DOSE:

oral

Kratom

(daily)

BODY WEIGHT:

150 lb

I took Kratom every day, three to four times per day, for more than six years. I kept my dosage pretty consistent at half a tablespoon in a tea. When the DEA started threatening to ban it, I decided it was time to quit. Better to deal with the withdrawal symptoms on my own terms than just find out I couldn't order it anymore, right? Keep in mind I'm not judging you. If you want to take Kratom, it's your life. I am against prohibition. Kratom saved my life. But it was time to quit - for me, at least.

The first time I tried to quit, I lasted three weeks. The first few days were absolute misery. All I could think about was making it through the next ten minutes. My body felt like it was being wrung out like a wet cloth. Every muscle was tight and painful. I couldn't think straight. And that was the easy part.

The hard part came at night. I had been so looking forward to sleeping away the symptoms all night. But sleep never came because my whole body kept having spasms and restless body syndrome all night. I got a little sleep by piling up pillows and dangling my legs off the side of the bed.

The next day the symptoms were slightly less in terms of the cravings and body-twistedness. I started to feel proud of myself. I have heard how bad opioid withdrawals can be. And, make no mistake, this is opioid withdrawal I was facing. But I kept using the 10 minute trick. I would just tell myself to make it through the next 10 minutes.

The daytime symptoms were over in a few days. Although I had some psychic symptoms for another week or two after that. But the restless body at night kept on going for three weeks.

I gave up. And I just kept drinking Kratom tea... until my supplier started having trouble with the DEA seizing orders, his credit card processor quitting on him, and so on. It's legal, but the soft tyranny of 'The Man' is real.

So, I decided to try something else. This time it worked. I ordered a last 1/2 pound. That would normally last me a month. But this time I had a plan. I went on a 'long taper.'

The first two weeks I took a normal dose. This was just a delaying tactic on my part. But that's what I did. Then I cut my dose in half. I still took Kratom every day. But I made a rule. Either I take a full dose no more than twice, or a half dose no more than four times.

This was done on my terms, my way. That alone made it more bearable. Nobody was making me quit and nobody was telling me I couldn't drink Kratom Tea. I just decided to cut back the intake.

Every two weeks after that, I cut it in half again.

Months later I was down to taking 1/8 teaspoon once per day. I know, this probably sounds silly. Why not just quit at this point? The only smaller measuring spoon I had said 'just a pinch.' So screw it, I thought. Let's go down to 'just a pinch.' I did. And then I went to no more than 2 per day. Then one. And then I was really close to being out of Kratom. I had about 2 teaspoons left after the last two weeks of one 'just a pinch' per day. So I decided to do something that might have been really stupid, or maybe not. I just put the last of my Kratom into the teapot and drank it all.

Now one thing I wanted to say about this experience is that I had all the withdrawal symptoms. But they were much, much lighter and they wore off very quickly. I had little trouble with restless legs in bed the first night or two. But I was able to fall asleep. I had a little... I don't know what to call it. Maybe it was anxiety. But I felt slightly twisted up in my body each time I cut my dose in half. But that became less and less as time went along. For example, going from half a tablespoon down to 1 teaspoon was rough the first day or two, then I felt 'normal.'

By the time I got down to 'just a pinch' I felt totally normal at all times. Kratom wasn't really doing anything for me except for psychologically at that point. I got to taste it and keep the routine.

But the day finally came, and as I said, I took my last big glass and that was it. That night I slept perfectly. Then I woke up the next morning and..... NOTHING. I didn't feel any different than I did the last few weeks. No symptoms at all were apparent except for missing the habit of making a pot of tea.

Nine months later, I have not touched a drop of Kratom. Some days I feel wound up. But I take some sleepy-time tea or, alternatively, just something with a little fizz like Dr. Pepper and I'm on about my business. But that wound-up feeling I have now is not withdrawals. It's just the same stress and anxiety I felt before I started Kratom. The interesting thing is, the years of drinking Kratom and learning to socialize and be nicer and slower to anger seem to have formed good habits in me.

Would I do anything differently if I could re-live my life? Of course. But I'm not sure drinking Kratom was a mistake, per se. I will say this, though. If you are mentally and physically fine and are just thinking of taking Kratom for fun, well then you might want to think twice.

Exp Year: 2018	ExpID: 111661
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 40
Published: Feb 22, 2018	Views: 9,536
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Kratom (203) : Addiction & Habituation (10), Retrospective / Summary (11), Not Applicable (38)