Detox Kratom detox - Need support, please!

[touchdown]

Here is some backround one me. I had 3 heroin addiction runs for 6 years and went to rehab twice with a detox as well. My last run with heroin was 10 months ago. I have been clean from it since then.

But i started using Kratom in April. I have been on it since, every day. I take A LOT since i have an opiate tolerance. I use about 30-40 grams a day. It is destroying my life, people. I am unemployed, live at home, and all the money i can get is going toward it. I was SO HAPPY when they were going to ban it in October. I went almost 3 days without it. The withdrawal WAS NOT that bad! I had a tough time sleeping the first night, i was tossing and turning all night. The second night wasn't as bad.

The withdrawal was nothing compared to the IV heroin habit, but the FEAR of withdrawal is the worst part. I wake up every day feeling like crap, nose running and teary eyes. I also struggle with depression, and kratom makes me happy. So i am scared of the physical part, but much more the mental part. I have tried quitting so many times.

I will document my detox. I start tomorrow. I ask people here that have quit kratom (or are trying to) to post their experience, strength, and hope. Please tell me how the withdrawal isn't bad and nothing compared to real opiates. I really psych myself out reading about peoples problems with the detox. I know i will likely feel like sh!t for a few days.

I am trying to get my life back. I am going to th gym again with my friend, which REALLY helps. We got a few times a week. I am trying to get a job, being unemployed is very depressing. The worst part is that i can't tell anyone in my life about it. So hearing back from people here will really help.

Thanks for any support you can give me. Going through this alone without anybody knowing is a terrible feeling and is part of the reason i have failed in the past.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Hello touchdown!

Please check out the Sober Living Directory for links to other recovery journals people have made documenting their experiences detoxing from kratom. Here are a few examples (some of these document how people used kratom to come off other opioids or maintain sobriety from their opioid of choice as well):

• http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/804747-My-last-Day-1-(Recovery-Journal)
• http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/712003-Using-kratom-to-get-off-methadone
• http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/627141-Kratom-Addiction-Need-Help-After-Withdrawals-Are-Over

What you are doing already for yourself like going to the gym and looking for work are some great first steps. I could suggest also looking into volunteer work. Find something you enjoy and then find an organization you can convince to give you some part time volunteer work - if you like animals, look into getting some volunteer work at a local no-kill shelter (they'd love to have you, and working with animals is super therapeutic; if working with those who are going through hard times suits your fancy, look for a local soup kitchen to volunteer at, many people find this work extremely rewards).

When it comes to detoxing, keeping your eye on your diet is also very important. Sticking to healthy, regular meals is key, just as avoiding caffeine in large amounts or after 12:00 noon and avoiding extremely sugary or fattening stuff are. What is your diet normally like.

Also take a good look at your sleep schedule and sleep hygiene. This is probably the hardest part most people struggle with during withdrawal, the way it will disrupt normal sleep patterns. There are many things you can do to help your circadian rhythm get back to a more balanced state, such as continuing to engage in or begin to develop a habit of healthier sleep hygiene practices. Just don't expect your sleep to improve overnight - one of the best things I did for myself when I was recently detoxing last year was to first develop healthy sleep hygiene practices and then to get comfortable with the fact I was going to experience some degree of insomnia for a while - and finding things to do when I couldn't sleep that were healthy, constructive and fulfilling (like writing at night, going on night adventure hikes, etc).

Finally, comfort meds! Do you have anything in the way of medication or the like that you will be able to use to facilitate a successful detox? Gabapentin and clonidine, two medications that are safe and easy to use - and the most basic standard of case for treating opioid type detoxes. Also a longer acting benzodiazepine like diazepam is a good idea to use you a week or two, or if you can't get that clonazepam, lorazepam or temazepam (you will only need one benzo, and you shouldn't be taking it more than twice a day at the equivalent of 10-5mg of diazepam doses; temazepam should only be used at night for sleep). Really though, gabapenin and clonidine are probably the most useful.

Are you currently working with a doctor? Look into getting prescribed an antidepressant can also be very useful in withdrawal, but isn't generally as necessary as the above medications (unless you have a history of struggling with depression). Getting a physical, perhaps right after you're finished with the acute detox (so say, waiting two weeks since your last use) is also a great way to get motivated about maintaining wellness and health.

Best of luck!