Kratom Withdrawls

[Theist]

I've been on about a 30-50 gram a day kratom habit that i'm sick of and ready to stop.

Please keep in mind that I was a heroin junkie for 5 years and the withdrawals off that were not this bad... However, I was smoking incredible amounts of pot at the time which surely helped. This time I can't smoke pot so i'm going absolutely cold.

I decided to go cold turkey and i'm regretting it heavily...


On Thursday I screamed and cried and shook with RLS all fucking day in bed, and even when i ended up taking 8 grams after i couldn't take it anymore it didn't seem to help? weird... The body pain is unreal...

then the next morning (Friday) I woke up losing my shit and heavy RLS again so i took a little bit, like 4 grams and was able to fall back asleep for half the day. body pain still unreal.

Saturday (today) I have taken absolutely nothing... I feel like absolute shit. I feel better when i leave the house and go do stuff but I get exhausted immediately and it becomes a burden. body pain STILL terrible.

So any advice on this? I have to work on Wednesday (it's saturday)... I took monday and Tuesday off to hopefully get this shit out of my system by then.

 

[Mafioso]

Your going through the worst of it right now, especially the physical symptoms. Things like the RLS and angry bowels should pass by week 2-3 even with the worst opioid withdrawals, usually closer to 1-2 weeks.

I hate to say it, but 1 week might not be enough time depending on your job and how demanding it is. You might have to go back to work saying you are sick and maybe work half a day and take the rest off sick... or push through the work day as best as you can. I've had to do something similar in the past when coming off oxy while working a construction job in the summer heat. Was in and out of the bathroom all day and then took off around lunch time when I could barely lift my legs and was feeling like I was about to pass out. The rest of the week was pretty terrible but I made it through.

I feel like pushing yourself even if it's doing simple stuff like going on a walk helps a lot with the RLS. Even though your legs probably burn just laying there, if you push yourself they usually feel better for a while after ime. Helps with sleeping too.

Are you able to eat at all?

 

[Theist]

Your going through the worst of it right now, especially the physical symptoms. Things like the RLS and angry bowels should pass by week 2-3 even with the worst opioid withdrawals, usually closer to 1-2 weeks.

I hate to say it, but 1 week might not be enough time depending on your job and how demanding it is. You might have to go back to work saying you are sick and maybe work half a day and take the rest off sick... or push through the work day as best as you can. I've had to do something similar in the past when coming off oxy while working a construction job in the summer heat. Was in and out of the bathroom all day and then took off around lunch time when I could barely lift my legs and was feeling like I was about to pass out. The rest of the week was pretty terrible but I made it through.

My job is physically demanding. I don't sit down one time during a 10 hour shift....

I feel like pushing yourself even if it's doing simple stuff like going on a walk helps a lot with the RLS. Even though your legs probably burn just laying there, if you push yourself they usually feel better for a while after ime. Helps with sleeping too.

Are you able to eat at all?

Damn that's horrifying. I started on Thursday and Have to start work again on Wednesday. you're saying it could last up to 3 weeks, I can't take that much time off work, i can't afford it. I would have to start using again and try to slowly taper rather than go cold turkey like i am. I'm feeling a bit better every day but i'm still taking some kratom at night for the RLS because otherwise i'm not sleeping... The 2 nights i didn't take kratom i took 3 clonopin and 1 trazadone and NOTHING happened... i laid there awake all night. So right now i'm trying to just take kratom at bed time and no other time at all and hoping my body starts to realize it's not going to get it during the day and get used to that.

I'm able to eat okay, more than I thought I would. and yeah i'm trying to take drives and walks to keep me occupied.

 

[FlawedByDesign]

I’ve been on and off similar amounts of Kratom for years and while you won’t be 100% after a week I’m usually ok to work after 5 days. Now if I don’t have something to help with insomnia then it definitely could take a couple weeks. I usually buy a small amount of phenibut, never more than 20 grams and never take it more than 3 nights in a row. Being well rested cuts my recovery time in half. I would also recommend Cordyalis extract or L-THP which has been used for hundreds of years by the Chinese for opioid withdrawals. Sources for it (L-thp) seem to be hit or miss but when it works it’s good for back ache and works well in combination with a light sedative for insomnia.

 

[FlawedByDesign]

Forgot to mention Hirsuta which I personally have not used but is being offered by a reputable vendor and is touted as a good replacement to taper with. Similar to stem and vein powder.

 

[Mafioso]

Damn that's horrifying. I started on Thursday and Have to start work again on Wednesday. you're saying it could last up to 3 weeks, I can't take that much time off work, i can't afford it. I would have to start using again and try to slowly taper rather than go cold turkey like i am. I'm feeling a bit better every day but i'm still taking some kratom at night for the RLS because otherwise i'm not sleeping... The 2 nights i didn't take kratom i took 3 clonopin and 1 trazadone and NOTHING happened... i laid there awake all night. So right now i'm trying to just take kratom at bed time and no other time at all and hoping my body starts to realize it's not going to get it during the day and get used to that.

I'm able to eat okay, more than I thought I would. and yeah i'm trying to take drives and walks to keep me occupied.

Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. I probably should have been a little more specific when I say up to 3 weeks... it won't be at the same intensity in week 2 or 3 as it was in week 1, if the symptoms are lingering. Like in week 1 it's pretty hard to do anything, week 2 it gets a lot easier but still can be difficult. Chances are if the symptoms are lingering into week 3 or beyond, they will be fairly minute. Also, probably will be symptoms more like diarrhea, or emotional trouble like anxiety or depression. I haven't really heard of RLS lingering much past the first week or two.

 

[Theist]

Thanks a lot, I think i may be SOL on all that stuff since i'm already this far in, so buying and waiting for shipping would be almost the end of the week which will be the end of week 1 of withdrawls...
However i have a bottle of 30 ambiens that i plan to try now since the clonopin ive been using at night doesn't seem to be cutting it.

 

[Mafioso]

immodium can help with some of the stomach problems and might relieve some of the other withdrawal symptoms.

Be careful with the sleeping meds. Some people react strangely to them and do weird shit like sleep walking.

Hope you start feeling better soon. Let us know how things are going.

 

[Theist]

Yeah the sleeping meds are what i'm worried about because i've heard the horror stories.. especially about ambien. I got this script over a year ago and was too scared to use it. If I use it i'm having my girlfriend hide my car keys n shit so nothing crazy happens like ive heard people crashing cars or even committing crimes which is the last thing i need lol.


UPDATE: I'm down to only taking kratom at night, about 8 grams, from taking roughly 30 a day throughout the day. So the days are brutal and i get some sweet relief at night to help me sleep (kind of).

I'm hoping my body and brain learns that it's only going to get it at night for right now and i start to feel normal during the day. Then I can slowly taper off the kratom at night and replace it with mild sleeping pills or just sweat through it again. Not sure what the right move is. But i start work in 2 days and im freaking out a little that i'll have to use to get through the 10 hour works shifts on my feet.

 

[Xorkoth]

I was on that amount of kratom for 7 years, in the past. The RLS of kratom withdrawals is absolute hell, worse than any other opiate (though other aspects of it are not as bad, but for me RLS is the worst fucking feeling, I am prone to it anyway). I would scream and thrash all night and literally punch my legs as hard as possible until they would go numb just for a few seconds of relief. It sucks bad, but it will pass. This is only temporary, just remember that.

Reducing rather than abruptly stopping helps. If you can maintain on a much lower dose for a while, the withdrawals will not be as bad, though you'll have to experience them to some extent. For me, I never had the discipline to taper but it's possible to do.

 

[falsifiedhypothesi]

Tapering is the best way to do it. I've been tapering for about a week trying to come off of my 30-40 gram a day habit and right now i think i'm at around 25 grams a day. I like slow tapers, they are not harsh at all and there is only very minimal withdrawals and it's usually just soft withdrawals for 30min after waking up and before my next dose.

 

[Whoisthisis]

My husband used this stuff to kick opiates. He started about a month ago. He started with about 30 to 50 grams a day then as of yesterday was down to about 10 or 15. Today is day one of cold turkey for him how long can he expect to be sick. He is drinking lots of fluid, taking his vitamins and starting tomorrow will be giving himself b12 shots in the am and a over the counter sleep aid at night. I make him smoothies packed full of Omega3 calcium and protein. His attitude is good but he is still scared. He thinks it will last a long time

 

[Xorkoth]

If he got fully past whatever other opiate dependence with it, and is only addicted to kratom now, it will last 5 days, maybe up to 7. After that he will almost certain experience PAWS (post acute withdrawal syndrome), as most everyone does after a long stint on opiates, during which he will not feel quite right. PAWS can last not long or a long time, it depends mostly on a few things: exercise every day, eating well, and most importantly (or equally important as exercise), making changes to his life so he doesn't still have a big hole where opiates were, or doesn't still have to self-medicate whatever pain caused him to get addicted in the first place (occasionally people get addicted to things without there being an underlying reason but it's not common). He'll have to think about what is causing him pain and work to remove that from his life, and try to fill the gap with things that make him feel happy and inspired. Otherwise it's going to be a long struggle to not give in to cravings.

But yeah the acute withdrawal period of kratom is among the shortest of all opioids.

And I can't stress enough the importance of exercise, especially after acute withdrawal. It will help his body to normalize his natural reward system that opiate dependence messes up, by producing endorphins which are the body's natural opiates. Getting in shape and exercising every day helps with every aspect of the process.