I am quitting kratom/opiates for good.

[pjoey2457]

Hello, I am a 19 year old who goes to college full time, and works 30 hours a week. I have been addicted to kratom, using it daily for the past 6 months. I use anywhere from 10-20 grams of leaf a day and I have had numerous attempts at quitting. Nobody I know knows about my drug use. Not my parents, siblings, friends, or coworkers. Absolutely nobody. This is why it has been so hard for me to quit. I can't talk to anybody about it. This is exactly why I joined this forum and it is my first forum post ever. When i attempted to quit in the past, I did it cold turkey and used absolutely no drugs (not even OTC). I just flushed all of my kratom and I am extremely determined to do it this time. I want to finally move on and I had a huge realization about how much i ruined the quality of my life with this stuff. I truly want to quit and will go through any amount of pain to get to a clean lifestyle. I am extremely irresponsible when it comes to drugs and I truly want to stay away from them forever. I plan to start exercising tomorrow, when the withdrawals start. In the past, I have experienced these symptoms. Night sweats, insomnia, depression, anxiety, agitation, shaking, cravings, and an extremely strong sense of guilt of what I did with my life to get here. I am willing to face all of these, and start my life again from start. I have a good job, good friends, and a good education and have no excuse to going back after today. I just need to be able to talk to somebody about how I am doing with the withdrawals. I have gone 5 days before and thats when the withdrawals are about over. From then on it is simple will power. Does anybody have any ideas that will help me during this adjustment? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Seanjay]

What's good man,

I'm 19 and live on campus. I recently quit opiates a few months ago after a year long heroin binge. For will power I just emphasized other activities and stressed their importance to being happy.

- going to the gym everyday
- pigging out at one of the dining halls
- socializing with drug free peers (join a new club perhaps)
- 8 hours of sleep

The reason I stress food, sleep, and exercise is because it will make sure our body maintains homeostasis to the best of its ability, therefore minimizing any feelings of "need".

You got it bro.

 

[Lysis]

You know, I recently realized that I can no longer "wake up" without kratom. It just started about 2 months ago. I've been using it since July. It's really weird. It makes me happy and helps me focus for work, but now I can't start work until 1-2pm since it takes me that long to drink it.

I don't know how it ruins your life. Can you expand? I kinda equate it to drinking coffee and needing caffeine each morning. I haven't read any withdrawal issues, but I've heard that there are some.

 

[shady4091]

Hey man, I'm in a very similar situation. I'm quitting an addiction that no one knows about, so I also have no real support system other than this forum. Best of luck and if you need to talk, don't hesitate to PM me.

 

[pjoey2457]

Seanjay, congrats on getting clean. It really helps to know that you were able to get rid of a habit to that degree with exercise and basic things like social interaction. Thanks.

Lysis, at first I loved kratom because of the way it made me happy, work harder, motivated me, made me fearless, confident, energetic, and love everything about my life no matter what. I started to take more and more and began to feel ill physical effects. (Constant abdominal pain and sleepiness). Eventually it got to the point where it would only make me feel ill, not happy. I tried to stop, and the withdrawals made me feel even more sick. As my habit grew, I spent more money on it. It is embarrassing to even say how much money I spent on it. I began to feel extremely lazy and depressed even on large dozes of kratom. If I tried to take less, or stop, I would feel even more depressed. I can get through the physical part of the withdrawal, it is the mental part that really gets to me. I began to withdrawal socially, get bad grades, get angry all the time, and have a total lack of focus and concentration. The quality of my life was cut in half by this habit.

 

[Lysis]

Oh yeah, I noticed that about kratom too. For about a month, I did a second glass and it made me feel ill. It was really strange. I do about 7g, I'd say. I don't really measure. I did another 7g at night and I started to feel sick. It made me feel great at night, but the next morning I felt sick for no reason. I quit the second cup. I know how it feels. It made me feel so sick the next morning.

 

[theotherside]

As an opiate addict and as someone who has used kratom for a long amount of time, I can say that IMO kratom has much much worse w/d's than say hyrdrocodone. I use kratom for about a week(when my scripts run out) and getting off of it and back to the hydro's can be hell...causes crazy stomach cramps for me that are matched by oxy/morphine.

As for the OP I wish you the best in getting clean from opiates as I have battled them for years now. Be strong and get plenty of excercise along with a good multi-vitamin.

 

[pjoey2457]

theotherside26, I agree 100 percent. I went through both hydrocodone withdrawals and kratom withdrawals and kratom was so much worse. There are so many people that claim that kratom is not nearly addicting as opiates. Well this is totally misleading because kratom has chemicals in it that have opiate properties and properties of other drugs of sedatives. If you look up all of the different alkoids in kratom... you would not be surprised that the withdrawals are so bad. When you quit hydrocodone or oxycodone... you are only withdrawing from one drug. However, when you quit kratom, you are withdrawing from a lot of different ones because it is a plant. It is important to know that kratom is not one drug. It is a bunch of drugs in 1 plant.

Anothing thing I want to mention. The reason why I stated using kratom is because ALL of the countless websites and forums claiming that there are extremely mild withdrawals if any. So many of these posts are from people who sell kratom themselves (there are tons of vendors over the internet). I was thinking "why the hell are there so many people defending this plant so damn much??" Well thats why. They will lose business.

The most misleading thing I see on kratom-selling websites.(You are most likely to see this on an FAQ section.) It will say... Question: "Can kratom be addicting?" Answer:" Kratom is not addicting when used extremely sparingly. Like no more than twice a month." ... Using this logic, heroin is not addicting if you use it less than twice a month. No drug is.

If anybody would like to defend kratom, I question your intentions in doing so. There are so many other things that will help people get off of opiates. Maybe going to REHAB? Exercise? Making friends? . Kratom prevents so many people from recovering. That is my opinion and I respect it if you think differently.

I am just finishing day 2 of kratom withdrawal and I am currently sweating BALLS. I have used absolutely nothing to aid me except running constantly. I keep on twitching like I have tourettes syndrome.

To anybody that wants to quit opiates... don't use another drug to replace it. It won't work, trust me. You can't quit drugs by using drugs. It is counterproductive. "I quit hydrocodone with the help of a little crank, coke, crystal meth, kratom, nicotine, ativan, lorazepam, and all of the drugs in the all healing Thomas recipe.". If you need all of those drugs to quit drugs on your own. Go to rehab. Its for the best.

My grammar sucks.

Pjoey

 

[JustferFun]

theotherside26, I agree 100 percent. I went through both hydrocodone withdrawals and kratom withdrawals and kratom was so much worse. There are so many people that claim that kratom is not nearly addicting as opiates. Well this is totally misleading because kratom has chemicals in it that have opiate properties and properties of other drugs of sedatives. If you look up all of the different alkoids in kratom... you would not be surprised that the withdrawals are so bad. When you quit hydrocodone or oxycodone... you are only withdrawing from one drug. However, when you quit kratom, you are withdrawing from a lot of different ones because it is a plant. It is important to know that kratom is not one drug. It is a bunch of drugs in 1 plant.

Anothing thing I want to mention. The reason why I stated using kratom is because ALL of the countless websites and forums claiming that there are extremely mild withdrawals if any. So many of these posts are from people who sell kratom themselves (there are tons of vendors over the internet). I was thinking "why the hell are there so many people defending this plant so damn much??" Well thats why. They will lose business.

The most misleading thing I see on kratom-selling websites.(You are most likely to see this on an FAQ section.) It will say... Question: "Can kratom be addicting?" Answer:" Kratom is not addicting when used extremely sparingly. Like no more than twice a month." ... Using this logic, heroin is not addicting if you use it less than twice a month. No drug is.

If anybody would like to defend kratom, I question your intentions in doing so. There are so many other things that will help people get off of opiates. Maybe going to REHAB? Exercise? Making friends? . Kratom prevents so many people from recovering. That is my opinion and I respect it if you think differently.

I am just finishing day 2 of kratom withdrawal and I am currently sweating BALLS. I have used absolutely nothing to aid me except running constantly. I keep on twitching like I have tourettes syndrome.

To anybody that wants to quit opiates... don't use another drug to replace it. It won't work, trust me. You can't quit drugs by using drugs. It is counterproductive. "I quit hydrocodone with the help of a little crank, coke, crystal meth, kratom, nicotine, ativan, lorazepam, and all of the drugs in the all healing Thomas recipe.". If you need all of those drugs to quit drugs on your own. Go to rehab. Its for the best.

My grammar sucks.

Pjoey

Hi Joey,

I haven't gone through this, but it makes a lot of sense. I've been reading how kratom isn't very addicting, and I was very skeptical....I tried Kratom for only the second time this week. The first time, I had somewhat of an opiate tolerance, so I didn't feel much of anything. This time, I hadn't been taking any opiates, so I was surprised at how strong the effect was.

I was skeptical. I've been a long-time dabbler in the world of opiates - vicodin, percs, oxycontin, heroin - and poppy pods. I think poppy pods are possibly even more addicting than heroin as far as how quickly they can cause physical dependence. The reason is that they contain something like 30 different, active alkaloids - not only morphine but also others like codeine, thebaine, etc.

It makes sense that the reason kratom gives an opiate-like effect is because one of the major alkaloids binds to the same opiate mu receptor in the brain....Usually, when a drug binds to the same receptor as a different drug producing the same or similar effects (an agonist), the molecule that has a better physical "fit" with the receptor and/or has a stronger chemical bond with the receptor - will have a stronger effect.

So, when I felt a definite high from kratom, I just couldn't believe that it's not addictive. I'm not an expert in pharmacology, but the idea that kratom isn't addictive or is only slightly addictive, seems pretty illogical. Even if it didn't produce any physical dependence and withdrawal, the high that it gives you would easily produce psychological addiction.

One thing that I *might* disagree with you about is the subject of kratom as an opiate withdrawal aid. While kratom can be/ is addictive, I'm still open to the possibility that it might be a "better" alternative than suboxone, methadone, etc.

 

[Bojangles69]

Never realized Kratom had worse wds than hydro. I mean kratom is an extremely weak opiate by nature, and I would expect hydro to both be more powerful and harder to get off of.

Anyway, for the OP. There is absolutely no reason why you have to cold turkey off the kratom again. I don't understand why people just don't taper. Any drug that causes a physical addiction you should taper off of or at least try imo. I don't see it happening with drugs like heroin/oxies but for something as weak as kratom it should be more than plausible. Just cut down your intake, taper over a few weeks then jump off. It shouldn't be that rough if you take your time. G/luck!

 

[psychohedonist]

Never realized Kratom had worse wds than hydro. I mean kratom is an extremely weak opiate by nature, and I would expect hydro to both be more powerful and harder to get off of.

Anyway, for the OP. There is absolutely no reason why you have to cold turkey off the kratom again. I don't understand why people just don't taper. Any drug that causes a physical addiction you should taper off of or at least try imo. I don't see it happening with drugs like heroin/oxies but for something as weak as kratom it should be more than plausible. Just cut down your intake, taper over a few weeks then jump off. It shouldn't be that rough if you take your time. G/luck!

I've heard some people can taper kratom/opiates, just like some people can chip kratom/opiates.

I think this underestimates the psychological part of the addiction. Tapering is great for reducing the physical dependence in a controlled environment. But I tried tapering oxy, codeine, cigarettes, kratom, over the years, and managed once or twice to stick to the taper (and only then because my supply was short).

Once I have the DOC in my hands, and know I have more, whatever it is, there's just a part of me that says "fuck it, one last binge..."

I'm on day 10 now of no kratom, after more or less ct after a sharp reduction after my supply was running out. In the past I'd be on day 10 of a reduction and noticing my "taper" was slowly creeping up again or I'd have just given up and started bingeing again.