I have only felt the need to post here once before, but I use this site as a reliable resource when researching substances. Lately, I've been delving into the world of Kratom, as work prevents me from enjoying my DOC, cannabis. After much research and combing through threads, I've found it difficult to get straight answers when discussing Kratom, mainly due to the variety of ways it effects different people. I've decided to attempt to build a set of general guidelines to help others like myself get clear answers on this elusive substance, and to help them use it in a safe manner (and a manner that will keep it legal!). Please feel free to add to this - just trying to give new users a "single-search" resource...
1) Do not purchase "Headshop" kratom. Besides the dubious quality, these brightly colored packages often have little or no information regarding strength, source, or even strain. In addition, purchasing kratom from headshops will only encourage this behavior and could lead to unwanted prohibition. Buy from reliable online sources.
2) Do not use extracts or enhanced kratom. Plain leaf is good enough, and extracts will only lead to the spiral of tolerance and addiction.
3) Find a dosage that is your "ceiling" and try not to go over. For me, the ceiling is 10 grams. I never take more than 10 grams in a day.
4) Dose once per day. Re-dosing on kratom rarely works and can lead to high tolerance and addiction. If the one dose didn't do the trick, there's always tomorrow.
5) Be extremely careful when combining kratom with other substances, particularly other CNS depressants, and especially alcohol (alcohol is a cruddy drug anyway). Enjoy the kratom for what it is.
6) Have a system for cleaning out and skirting around tolerance, and employ the system often and to the best of your ability. For example, I use the "5-day Clean-out" - 2 day taper and 3 days clean.
I hope this will help those new to kratom to have pleasant and safe experiences. It is necessary to be safe with this, because once a substance is on the DEA radar, things can go south very quickly. Please add your thoughts and additional tips for new users!
1) Do not purchase "Headshop" kratom. Besides the dubious quality, these brightly colored packages often have little or no information regarding strength, source, or even strain. In addition, purchasing kratom from headshops will only encourage this behavior and could lead to unwanted prohibition. Buy from reliable online sources.
2) Do not use extracts or enhanced kratom. Plain leaf is good enough, and extracts will only lead to the spiral of tolerance and addiction.
3) Find a dosage that is your "ceiling" and try not to go over. For me, the ceiling is 10 grams. I never take more than 10 grams in a day.
4) Dose once per day. Re-dosing on kratom rarely works and can lead to high tolerance and addiction. If the one dose didn't do the trick, there's always tomorrow.
5) Be extremely careful when combining kratom with other substances, particularly other CNS depressants, and especially alcohol (alcohol is a cruddy drug anyway). Enjoy the kratom for what it is.
6) Have a system for cleaning out and skirting around tolerance, and employ the system often and to the best of your ability. For example, I use the "5-day Clean-out" - 2 day taper and 3 days clean.
I hope this will help those new to kratom to have pleasant and safe experiences. It is necessary to be safe with this, because once a substance is on the DEA radar, things can go south very quickly. Please add your thoughts and additional tips for new users!
