AddictRecon
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2017
- Messages
- 199
Hello everyone, I specifically created an account here to share my experience with Kratom, and having successfully quit Kratom, i thought I might share my experience with those struggling with this unique addiction. Scroll down to the bold lettering where I will detail the process of getting off Kratom if you dont want to read the entirety of this post.
Little bit of a backstory to preface what I hope will help others to break free from this.
About 3 years ago, my wife was at a smoke shop, she was asking about some herbal teas that could help her husband (me) get some rest. I had successfully defeated opiate addiction, but wasnt quite getting the rest I was accustom to before that addiction took over my life, as some of you know opiate addiction is a monster many are all too familiar with, and the withdrawal from it, which is pure hell, I dont know another way to describe it. At any rate, my wife was sold 3 very large pills of bali Kratom, and she was told it was a new, safe herbal alternative to sleeping pills, and would help me get the sleep she so desperately wanted to see me get.
My first experience with Kratom was pleasant, mild, slightly euphoric, however relatively benign in terms of addiction. I enjoyed it, but never went back looking for more.
Fast forward a year later and I was dealing with some depression after quitting smoking marijuana, I smoked about an eighth a day, and Im not proud of that, but when I quit, the depression, and physical effects took a toll on me, nothing I couldnt handle however, I was just looking for some relief. Enter the Kratom.
I picked up some Kratom, and it started with 3 grams a day, then 6, and eventually I found myself taking around 10grams on average. Kratom is hard to describe because at times its seems that tolerance doesnt really matter, but other times it does. After about two years of abusing Kratom, I was taking an ounce, or about 30grams a day. Getting off a 10gram a day kratom habit is uncomfortable, but not to bad. Getting off an ounce a day Kratom habit is another story entirely.
Once I confronted the issue of my kratom abuse, realizing that 30 grams a day was not sustainable financially, and over 40lbs of weight that I lost due to loss of appetite, people started noticing something was wrong with me, I was physically looking emaciated, and people were also growing concerned for me.
Here are the symptoms of cold turkey withdrawal from an ounce a day Kratom habit. This may not be your exact experience due to physiological differences, but I started withdrawing from an ounce a day habit at 140lbs, and I am 5'7". I need to preface this by saying I do not recommend cold turkey in this case because there is a far easier way to get off Kratom, however, if you are up to the challenge, cold turkey is far more achievable and manageable on your own than say, something like opiate withdrawal, which is a type of hell I wouldnt wish on my worst enemy.
1. First 12 hours, not too bad, you will at some point get a sudden anxiety attack, it will last for up to an hour, then slowly dissipate, after that, you will very slowly start feeling a mild opiate type withdrawal feeling, RLS, burned out nerves, stomach will feel like its starting to burn, fogginess or inability to think clearly (worst part for me personally), sweating while feeling like you are cold, all of this will feel manageable at first, but Kratom has a little surprise for heavy users. The first night you will have difficulty sleeping. Melatonin, magnesium, 5htp, and ibuprofen will help, but dont plan on getting a sound nights sleep. Hot showers will buy you some temporary relief.
2. Day two, after about 24hrs, the real effects of Kratom withdrawal begin to rear their ugly head. Everything mentioned above is magnified increasingly throughout the 2nd day and at times you will think its unbearable. Sleep on the second night is not possible, you wont get RLS quite like opiate withdrawal, but its a very similar feeling, more of just constantly trying to get comfortable and moving around alot while the nerves in your legs are burning. I describe it as your bones are trying to jump out of your skin.
3. For me, day 3 is about 1% easier than day 2, you start figuring out that you need to do to get help, how to manage the withdrawal, and you will be in neverending self battle to keep you from heading to the place where you source your kratom, its easy to get, its not terribly expensive, and within an hour taking a dose, you completely mitigate the withdrawal effects. This I do not recommend doing and Ill share why later.
4. Day 4, finally, the nerves are starting to calm down, things like hot showers, walking, cleaning, start getting your muscles into a routine, getting the blood flowing is key and brings some relief from the burning nerves in your muscles. Sleep is still not much of an option, but two or three solid hours with a dose of melatonin, supplement of magnesium and 5htp (all legal over the counter supplements) is very possible.
5. Day 5, at last, starting to really feel optimistic, things that interest you are starting to consume your thoughts more than the physical discomfort you are in, you start forgetting at times you are withdrawing from kratom and start to get motivated a bit, most of the withdrawal effects are minor enough that you can function pretty normally again. The fogginess is pretty much gone, the anxiety is barely noticeable, and sleep is starting to come in longer intervals, but may still be difficult, Ill tell you how to manage that in a moment.
From that point forward, keeping yourself busy will eventually help you to forget what you were going through and you start getting some normalcy in your life with each day that passes, and within about 10 days, you should essentially free and clear of 90-95% of the withdrawal effects, which sleep deprivation being the longest remaining effect of withdrawal.
Now for the taper method, which after foolishly getting back on Kratom, I tried with much more ease of kicking my habbit by making the withdrawal effects manageable. There will be discomfort, but it wont be anything like the cold turkey method, which could result in a nervous breakdown depending on your consumption levels at the time you quit.
Since my experience with tapering off is subjective, Ill leave it to you to decide how best to taper off. I abstained entirely for the first 24 hours, which is quite a shock to the body, but the hell of heavy kratom abuse withdrawal really begins on the 2nd day, thats where most people start getting confident only to realize it actually gets worse.
One the second day, I started by taking about 1 gram every two hours, this brought relief, mitigated most of the withdrawal effects and made it much easier to deal with. In between doses, withdrawal effects will slowly creep on you, but buy the time you are starting to feel like crap, its time to take the next low dose. What your bodily is doing is building a reverse tolerance, which takes time, and its why tapering is relatively less intense as full on cold turkey withdrawal.
Every day I started going longer between doses, from 2 hours, to 3, to 4, to 5.. Buy the time you are getting 5 hour intervals between doses, youve already gotten past the major hurdle where if you completely stopped, a full on rager type withdrawal is no longer possible, your body has built a reverse tolerance to the drug and it simply will not experience the same shock as a high dose cold turkey withdrawal.
Now my favorite part. Things you can take that are safe, over the counter, and really help to make the tapering, and even the cold turkey method more manageable. I am not a doctor and I strongly suggest you speak with your doctor, or do your homework on these over the counter supplements before taking them.
Advil... If you can take advil without reactions, the liquid caps have a dose of potassium along with the minor pain killing affects of Ibuprofen. Do not take more advil than is recommended, it wont do you any good and could increase your blood pressure, its not a comfortable thing. Speak with your doctor or follow the instructions on the packaging. If you do this properly, you will mitigate the pain to some degree, and it will be noticeable.
Magnesium Glycinate. I took magnesium Glycinate at the recommended dose just prior to bed. Magnesium is what calms your muscles, it gives you the ability to feel like your muscles are relaxed and comfortable, I dont know the science behind it, Im just giving you my personal experience with the effects.
5htp. 5htp is an over the counter precursor for serotonin production, the effects are mild, but will really help with your mood and will help combat the anxiety and depression you are going through. take recommended doses, as too much will not benefit you and will rob you of the temporary relief it can bring at the recommended dose.
Agmatine Sulfate. While taken with normal heavy Kratom use, Agmatine Sulfate, an over the counter supplement, is known within the Kratom community for 'forcing you to take lower doses'. It doesnt potentiate Kratom in my experience, but rather makes the kratom you are taking last longer in your system. Kratom users, myself included, will notice that after taking agmatine sulfate, that kratom doses are forced to go down, or with longer intervals as the kratom is more effective. I do not know the science behind it, I just know that it will automatically force you to lower doses, as too high a dose of kratom is a very disturbing feeling, you will likely puke your brains out if you dose too high.
Melatonin. Do not abuse melatonin, take it at the recommended rate so that you can enjoy the benefits of it everytime you take it. If you try to abuse it, it will simply lose its effects over time, robbing you of the value it has to offer.
Caffeine. If you are a coffee/energy drink user, wait until you are further down the road on your withdrawal/taper, it will bring anxiety in the beginning and the already difficult lethargy the kratom withdrawal will bring will make something like working very difficult. Nodding off while sitting upright is common when overdoing caffeine as the crash couples with the lethargy from kratom withdrawal, which is physically draining, you simply will not have the vigor or energy you enjoyed from the Kratom.
Daily multivitamin, I cant recommend this enough, but keep in mine you are supplementing potassium and magnesium already, so a multivitamin low in those areas is best.
I will edit this post as I have time, please leave any questions you have, and I will do my best to answer, I love all of you very much and confronting your addictions is the best decision you will ever make.
Little bit of a backstory to preface what I hope will help others to break free from this.
About 3 years ago, my wife was at a smoke shop, she was asking about some herbal teas that could help her husband (me) get some rest. I had successfully defeated opiate addiction, but wasnt quite getting the rest I was accustom to before that addiction took over my life, as some of you know opiate addiction is a monster many are all too familiar with, and the withdrawal from it, which is pure hell, I dont know another way to describe it. At any rate, my wife was sold 3 very large pills of bali Kratom, and she was told it was a new, safe herbal alternative to sleeping pills, and would help me get the sleep she so desperately wanted to see me get.
My first experience with Kratom was pleasant, mild, slightly euphoric, however relatively benign in terms of addiction. I enjoyed it, but never went back looking for more.
Fast forward a year later and I was dealing with some depression after quitting smoking marijuana, I smoked about an eighth a day, and Im not proud of that, but when I quit, the depression, and physical effects took a toll on me, nothing I couldnt handle however, I was just looking for some relief. Enter the Kratom.
I picked up some Kratom, and it started with 3 grams a day, then 6, and eventually I found myself taking around 10grams on average. Kratom is hard to describe because at times its seems that tolerance doesnt really matter, but other times it does. After about two years of abusing Kratom, I was taking an ounce, or about 30grams a day. Getting off a 10gram a day kratom habit is uncomfortable, but not to bad. Getting off an ounce a day Kratom habit is another story entirely.
Once I confronted the issue of my kratom abuse, realizing that 30 grams a day was not sustainable financially, and over 40lbs of weight that I lost due to loss of appetite, people started noticing something was wrong with me, I was physically looking emaciated, and people were also growing concerned for me.
Here are the symptoms of cold turkey withdrawal from an ounce a day Kratom habit. This may not be your exact experience due to physiological differences, but I started withdrawing from an ounce a day habit at 140lbs, and I am 5'7". I need to preface this by saying I do not recommend cold turkey in this case because there is a far easier way to get off Kratom, however, if you are up to the challenge, cold turkey is far more achievable and manageable on your own than say, something like opiate withdrawal, which is a type of hell I wouldnt wish on my worst enemy.
1. First 12 hours, not too bad, you will at some point get a sudden anxiety attack, it will last for up to an hour, then slowly dissipate, after that, you will very slowly start feeling a mild opiate type withdrawal feeling, RLS, burned out nerves, stomach will feel like its starting to burn, fogginess or inability to think clearly (worst part for me personally), sweating while feeling like you are cold, all of this will feel manageable at first, but Kratom has a little surprise for heavy users. The first night you will have difficulty sleeping. Melatonin, magnesium, 5htp, and ibuprofen will help, but dont plan on getting a sound nights sleep. Hot showers will buy you some temporary relief.
2. Day two, after about 24hrs, the real effects of Kratom withdrawal begin to rear their ugly head. Everything mentioned above is magnified increasingly throughout the 2nd day and at times you will think its unbearable. Sleep on the second night is not possible, you wont get RLS quite like opiate withdrawal, but its a very similar feeling, more of just constantly trying to get comfortable and moving around alot while the nerves in your legs are burning. I describe it as your bones are trying to jump out of your skin.
3. For me, day 3 is about 1% easier than day 2, you start figuring out that you need to do to get help, how to manage the withdrawal, and you will be in neverending self battle to keep you from heading to the place where you source your kratom, its easy to get, its not terribly expensive, and within an hour taking a dose, you completely mitigate the withdrawal effects. This I do not recommend doing and Ill share why later.
4. Day 4, finally, the nerves are starting to calm down, things like hot showers, walking, cleaning, start getting your muscles into a routine, getting the blood flowing is key and brings some relief from the burning nerves in your muscles. Sleep is still not much of an option, but two or three solid hours with a dose of melatonin, supplement of magnesium and 5htp (all legal over the counter supplements) is very possible.
5. Day 5, at last, starting to really feel optimistic, things that interest you are starting to consume your thoughts more than the physical discomfort you are in, you start forgetting at times you are withdrawing from kratom and start to get motivated a bit, most of the withdrawal effects are minor enough that you can function pretty normally again. The fogginess is pretty much gone, the anxiety is barely noticeable, and sleep is starting to come in longer intervals, but may still be difficult, Ill tell you how to manage that in a moment.
From that point forward, keeping yourself busy will eventually help you to forget what you were going through and you start getting some normalcy in your life with each day that passes, and within about 10 days, you should essentially free and clear of 90-95% of the withdrawal effects, which sleep deprivation being the longest remaining effect of withdrawal.
Now for the taper method, which after foolishly getting back on Kratom, I tried with much more ease of kicking my habbit by making the withdrawal effects manageable. There will be discomfort, but it wont be anything like the cold turkey method, which could result in a nervous breakdown depending on your consumption levels at the time you quit.
Since my experience with tapering off is subjective, Ill leave it to you to decide how best to taper off. I abstained entirely for the first 24 hours, which is quite a shock to the body, but the hell of heavy kratom abuse withdrawal really begins on the 2nd day, thats where most people start getting confident only to realize it actually gets worse.
One the second day, I started by taking about 1 gram every two hours, this brought relief, mitigated most of the withdrawal effects and made it much easier to deal with. In between doses, withdrawal effects will slowly creep on you, but buy the time you are starting to feel like crap, its time to take the next low dose. What your bodily is doing is building a reverse tolerance, which takes time, and its why tapering is relatively less intense as full on cold turkey withdrawal.
Every day I started going longer between doses, from 2 hours, to 3, to 4, to 5.. Buy the time you are getting 5 hour intervals between doses, youve already gotten past the major hurdle where if you completely stopped, a full on rager type withdrawal is no longer possible, your body has built a reverse tolerance to the drug and it simply will not experience the same shock as a high dose cold turkey withdrawal.
Now my favorite part. Things you can take that are safe, over the counter, and really help to make the tapering, and even the cold turkey method more manageable. I am not a doctor and I strongly suggest you speak with your doctor, or do your homework on these over the counter supplements before taking them.
Advil... If you can take advil without reactions, the liquid caps have a dose of potassium along with the minor pain killing affects of Ibuprofen. Do not take more advil than is recommended, it wont do you any good and could increase your blood pressure, its not a comfortable thing. Speak with your doctor or follow the instructions on the packaging. If you do this properly, you will mitigate the pain to some degree, and it will be noticeable.
Magnesium Glycinate. I took magnesium Glycinate at the recommended dose just prior to bed. Magnesium is what calms your muscles, it gives you the ability to feel like your muscles are relaxed and comfortable, I dont know the science behind it, Im just giving you my personal experience with the effects.
5htp. 5htp is an over the counter precursor for serotonin production, the effects are mild, but will really help with your mood and will help combat the anxiety and depression you are going through. take recommended doses, as too much will not benefit you and will rob you of the temporary relief it can bring at the recommended dose.
Agmatine Sulfate. While taken with normal heavy Kratom use, Agmatine Sulfate, an over the counter supplement, is known within the Kratom community for 'forcing you to take lower doses'. It doesnt potentiate Kratom in my experience, but rather makes the kratom you are taking last longer in your system. Kratom users, myself included, will notice that after taking agmatine sulfate, that kratom doses are forced to go down, or with longer intervals as the kratom is more effective. I do not know the science behind it, I just know that it will automatically force you to lower doses, as too high a dose of kratom is a very disturbing feeling, you will likely puke your brains out if you dose too high.
Melatonin. Do not abuse melatonin, take it at the recommended rate so that you can enjoy the benefits of it everytime you take it. If you try to abuse it, it will simply lose its effects over time, robbing you of the value it has to offer.
Caffeine. If you are a coffee/energy drink user, wait until you are further down the road on your withdrawal/taper, it will bring anxiety in the beginning and the already difficult lethargy the kratom withdrawal will bring will make something like working very difficult. Nodding off while sitting upright is common when overdoing caffeine as the crash couples with the lethargy from kratom withdrawal, which is physically draining, you simply will not have the vigor or energy you enjoyed from the Kratom.
Daily multivitamin, I cant recommend this enough, but keep in mine you are supplementing potassium and magnesium already, so a multivitamin low in those areas is best.
I will edit this post as I have time, please leave any questions you have, and I will do my best to answer, I love all of you very much and confronting your addictions is the best decision you will ever make.
There truly is not enough information on the negative affects of Kratom, and Im sorry Im only now posting, it took watching it almost destroy my brother to start speaking out.