side effects
Everyone can react differently to the use of Kalms and especially to the main ingredient,
Valerian Root, but it is important to consider the possible side effects. Here are some of them:
- Headaches
- Upset stomach
- Thinking problems
- Dry mouth
- Palpitations
- Feeling excited or uneasy
- Strange dreams
- Daytime drowsiness
Even though not everyone gets to experience the side effects, be aware you might and if it is
the case, pay attention to them. If the symptoms get worse seek immediate medical attention.
Recommendations to store Kalms tablets
Keep out of the reach and sight of children.
- Do not take Kalms tablets after the expiry date which is stated on the packaging.
- Do not store above 25ºC.
- Store in the original package.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse. This includes any possible
side effects not listed in the leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow
Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. By reporting side effects you can help provide
more information on the safety of this medicine.
Why is this blog about Do Kalms contain caffeine important?
As we have discussed, Kalms does not contain caffeine and we might even understand implicitly the reason why.
Kalms is intended to help relieve mild anxiety symptoms, stress and even can be used as a sleeping aid but remember this will actually depend on the type of Kalms you want to use or you have been using recently.
Caffeine can’t actually be an ingredient in Kalms since it is a substance that will actually stimulate your brain resulting in keeping you alert and awake while Kalms is intended to have a sedative effect that will help you feel relaxed and even help you if you suffer from insomnia.
In addition, consider that using Kalms is not recommended as a long-term treatment for anxiety, stress or insomnia because many believe kalms might be addictive.
If you keep struggling, make sure to consult your doctor for additional recommendations.
Please feel free to leave any comments or thoughts about the content of this article!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Do Kalms contain caffeine
What are the side effects of Kalms?
Some of the most common side effects of Kalms or its main active component, Valerian root include:
Headaches
Upset stomach
Thinking problems
Dry mouth
Feeling excited or uneasy
Strange dreams
Daytime drowsiness.
What do Kalms contain?
According to the patient leaflet from Kalms Day, the active substance per coaxed tablet is:
– 33.75mg of extract (as dry extract) from Valerian root (Valeriana officinalis L.) (equivalent to 135 to 167mg of Valerian root) Extraction solvent: Ethanol 60%v/v
The other ingredients are:
– Extract: Maltodextrin, Colloidal Anhydrous Silica.
– Core: Hops Extract, Acacia (Spray-dried), Icing Sugar,
– Magnesium Stearate, Maize Starch, Colloidal Anhydrous
– Silica, Sodium Starch Glycolate, Stearic Acid.
– Coating: Acacia (Spray-dried), Calcium Carbonate (Light),
– Carnauba Wax, Mastercote White SP0950G, Talc, Sucrose,
– Titanium Dioxide E171, Yellow Beeswax.
Do Kalms help you sleep?
Kalms Night Tablets are said to be helpful to promote natural sleep, leaving you feeling refreshed and energetic the morning after.
Are Kalms dangerous?
Kalms are not considered dangerous but if you have certain medical conditions such as liver
disease, refrain from taking Kalms due to the valerian.
In addition, remember that Kalms can
make you feel drowsy so avoid driving or operating any machinery since it can be potentially
dangerous.
Can Kalms reduce anxiety?
Kalms are said to be good to relieve mild anxiety symptoms.
It is considered by many a natural herbal remedy that can also help relieve periods of irritability and stress.
In addition, it is also considered a sleeping aid due to the properties of the Valerian root.
References
Petre, A. (2016, May.) What is Caffeine, and is it Good or Bad For Health?. Retrieved from healthline.com.
Ismail, A. (2012, Apr.) I can’t sleep… can you help?. Retrieved from medical-journal.com.
Patient Information Leaflet (can be found here)
Kalmsrange.com: “Kalms Night”
Everydayhealth.com: “What Is Valerian Root?”