Withdrawals

I’m not here to sugarcoat anything. I take GREAT OFFENSE if someone tells me I am misleading others about this plant. I take it PERSONAL and TO HEART, because my sole mission in writing is to clear the misconception and lies that surround Kratom, not create them.

With that said, I know mental illness when I see it. Meaning that sometimes that can come into play as well. I am not here to minimize other people’s experiences, HOWEVER; it needs to be factual and not misleading information for me to support it. I hate LIES, and any kind of falsehood that spreads from person to person that may be based on ignorance, fear, hate, or misunderstanding.

We may not have a lot of scientific data regarding withdrawals from Kratom, however; we do have thousands upon thousands of subjective experiences and testimonies of what it’s like to withdraw from Kratom, Mitragyna Speciosa. This IS what doctors go by when determining the future use of a drug or treatment.

Also, I am writing this from a subjective standpoint and from my experience, working in state hospitals and acute psych facilities, as I treated hundreds of patients ~ during my days as a Licensed Psychiatric Nurse.

Kratom IS a type of stimulant that has alkaloids, so don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can take copious amounts of it every single day …then stop abruptly, to find you have not a single negative symptom. That would be completely foolish and having no common sense in mind; for anyone of age to think this way. For people who bash Kratom saying they can’t quit because the withdrawals are so bad, how about tapering? How about not taking copious amounts of Kratom and then abruptly stopping cold turkey? How about getting to the actual root of your problem, as to why you behave the way you do when it comes to this herb; or any other thing in life that you have an unhealthy relationship with?

Most everything you ingest, in which you get into a routine of doing …becomes custom to your mind and body. After years of doing something the same way, your body and mind get ‘accustomed’ to it. They are going to react in some kind of way, if suddenly you stop doing it. It’s the way we are designed. It’s human nature.

However, some people have distorted thinking when it comes to how their bodies and minds react to something. For example, if you are taking liquid melatonin to help you sleep at night and it’s helping you, and let’s say you decide to stop ..and you cannot sleep without it, it’s because you’re no longer taking melatonin anymore. It’s not because you’re experiencing a withdrawal from it. Your symptoms have simply come back. However, if there is any science supporting melatonin producing tolerance in people, then we would have to consider otherwise ~ a physiological response.

If you’re taking Xanax every single night ..for months on end and you do not taper, but instead abruptly stop, your body will go into withdrawal. Because Xanax has a chemical makeup that creates tolerance in people, it will produce withdrawals. It has nothing to do with a person’s mental status or condition. It is simply because we are human, having a physiological makeup. Aside from this, there is risk for someone to develop a psychological addiction (also) to Xanax, which is separate from being physiologically dependent. However, this is almost everything in life. Our minds can become psychologically addicted to things, people, and places.

Please ponder the words you just read very carefully, because it’s important to understand dependency versus addiction. When it comes to anything in life, in which we may become accustomed to ..or where there is a chance of building tolerance to something, it would be wise of us to fully understand our bodies. This way, we can prevent any problems from forming or unwanted snares.

Substances that do create a tolerance will perhaps legitimately cause someone to experience a physiological response, once your body is going without. HOWEVER, your body has to ACTUALLY go without, for it to go into withdrawal. It’s pure science here, physiologically speaking. Every medication and herb has a half-life. Therefore, in order for your body to withdraw the medication or herb, it has to have started leaving your body. When people tell me they are having withdrawals in the middle of the night or a few hours after dosing, that is literally impossible because it hasn’t been long enough for you to even withdraw.

What is VERY CONCERNING though …when someone tells me this, is that something serious is going on here that needs to be addressed <<<IN MY HUMBLE OPINION>>>. Some people who have mental disorders find it difficult to have a healthy relationship with various things in life, and that goes for Kratom, perhaps. OR maybe this person is experiencing an adverse reaction to Kratom and their body chemistry doesn’t agree with it. I’m not trying to minimize this in any way, however; if someone has recently dosed and is complaining of withdrawals you literally can’t be withdrawing because the substance is still heavily in your system. Or maybe this person has an unhealthy relationship/preoccupation with it and is constantly thinking they need more, an addiction mentality.

Different people, different situations, different personalities and reasons come into play when a person doesn’t feel well. I remember reading some very bad side effects or so called withdrawals a person was having, saying they felt like bugs were crawling on them. I sincerely wonder if maybe that person has a mental disorder and experiencing hallucinations because of their mental condition. Maybe Kratom was helping to relieve symptoms of their mental disorder and now with them not taking it they’ve come back OR (this bares repeating) when someone tells me they experience withdrawals in the middle of the night ~ I think to myself that maybe Kratom isn’t a good fit for them and they’re experiencing a negative side-effect, their chemistry not agreeing perhaps. We are all different and experience various side effects, which is why we can’t all take the same things.

Or, they may be experiencing PAWS ~ Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome

HOWEVER, there is NO WAY ON EARTH I would continue to take something if a so-called withdrawal woke me up in the middle of the night. One, I don’t believe it is a withdrawal. Second, if it is that’s not normal. Third, I actually believe it to be possibly breakthrough pain? Four, a negative side effect. Five, something is wrong. If you’re taking an herb or medication and experiencing a negative side effect, don’t keep taking it. If you do, welp that’s ON YOU. Nothing is perfect. All things come with pros and cons. For millions of people, Kratom produces mainly pros, but for some ..it won’t be a good fit because that’s LIFE. But, just because a small minority may not benefit from Kratom or have negative experiences from it, that doesn’t mean it should be banned or eliminated. If that were the case, then we wouldn’t have any medication available to take. There is no such thing as a medication or herb not having possible side effects. Why would Kratom be any different.

I have a lot of pharmacology experience and studied it extensively in school and the way a medication is approved for public use is that the benefits have to outweigh the risk. In other words, the pros need to outweigh the cons for the majority. Kratom definitely fits that mold and no one can take that away from us. Even though there are some who report bad withdrawals, it IS a small fraction of people compared to the MILLIONS of Americans, who experience very little negative side effects from this plant.

But, PLEASE don’t tell me you wish you could go without taking your Kratom for a day because withdrawals are so bad. That concerns me. Get some help. That’s not normal when consuming unadulterated Kratom, Mitragyna Speciosa. Why don’t you lessen your dose and taper down a bit? If you say you have… and are experiencing such negative effects while consuming or stopping for a day, then something is WRONG. Your body chemistry doesn’t agree with it or maybe you are super sensitive to this plant, perhaps. But, it is definitely NOT right for you if you’re having this much trouble with it, imo.

Kratom is a partial agonist, same as caffeine. Before you start attacking me for downplaying possible withdrawals, please do your research and learn how uncomfortable caffeine withdrawals can be. However, it also depends on the person and the way they respond to any kind of malaise. Withdrawals may be worse or lighter for some. It’s not a small thing for some people. However, it’s not life threatening either nor is it like a withdrawal from opioids. Keep in mind though that everyone is different and responds in different ways, when they don’t feel well. My point is that anyone who’s had a negative experience with Kratom, PLEASE stop misleading people into thinking our herb is dangerous or harmful, UNLESS YOU and your health were ACTUALLY being harmed as a result from it. Was your health in actual danger because of it? Were your vital signs okay, etc. Did you have to go to the ER because of it?

If not, please stop being selfish and only thinking of YOURSELF and YOUR negative experience. For example, I was once prescribed gabapentin. It literally made me a zombie. It caused my balance to be affected and unsteadiness when walking. Dizziness and brain fog also occurred, however; I’m not going to support the elimination of it. I’m not going to speak against it as a whole, because I know it helps LOTS of people.

Btw…IF you are having withdrawals from Kratom that are worse than the ones listed or of the majority, then SOMETHING MAY BE WRONG. MEANING that either you are getting your tea from a bad vendor, who is possibly adulterating it, OR your body chemistry does not agree with the plant. So far, in recorded history ..Kratom does not produce horrific withdrawals such as the kind people experience from heroin or morphine-like substances.

We cannot know for sure the degree of severity for each person, however; for most people, withdrawals are mild. Not for all though. For some, withdrawals can be the same as a severe caffeine withdrawal. Because Kratom IS a partial agonist it CAN cause some type of withdrawals. However, they’re not dangerous, but for some people it’s not a small ordeal, by any means. Caffeine withdrawal is very uncomfortable for some depending on your sensitivity to malaise or any kind of feeling of being unwell. Some people are incredibly sensitive and cause themselves to panic or have added anxiety solely from them not feeling well. It snowballs into something worse in which they basically created themselves. It’s legitimate, same as hallucination. Suffering individuals really do hear these voices and smell things that are not actually there. It’s real for them. 💚

By the way, if you don’t like Kratom then don’t take it. If you say you cannot stop taking Kratom because you feel so awful upon stopping it’s probably because you don’t like the feeling of the symptoms that you had before taking the herb. If you really really care that much about not becoming ‘addicted’ to anything even if it is something so minimal as a weak partial agonist like Kratom, tea, or coffee, then simply do not start taking it in the first place. But, don’t make a conscious decision to start an herb in hopes of wanting to feel better then stop and complain about it. Not wanting to be dependent on something, that may produce a withdrawal is understandable but please educate yourself (first) then, before you commit to a medication or herbal routine. If you don’t, that is on you. It’s all about mental health.

With that said, please do your research before deciding to try Kratom, to see if it’s really right for YOU. If it’s not, please stop discouraging the ones who know nothing about it, who might be able to significantly change for the better ..and benefit from it. ~ Respectfully and Sincerely Forever Yours, Kami Ann Davis

Caffeine Withdrawals ~
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/caffeine-withdrawal-symptoms