Kratom is a powerful plant that grows in southeast Asia. It has gained a lot of popularity for its ability to help people manage chronic pain and for its ability to help people stop using addictive painkillers.
However, that doesn’t mean that it is without its own risks.
It’s a powerful plant, and like anything, it can cause addiction if it’s used habitually.
It is especially risky in this regard because of the way that its active components bind to certain receptors in the brain.
In this article, we’re going to talk about the reality of kratom withdrawal.
This will help you prepare for the possibility of withdrawal so that you can get through it with a minimum of discomfort.
Is Kratom Withdrawal Real?
Kratom withdrawal is certainly real. While many people will never experience it, that doesn’t mean that it’s not a risk.
It is a psychoactive plant with potent effects, and it needs to be respected as such.
This means that you shouldn’t use it all day, every day, unless you’re struggling with a serious health problem.
One can liken this to the effects of alcohol. The majority of people who consume alcohol will never have to deal with alcohol withdrawal.
Many people aren’t even aware that alcohol withdrawal is a thing, and that’s fine and dandy for them because they’ll never drink to the point of having to experience it.
However, if someone drinks alcohol every day, they’re eventually going to experience alcohol withdrawal at some point. This is even more true if they drink alcohol multiple times per day.
The same can be said about kratom. If you’re using it multiple times a day, eventually your body is going to become accustomed to it. You can read more about the effects of kratom here.
In this case, your body becomes dependent on the plant for its normal functioning.
Certain bodily processes, such as hormone and neurotransmitter production, will slack off because the kratom is mimicking these same processes.
What happens when your body becomes dependent on it is that it basically decides that it no longer needs to modulate certain activities in the brain.
When you stop taking it, your brain and body require time to restabilize and start producing the same neurotransmitters that kratom was mimicking.
This results in a number of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms as your body tries to find balance again.
In our opinion, it can be used safely. Don’t take it everyday and rotate your strains.
For example, Red bali on Monday and Green Maeng Da on Thursday and so on.
What are kratom withdrawal symptoms?
There are lots of kratom withdrawal symptoms. These can vary depending on how long you’ve been using kratom and how much you’ve used.
- Sniffling, sneezing, and watery eyes are the most common kratom withdrawal symptoms. When you start to experience these symptoms in the morning before you’ve used kratom, it’s your body letting you know that you’ve become addicted.
These symptoms are generally similar to a mild cold, which leads many people to think that it has nothing to do with the kratom.
- Shivers, chills, temperature problems. These tend to occur when people have developed a more serious addiction to kratom.
- Nausea and vomiting can sometimes occur, though generally only when people have been using massive doses of kratom for extended periods.
- A very annoying condition known as restless legs syndrome occurs. This makes you feel like your legs (or any other part of your body, especially your upper arms) are electrified or filled with snakes. You feel a constant need to move them to get rid of the feeling.
- Insomnia and sleeping problems. Since kratom is such a fantastic sleeping aide, many people find that it’s hard to get to sleep without it once they’ve stopped using it.
- Anxiety and mood problems. Many people find that they have a hard time regulating their mood when they stop using kratom. People who use kratom to manage anxiety often find that their anxiety returns with a vengeance.
- Fatigue. Kratom is a powerful stimulant and many people find that they’re faced with fatigue and lethargy once they stop using kratom. This symptom can last for several days and can be quite debilitating.
- Cravings. While kratom isn’t generally a substance that causes cravings, many people find that they crave it when they’re going through withdrawal. This makes perfect sense, since it is the best thing to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.
People who are using it to stop using drugs like heroin or morphine are pleased to find out that these symptoms are, comparatively, quite mild when compared to withdrawal to serious opiate drugs.
On the other hand, people who have never used drugs are often shocked to find out how difficult kratom withdrawal can be.
In either case, it’s important to treat the plant with respect so that you can be certain you’re not going to get caught up by withdrawal symptoms.
We advise buying Kratom from Kats Botanicals.
How long does Kratom withdrawal last?
Again, the length of kratom withdrawal depends mostly on how much you’ve been using and how long you’ve been using it for.
However, most people find that kratom withdrawal doesn’t last more than a week. Some people find that they can get through their withdrawal in as little as a couple of days.
Some people develop a condition known as post-acute withdrawal symptom, or PAWS. This is very common among people who are addicted to more serious drugs.
PAWS symptoms are generally psychological in nature, and include things like cravings or anxiety.
PAWS can last for months after you’ve stopped using a substance. Fortunately, in the case of kratom, PAWS is generally quite rare.
However, it’s still a good idea to prepare an action plan in case you get stuck with PAWS.
PAWS is usually a result of boredom or emotional instability. This happens when someone has become dependent on a substance: they struggle to fill the void once they’ve stopped using it.
Fortunately, filling your time with loving people, friends, and hobbies is a simple way to avoid getting PAWS.
Kratom Withdrawal Timeline
The kratom withdrawal timeline, again, depends on how long you’ve been using it and how much you’ve been using.
However, the symptoms tend to follow a similar timeline.
- First symptoms. These symptoms can arise as little as 4 hours after your last dose of kratom. Some people find that these symptoms don’t occur for 12-24 hours after their last dose.
For most people, the first symptoms are the eye watering, runny nose, and sneezing that often feel like a light cold. These symptoms can range from quite mild to very serious – some people report that their nose doesn’t stop running all day, or that their eyes are so watery that it’s hard to see.
Many people also start to experience fatigue at this stage. Anxiety and emotional problems may surface or emerge at any time during withdrawal. Secondary symptoms tend to emerge shortly after the first symptoms, so anywhere from 6-32 hours after your first dose. Once you’ve passed the stage of sneezing and watery eyes, you’ll enter the more difficult withdrawal symptoms.
These can include temperature problems, such as shivering or sweating, as well as nausea and vomiting. Many people struggle to sleep during this stage of withdrawal.
It’s important to note that most people don’t get to this stage unless they’re using large doses.
Tips For Quitting Kratom
There are a few things that can help you quit kratom much easier.
- Taper, taper, taper. The best thing for anyone hoping to stop any substance (be it an illegal drug, a pharmaceutical, or a natural supplement like kratom) is to taper. This means gradually reducing your dosage until your body is barely dependent on it anymore.
In the case of this substance, you want to reduce your dose enough that you don’t put yourself into withdrawal, and then keep the dose there until your body becomes accustomed to it.So, if you’re using 10 grams a day, reduce your dose by 2-3 grams for about a week. Continue reducing it until you’re only using a gram or so, then you should be able to stop with ease.
- Stay connected. Let your friends and family know what you’re going through. Having emotional and community support is very important for anyone who is trying to stop using a substance. It also makes it easier knowing that you’re not going through everything alone.
- Use online groups. There are plenty of online groups that can help you stop using kratom. One of the best resources is the subreddit r/quittingkratom, where thousands of kratom users have posted their success stories and advice when they have had to stop using the plant.
Conclusion
Kratom is a very useful and powerful medicine, but it needs to be treated as such.
You wouldn’t want to use any medicine unless you had a very good reason to, and kratom is the same.
If you go overboard with it, you may experience withdrawal. Personally, I don’t take it everyday and rotate between strains. One day I’ll take a white kratom and the other day green.
Fortunately, kratom withdrawal is nowhere near as dangerous as withdrawal from other drugs.
That doesn’t make it comfortable, though. Following the tips and tricks described at the end of this article should make it easier for you to quit taking it.
