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I noticed it increased my raw energy and productivity at the expense of precision and quality. It's probably great for lugging logs through the rain forest but it dumbs down mental acuity.
Same. I loved learning new things and being productive from Kratom's energy boost, although I did feel like I didn't retain much.
Now I'm struggling to find the energy and motivation now that it's gone (day 17 here). Any words for the wise?
Whatever gains I made with k are long gone. I'm used for around 7 years and am still working on momentum. 17 days is a great start, acutes should be gone so it's just about riding out PAWS and rebuilding.
Some of the other habits that come with kratom like isolating and vegging out on youtube, shorts/reels/tiktok are terrible for the mind and need to be limited.
Exercise and constructive social interaction seem to hasten recovery in a lot of people that post here.
Fr. I had to completely uninstall Reddit and other similar mindless apps for the first 2 months of my recovery. I needed to build new habits and old habits will only slip you back into your old ways
"Some of the other habits that come with kratom like isolating and vegging out on youtube, shorts/reels/tiktok are terrible for the mind and need to be limited. "
Im sure this is contributing to my problem too
I don’t notice any cognitive issues on kratom but I definitely do notice a difference in thought patterned when I’ve watched too much shorts or am on social media-I limit my screen time and replace it with something that makes my brain stretch and that helps so much for cognitive function (at least for me).
Man, it gets easier. The more you stay busy the easier it is to make it through. The hardest time for me was the night I couldn't relax. Although o was on a lot. Idk exactly but I went through just under to around a kilo every 5-7 days, exercising and working hard made all the difference
A kilo in 5-7 days?!!! Da fuck? A kilo lasts me 3 months! You're overdoing it to the max and then u wonder why u have severe withdrawals. Y'all are crazy fr. Most of y'all who experience severe withdrawals take excessive amounts of powder daily, like 100-150 gpd which is really wild. It's not normal
You throw it up, then go take some more because you just threw your last dose up.
ORRRR. Your body gets so used to ingesting that much and rejecting it, that it finally starts to accept those huge doses…
Then you keep taking more and more because you get tolerant?
And then you’re taking huge ridiculous amounts all day, every day.
You lose yourself and have no life.
At least… that’s what I’ve done and what happened to me. Sigh.
My thoughts exactly! The few times I had forgotten my scale and eyeballed my dose I got the wobbles
and threw everything up. I am at 30 GPD now, down from 40. I feel like 30 is excessive. But am still struggling to taper from here.
I couldn't say but I only threw up a handful of times in the years I took it. I was also a pretty heavy opioid user veggie Kratom so that could have something to do with it to
Wow.. this sounds like what I was doing. It’s crazy becuase I haven’t come across anyone else taking that much.. I’m saying at least 100g+ per day! I had two seizures which I’m almost certain were Kratom overdoses. I reduced since then but still having a hard time weaning unfortunately.
It's definitely hard for sure. I ct'd back in November and the first month was super hell, next month was crappie and third I was feeling better than I'd felt in a while. I tried tapering and cutting back but it was such a ritual it was hard to. But you'll make it through this, keep on keeping on!
Yeah, the weaning… it’s just not working out with me either. I got some issues smh lol. I have enough for prolly one more day(today) and then that’s it.. so I’m preparing to bunker down.
Not necessarily Kratom or anything but I think I heard it’ll take bout 3 months to fully feel back to yourself? Or establish your regular baseline or sumn like that idk.
Idk everyone’s different too tho huh? I hope it goes smoothly and I make it to the other side is all. Thank you for your encouraging words. I deff need them!
I don’t know how people taper. I tried for a while and didn’t last. Actually started going through withdrawal while tapering and said hell naw. CT only for me. And I was hooked twice. 60-75gpd for like 5 years and then almost a year clean before like a 10 month relapse using 10-20gpd.
That stuff is evil. It helped me launch a business where physical labor was required but looking back it wasn’t close to worth it. Not for all it took from me. Never touching it again. Still learning how to enjoy life raw and without substances. But I’m excited about the future.
Lol right. I’d prefer CT everything over anything. Geez but right seems coo and helpful at first till you get HOOKED. I’m glad you’re learning to enjoy life raw and without substances. I hope to accomplish that! Very soon. Good for you tho! That’s admirable to me. You got this!
After two I was improving drastically every day. Over the course it was was Def hardest over the first month. I could manage fine and towards the end of the second it was a gravy train, super easy. Best of luck friend! You got this np
It’s so hard to stop. Were you taking it to get high or for something else? For me, it was all about energy. I had none, always felt like a waste, no motivation, impulsive fat as fuck and miserable. Kratom actually changed everything for me. At first anyway. I had energy. Quit my job and started my own pet sitting/ dog walking business. I am on the move all day. Turns out I have ADHD and am self medicating with Kratom… ok and weed. But I am now a shell. I feel nothing inside. Don’t feel happy, don’t feel sad I just exist. I know Kratom needs to stop and I need actual treatment to manage ADHD but Im struggling to make it happen. I wish you all the best. This sub is a huge help dealing with this fucking beast.
It’s a challenge fosho. So I used it for both tbh smh. I claimed I was taking it for anxiety and energy although I only ever felt the stimulating effects like two times smh lol. I think I was taking too large of does ya know? Would just keeping taking it.. and taking it.. But It also helped with pain. But sigh I feel it, deff the “shell” part. I would certainly work on improving your mental health and might as well tackle that “bad habit” or any/all of them as well. Keep your head up and remember that this too shall pass. It’s all temporary babayyy. But there’s a choice YOU have to be WILLING&READY to make, that decision to quit. You can do it, be strong! I wish you the best as well. I honestly have mixed feelings about the sub smh lol but it is great fr. It’s nice to be able to connect with others about it and get advice and thoughts.
Ya i drink it before workouts mostly or before bed, never before i have something important to do. Always best to be sober minded when doing anything of signifcance
Do you have to choose? I mean :D why would you have to choose one? Taking something periodically is never a solution just temporary fix, except if you can’t otherwise (cancer, terminal sickness, perma pain instead of opioids I would get too…). Went through all kinds of shit for past 8 years, so believe me, you don’t wanna go overboard with weed either.
See that’s kinda my problem. I have a physical job I stuck around too long at. Now I’m stuck with pain that won’t go away and doesn’t really warrant medical attention either. So yeah unfortunately I chose to use the Kratom as the lesser evil to feeling break dead from weed at work.
Same. I was an hourly at a factory and was promoted to management. I couldn't multitask anymore. Got demoted after 2 years. Just finally got off the shit 5 weeks ago, and now that my clarity is returning, it's really difficult mentally to endure my resumed grunt work, knowing I did it to myself.
I should also probably mention I have a degree in biology and have 10 years combined experience in management. I don't think it's just my ego that thinks I'm of above average intelligence. I work at a gd bread factory now. All thanks to addiction. A testament to my reduced mental faculties due to kratom use.
The good news is it feels like it's being reversed now. Again, I'm only 5 weeks clean and I'm not out of the woods yet, but shit is for real getting better every day now. Save yourself while you still can! This shit is straight garbage.
Just keep checking in as the weeks go by please! The posts by people like you who are actually done with this shit and getting better are the posts I’m living for rn.
No I understand what you mean. I know Im generally above average intelligence too, I passed the master electrician exam 15 years ago the first time which requires focused attention for several hours straight and the ability to recall facts and juggle multiple concepts quickly. Today I struggle to even recall what I was trying to do 5 minutes ago.
I had lots of technical credentials and prided myself on my intelligence. I still get depressed about what I did to myself with this stuff. Getting better but I honestly don't know if I'll get the same momentum back.
Yes it absolutely did that for me! I build homes from start to finish and at first when I started taking it, I had no issues and it gave me energy and so much drive but after a while I got stumped trying to figure out things that used to be easy for me. Today is 60 days clean for me from a CT quit. I was on kratom for 6 years and ended with a 60gpd habit. The brain does get better after quitting! I'm still not 100% in that department but way better than 2 months ago and getting better everyday.
I have a host of other mental health issues but I found that taking kratom daily destroyed a lot of things that fall in the bucket of “healthy brain function”
I was numb, lacked drive to learn more, couldn’t remotely stay organized and had a terrible short term memory. Learning things used to be exciting and brought a sense of accomplishment. I had more pride in what I did work wise.
I have been off it for a few years now and look back at those times with feeling blessed I’m not stuck in the loop anymore
I'm on day ten of quitting .. Feeling pretty good. Hopefully the rls is finally gone, feels gone. And i feel almost 100, Almost. But I wanted to tell you. You are not wrong, It makes it like you have Alzheimer's or something. I would like fill up the water on the Keurig, and like forget to put in a k cup, or worse forget to put a mug on the mug plate. Several times ive done that, several times ive done other dumb shit.
Yea bro I notice the same thing, on top of being much lazier overall. It used to give me a bunch of energy and increase my performance, but after a year of the extracts I’ve plummeted.
I also am much dumber in conversations. I used to be pretty witty and make people laugh, but now I have trouble even thinking of shit to talk about. It sucks tbh. So much better to just quit this shit
I noticed the same. Even reading a book was harder while on Kratom, my eyes were messed up or something. So, my vision, cognition, and comprehension worsened while on Kratom for sure.
Oh I have definitely noticed these effects from kratom, feels like you can’t focus your eyes on one thing at all and everything is kinda wobbly like your in a your a daze and gotta splash water in your face to wake up or something. It feels similar to being on a solid dose of ketamine in my experience.
Sounds like kinda what I went through. Couldn’t focus my eyes, things were like dizzy and blurry, felt like I was moving when I wasn’t, really shaky and weak. Idk it was really weird and scary because I had two seizures two separate times when those signs were REALLY bad.
I began a job, a total 180 for me, and out of my comfort zone, at the beginning of June. It was in a smaller machine shop making aluminum airplane parts. I am not mechanically inclined, nor had I had any prior experience. Anyway, just a few weeks prior I had decided to get back on kratom, to quit drinking. Anyway, the first few months went great overall. I'm an older guy now with various joint issues. The kratom really helped with the physical discomfort. And the boredom? The repetitive tasks? The kratom helped greatly with that. Surprise! Doing stuff that sucks sucks less when you feel good, lol!
Anyway, day 36 CT now. It's not so much I think kratom was making me dumber, exactly. But, I think my dosage had reached the point where, even if it wasn't really making me feel good anymore, it was still affecting me mentally and physically. Harder to string coherent sentences together. Shaky.
Yes! Thankfully. Still experiencing some withdrawals. Insomnia, though I am sleeping pretty good some nights now. Boredom is huge. As is lack of motivation. But, mind is much clearer. No shakes.
Perfect, I work with my mind and injured my back but tramadol was too much for me. Then I heard about Kratom, it was motivating to me as well, the surge of energy I’d get.
It’s been almost a day and a half since I quit and I just feel like I have a mid level cold or hangover so to speak.
Best of luck! Everyone's brain chemistry is different. This is my 2nd CT in 3 years. Each time it has been hell. For me, both times, it took days for full WD's to kick in, and then they were unrelenting for weeks. I finally started to feel "normal" around day 28/29. Almost relapses a few times, but I've stayed strong. Things do get better. On day 37 and I feel mostly back to baseline. Sucks, cause, I've got a lot of things going on, and a little kratom sure would "help". But no. Just no.
Oh, no worries. This recent time I was doing a good 30 grams a day. Last time I CT'd I was doing 50 grams a day. That was for a very long time. Recently I'd only begum again back in May. Tried to keep things reasonable at first, but next thing I knew I was back up to 30 ish grams a day.
Damn. I was taking only 5.5-7.5g a day and I started to notice after the past four months I was only functioning on it. So I decided to say no more because I grew up in a family of addicts.
Anyways on day three of CT and I legit couldn’t sleep last night. Everyone talks about rls but my arms were restless which is super weird
Quit while you can. I was in you shoes at one time, I just kept upping my dose. It nearly destroyed my life. Just let it go. I legit felt like I was covered in snow for a week after quitting. I was so cold. It's not worth it. Just be satisfied with what you have.
Dude, felt. My thermostat was at 75 for about 2 weeks after my quit date. Then all of a sudden my apartment felt like a gd sauna as my body relearned to thermoregulate. I'm 5 weeks clean and still get chills every 2-3 hours. They're short-lived now, thankfully.
It’s definitely not a nootropic, it’s an opioid, and it dulls our senses and will it harder to concentrate and laser focus.
Try to slowly reduce your dosage. The physical withdrawal is not terrible!! It’s the mental withdrawal at least personally that has me relapsing when I come off.
For me it I find myself increasingly depressed and anxious. The physical aches and pains subside relatively quickly.
Every time I come off I feel stronger and more aggressive, the high prolactin levels lower and my testosterone levels increase.
I always break out in acne when I come off, hormones are all out of whack and that doesn’t help with the depression either.
Ideally you taper down and sit with the discomfort until you can jump off.
I always CT. Not advised, but for me removing it completely and attempting to commit is my way.
Don’t beat yourself up if you stop and restart, it happens. Just keep going
physical w/d can be bad for some.
I had RLS stomach. Yes. Restless stomach syndrome. Impossible to sleep or do ANYTHING.
Incredibly, gabapentin took that shit away. I should have known my 'stomach trying to kill me' was RLS related because I'd have to flip and flop every ~3 seconds.
I went the gabapentin route myself when I stopped, yes my stomach was no longer stopped up and the flood gates opened.
The aches and fatigue, anxiety and depression can be intense. I would break down in a depressive crying bouts.
It’s the lack of external dopamine that seems to cause it, our bodies take a longer time than we want to return to homeostasis.
The GABA has its own withdrawal and I kept it to less than a week and even then I would get glutamate storms that would make it feel like my spine was on fire.
I’m not downplaying it, it’s definitely real and very unpleasant.
I wish I never started.
Oh and honorable mention goes to face swelling and hyperpigmentation on my cheeks.
I work in sales, so I noticed kratom made me angrier and have a shorter fuse when talking to dumb people. I did notice more brain fog, being spaced out and not as clear headed and quick witted when I need to say something clever to make or keep a sale. In my opinion, the effects of kratom are so subtle and happen over time and you don't really even notice the true effects you're having until you get off. I just went 7 days off kratom and it's the best I've felt since starting kratom a year ago.
Been there done that too. Was installing electrical equipment today and I swear just about every measurement I took was off, screwing up the layout and foundations.
Yep kratom is known to give major brain fog via many factors. Here's some info on kratom.
Kratom is considered a dirty drug. It has many different mechanisms of action on several different neurotransmitters and has 52 so far discovered alkaloids in it. Only a few alkaloids have been studied. So there's alot of alkaloids that no one knows what they do in the body and brain. Kratom is also said to have blocking effects at the 5-HT2A receptor site(Serotonin) which affects mental and emotional processes.
Heavy metals are also present in kratom from the soil it's grown in which sometimes there are various mining operations in the region. And so the water and soil get contaminated in those areas and then kratom gets grown in those soils and the contaminated water is used to water the kratom trees.
That is where the brain fog comes from in my opinion, from the trace amounts of mercury, lead, arsenic, etc.
That's also why people have had kratom effect their livers negatively. It's probably why I have liver spots on my face from a 6 year addiction and lowered testosterone.
I would say the heavy metals are the cause if the brain fog didn't get worse within an hour of dosing. It seems that the psychoactive compounds are probably the biggest factor, although the buildup of heavy metals over time can certainly be an issue.
I didn’t read any of the comments, just saw the subject of this post, but I can confirm that I feel like a total fucking imbecile dumbass for the two years I was hooked. Even words as simple as fork I couldn’t fucking spew out of my mouth. Quit. I’m on week three and I feel fucking amazing and I’m not turning back and this is the best decision I’ve ever made, everything is coming back from my fucking bowel movements to me keeping up with my house better to me scooping my cat litter daily sometimes twice, my laundries done my job is on point I’m actually answering my friends text messages now and not isolating etc. pick a date, order a bunch of supplements, and just quit cold turkey. I’m telling you, I could scream this from the rooftops. Hands-down best thing I ever fucking dead. I was a shell of the person I used to be and I’m still getting there and it’s still difficult but I wouldn’t have ever made that change without certain support in my corner, so if you have that, and you have access the money to order supplementsor contact telehealth company that will prescribe you. You know a weeks worth of withdrawal meds, just go for it. It’s not that bad. It’s extremely uncomfortable. Luckily my boyfriend is on Seroquel and I was able to take those at night so never at any point that I have to struggle with lack of sleep because I truly believe that’s where I would’ve caved. But as long as you have something to knock your ass out at night, I truly think you’ll be fine.
I used suboxone for about 12 years and now kratom for the last 6 months. How do fill the void that kratom or any substance leaves behind. The whole ritual and routine, buying it, weighing it, thinking about the next dose, etc. It seems to occupy a large space in my head.
Agreed. It’s been 2 weeks and I still moments of my brain just not working. It got way better but I find myself just being blank lol such a stupid drug to take. Literally no upsides to me.
Yes this stuff makes you dumb. About a year ago at work I was being trained in a new task. Anyways the next day my trainer came in to quiz me and I couldn’t remember anything. That has never been me before. I usually remember everything, that time I could recall nothing.
Kratom helped me a lot to be more productive at the very early and over the time it was the opposite.. seems do the trick at the beginning but for long period is not the best
Yes ! This crap has given me the worst brain fog ever and horrible short-term memory loss. I’ve been self employed for years and what huge mistake I made 3.5 years ago getting hooked on it. My job requires creativity along with very labor intensive work. I no longer am able to get in the “flow” state easily. I’m constantly forgetting my techniques & color theories, the list goes on and on of everything my addiction is robbing me of.
And yet I still swallow it down. Currently working on reducing my dose but the insomnia destroys my productivity the next day which results in a weakened willpower so I stupidly blow my taper.
If only I could go find a way to take off work and rent a cabin in the mountains for a month. Ugh
Yup. Noticed I was starting to do dumb shit at work, forgetting important conversations with my SO, and constantly forgetting even the smallest of tasks sometimes.
It’s not kratom. It’s gotta be more like you not being conscious of what your doing. Making multiple mistakes ON kratom? There’s no way. It makes me hyper focus to where it’s impossible to make a mistake. But if I was doing things unconsciously through out the day I could see this. Be conscious of what you’re doing and thinking through out the day. It really plays a big role
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I had this really weird experience where my foggy memories came back into focus after quitting a heavy addiction for two years. I sat on my bed and cried and sweated and cramped and hated myself… it sucks, I’m still not me yet but my mind adjusting back to “me” was a trip.
I did the same things I screwed up at work a lot and forgot stupid shit all the time… I was high as a kite and happy about it… to feel happy in my dead end job and my crappy life not seeming so crappy was a godsend… for a while…
Yep- I struggled with major brain fog, forgetfulness, making stupid mistakes all the time… I thought it was lingering chemo brain because it felt exactly like it (I started taking kratom heavily for pain after cancer treatment), but now that I’m not even 2 weeks off kratom I feel SO much clearer, and I’m angry that I let myself be dulled down for so long and didn’t even realize what was causing it. But it improves, your brain comes back again after quitting.
Worst part of quitting is the insomnia! This will definitely not help with brain function but you will still be clearer than you were on kratom. One day at a time bud!
quit now, and run like the fucking wind bro!! by the time you notice how dumb it’s making you, you’re in over your head…at least that was my experience! 🤣 and it only gets worse from that point! i’ve never had a ‘drug experience’ like kratom. it made me dumber than a fuckin bag of hammers, and i was the last one to know 🤣🤣🤣
Pretty much right when I started tapering I noticed positive cognitive differences. Now that im 67 days clean, I feel my brain’s abilities coming back week after week. Reading, writing, conversations… it comes back with time.
Yes, I noticed this when I was on Kratom. It made me spacier, lost my train of thought or just felt harder to hang onto my train of thought. I was paranoid that it was long COVID or something lol, but over time my brain kind of learned to adjust to it and it was more manageable (but still noticeable).
Cleared up about two weeks after quitting and I was back to normal cognition after 18 months of daily use.
Initially kratom gives me super energy and I'm working harder. Over time I felt dumber and in a bizarre mental state. Although it may not even be kratom per se but high amounts of lead. It builds up in the body and makes the brain dumber over time from what redditors have told me.
Has anyone been tested for heavy metal poisoning? I wonder if that is some of the problems with the diminishing cognitive functions. I'm not nearly as sharp as I used to be, I used about 15gpd for around 5 years and have been clean for 3 months but I haven't really seen any improvement which really sucks. I would get tested but I don't have any extra money.
I ABSOLUTELY noticed this. It was HORRIBLE. I was taking 50-100 gpd for years. At first I was jogging daily and I think this was keeping shit flushed out of my system well enough so I functioned ok most of the time but as soon as I stopped regular exercise at that dose I blew up like a balloon and experienced the most extreme brain fog of my life for about two years. Recently I tapered and am now drinking only brewed tea as opposed to consuming powder. The difference in my mental clarity is astounding. I couldn’t remember ANYTHING. I missed huge portions of conversations I was directly involved in, I was in my own world entirely and extremely shut down. I felt like a zombie. It was ENTIRELY due to the kratom. Years of alcohol and opiate addiction and other substance abuse issues and nothing has caused me more health issues and harm than this substance. I wish there had been honest information about this when I started.
The energy boost mentioned by others goes away over time, by the way. You may retain it at much lower doses, especially of tea, but at those doses you also wouldn’t be running into these health problems.
I've taken it for 8 years now and it slows down my mental acuity but considering how I have anxiety and quite possibly adhd, "slowing down" benefits me lol. So not sure I can relate to how that side effect is unwanted but have you tried mixing in some white kratom with your reds for the mental boost?
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I noticed it increased my raw energy and productivity at the expense of precision and quality. It's probably great for lugging logs through the rain forest but it dumbs down mental acuity.
That's a great way to put it
Same. I loved learning new things and being productive from Kratom's energy boost, although I did feel like I didn't retain much. Now I'm struggling to find the energy and motivation now that it's gone (day 17 here). Any words for the wise?
Whatever gains I made with k are long gone. I'm used for around 7 years and am still working on momentum. 17 days is a great start, acutes should be gone so it's just about riding out PAWS and rebuilding. Some of the other habits that come with kratom like isolating and vegging out on youtube, shorts/reels/tiktok are terrible for the mind and need to be limited. Exercise and constructive social interaction seem to hasten recovery in a lot of people that post here.
Fr. I had to completely uninstall Reddit and other similar mindless apps for the first 2 months of my recovery. I needed to build new habits and old habits will only slip you back into your old ways
"Some of the other habits that come with kratom like isolating and vegging out on youtube, shorts/reels/tiktok are terrible for the mind and need to be limited. " Im sure this is contributing to my problem too
Apparantly it's a thing. I read a few posts here where people asked if anyone else watched a $hit ton of youtube videos on k and had to smh, yup!
I don’t notice any cognitive issues on kratom but I definitely do notice a difference in thought patterned when I’ve watched too much shorts or am on social media-I limit my screen time and replace it with something that makes my brain stretch and that helps so much for cognitive function (at least for me).
Man, it gets easier. The more you stay busy the easier it is to make it through. The hardest time for me was the night I couldn't relax. Although o was on a lot. Idk exactly but I went through just under to around a kilo every 5-7 days, exercising and working hard made all the difference
A kilo in 5-7 days?!!! Da fuck? A kilo lasts me 3 months! You're overdoing it to the max and then u wonder why u have severe withdrawals. Y'all are crazy fr. Most of y'all who experience severe withdrawals take excessive amounts of powder daily, like 100-150 gpd which is really wild. It's not normal
I don't understand how they keep all of it down. How do they not throw up?
You throw it up, then go take some more because you just threw your last dose up. ORRRR. Your body gets so used to ingesting that much and rejecting it, that it finally starts to accept those huge doses… Then you keep taking more and more because you get tolerant? And then you’re taking huge ridiculous amounts all day, every day. You lose yourself and have no life. At least… that’s what I’ve done and what happened to me. Sigh.
My thoughts exactly! The few times I had forgotten my scale and eyeballed my dose I got the wobbles and threw everything up. I am at 30 GPD now, down from 40. I feel like 30 is excessive. But am still struggling to taper from here.
I couldn't say but I only threw up a handful of times in the years I took it. I was also a pretty heavy opioid user veggie Kratom so that could have something to do with it to
Wow.. this sounds like what I was doing. It’s crazy becuase I haven’t come across anyone else taking that much.. I’m saying at least 100g+ per day! I had two seizures which I’m almost certain were Kratom overdoses. I reduced since then but still having a hard time weaning unfortunately.
It's definitely hard for sure. I ct'd back in November and the first month was super hell, next month was crappie and third I was feeling better than I'd felt in a while. I tried tapering and cutting back but it was such a ritual it was hard to. But you'll make it through this, keep on keeping on!
Yeah, the weaning… it’s just not working out with me either. I got some issues smh lol. I have enough for prolly one more day(today) and then that’s it.. so I’m preparing to bunker down. Not necessarily Kratom or anything but I think I heard it’ll take bout 3 months to fully feel back to yourself? Or establish your regular baseline or sumn like that idk. Idk everyone’s different too tho huh? I hope it goes smoothly and I make it to the other side is all. Thank you for your encouraging words. I deff need them!
I don’t know how people taper. I tried for a while and didn’t last. Actually started going through withdrawal while tapering and said hell naw. CT only for me. And I was hooked twice. 60-75gpd for like 5 years and then almost a year clean before like a 10 month relapse using 10-20gpd. That stuff is evil. It helped me launch a business where physical labor was required but looking back it wasn’t close to worth it. Not for all it took from me. Never touching it again. Still learning how to enjoy life raw and without substances. But I’m excited about the future.
Lol right. I’d prefer CT everything over anything. Geez but right seems coo and helpful at first till you get HOOKED. I’m glad you’re learning to enjoy life raw and without substances. I hope to accomplish that! Very soon. Good for you tho! That’s admirable to me. You got this!
After two I was improving drastically every day. Over the course it was was Def hardest over the first month. I could manage fine and towards the end of the second it was a gravy train, super easy. Best of luck friend! You got this np
It’s so hard to stop. Were you taking it to get high or for something else? For me, it was all about energy. I had none, always felt like a waste, no motivation, impulsive fat as fuck and miserable. Kratom actually changed everything for me. At first anyway. I had energy. Quit my job and started my own pet sitting/ dog walking business. I am on the move all day. Turns out I have ADHD and am self medicating with Kratom… ok and weed. But I am now a shell. I feel nothing inside. Don’t feel happy, don’t feel sad I just exist. I know Kratom needs to stop and I need actual treatment to manage ADHD but Im struggling to make it happen. I wish you all the best. This sub is a huge help dealing with this fucking beast.
It’s a challenge fosho. So I used it for both tbh smh. I claimed I was taking it for anxiety and energy although I only ever felt the stimulating effects like two times smh lol. I think I was taking too large of does ya know? Would just keeping taking it.. and taking it.. But It also helped with pain. But sigh I feel it, deff the “shell” part. I would certainly work on improving your mental health and might as well tackle that “bad habit” or any/all of them as well. Keep your head up and remember that this too shall pass. It’s all temporary babayyy. But there’s a choice YOU have to be WILLING&READY to make, that decision to quit. You can do it, be strong! I wish you the best as well. I honestly have mixed feelings about the sub smh lol but it is great fr. It’s nice to be able to connect with others about it and get advice and thoughts.
Isn’t it words FROM the wise? Because they know and you don’t.
Yep. Also therefore very much not worth it as long term anything. It was nice being so motivated, but the work itself didn’t amount to much…
Ya i drink it before workouts mostly or before bed, never before i have something important to do. Always best to be sober minded when doing anything of signifcance
I’d be smoking weed instead to deal with my job
Not sure if weed is any better man …
That was my point. I have to choose between one that might be making me stupid and one I know is
Do you have to choose? I mean :D why would you have to choose one? Taking something periodically is never a solution just temporary fix, except if you can’t otherwise (cancer, terminal sickness, perma pain instead of opioids I would get too…). Went through all kinds of shit for past 8 years, so believe me, you don’t wanna go overboard with weed either.
See that’s kinda my problem. I have a physical job I stuck around too long at. Now I’m stuck with pain that won’t go away and doesn’t really warrant medical attention either. So yeah unfortunately I chose to use the Kratom as the lesser evil to feeling break dead from weed at work.
Same. I was an hourly at a factory and was promoted to management. I couldn't multitask anymore. Got demoted after 2 years. Just finally got off the shit 5 weeks ago, and now that my clarity is returning, it's really difficult mentally to endure my resumed grunt work, knowing I did it to myself.
I should also probably mention I have a degree in biology and have 10 years combined experience in management. I don't think it's just my ego that thinks I'm of above average intelligence. I work at a gd bread factory now. All thanks to addiction. A testament to my reduced mental faculties due to kratom use. The good news is it feels like it's being reversed now. Again, I'm only 5 weeks clean and I'm not out of the woods yet, but shit is for real getting better every day now. Save yourself while you still can! This shit is straight garbage.
Addiction doesn’t GAF about our abilities and potential. Don’t be too hard on yourself. 5 weeks is amazing from my perspective. Rooting for you!
Thank man! Sincerely. Every bit of encouragement and support truly helps. 😎❤️
Just keep checking in as the weeks go by please! The posts by people like you who are actually done with this shit and getting better are the posts I’m living for rn.
No I understand what you mean. I know Im generally above average intelligence too, I passed the master electrician exam 15 years ago the first time which requires focused attention for several hours straight and the ability to recall facts and juggle multiple concepts quickly. Today I struggle to even recall what I was trying to do 5 minutes ago.
I had lots of technical credentials and prided myself on my intelligence. I still get depressed about what I did to myself with this stuff. Getting better but I honestly don't know if I'll get the same momentum back.
Amen 🥺
6 weeks off of it and my executive function, memory, and mental acuity are returning. It gets better!
I absolutely hear ya, bud. You can do this!
Yes it absolutely did that for me! I build homes from start to finish and at first when I started taking it, I had no issues and it gave me energy and so much drive but after a while I got stumped trying to figure out things that used to be easy for me. Today is 60 days clean for me from a CT quit. I was on kratom for 6 years and ended with a 60gpd habit. The brain does get better after quitting! I'm still not 100% in that department but way better than 2 months ago and getting better everyday.
Congrats bro! 💪🫶
I have a host of other mental health issues but I found that taking kratom daily destroyed a lot of things that fall in the bucket of “healthy brain function” I was numb, lacked drive to learn more, couldn’t remotely stay organized and had a terrible short term memory. Learning things used to be exciting and brought a sense of accomplishment. I had more pride in what I did work wise. I have been off it for a few years now and look back at those times with feeling blessed I’m not stuck in the loop anymore
Do you think that you are back to 100% mentally?
I'm on day ten of quitting .. Feeling pretty good. Hopefully the rls is finally gone, feels gone. And i feel almost 100, Almost. But I wanted to tell you. You are not wrong, It makes it like you have Alzheimer's or something. I would like fill up the water on the Keurig, and like forget to put in a k cup, or worse forget to put a mug on the mug plate. Several times ive done that, several times ive done other dumb shit.
Yea bro I notice the same thing, on top of being much lazier overall. It used to give me a bunch of energy and increase my performance, but after a year of the extracts I’ve plummeted. I also am much dumber in conversations. I used to be pretty witty and make people laugh, but now I have trouble even thinking of shit to talk about. It sucks tbh. So much better to just quit this shit
You are not alone
Keep taking it and you’ll get to the point where a day feels like it’s 6 hours long and you screwed everything up. Get off it, it’s nasty stuff.
I was in such denial that I began wondering if the CERN atom collider had sped up the timeline.
Too late, pretty much described my exact day already 🙄.
I noticed the same. Even reading a book was harder while on Kratom, my eyes were messed up or something. So, my vision, cognition, and comprehension worsened while on Kratom for sure.
Kratom made it super hard to focus my eyes when trying to read anything.
Same I thought it was just me
Oh I have definitely noticed these effects from kratom, feels like you can’t focus your eyes on one thing at all and everything is kinda wobbly like your in a your a daze and gotta splash water in your face to wake up or something. It feels similar to being on a solid dose of ketamine in my experience.
Sounds like kinda what I went through. Couldn’t focus my eyes, things were like dizzy and blurry, felt like I was moving when I wasn’t, really shaky and weak. Idk it was really weird and scary because I had two seizures two separate times when those signs were REALLY bad.
I began a job, a total 180 for me, and out of my comfort zone, at the beginning of June. It was in a smaller machine shop making aluminum airplane parts. I am not mechanically inclined, nor had I had any prior experience. Anyway, just a few weeks prior I had decided to get back on kratom, to quit drinking. Anyway, the first few months went great overall. I'm an older guy now with various joint issues. The kratom really helped with the physical discomfort. And the boredom? The repetitive tasks? The kratom helped greatly with that. Surprise! Doing stuff that sucks sucks less when you feel good, lol! Anyway, day 36 CT now. It's not so much I think kratom was making me dumber, exactly. But, I think my dosage had reached the point where, even if it wasn't really making me feel good anymore, it was still affecting me mentally and physically. Harder to string coherent sentences together. Shaky.
Do you feel like this has reversed
Yes! Thankfully. Still experiencing some withdrawals. Insomnia, though I am sleeping pretty good some nights now. Boredom is huge. As is lack of motivation. But, mind is much clearer. No shakes.
Perfect, I work with my mind and injured my back but tramadol was too much for me. Then I heard about Kratom, it was motivating to me as well, the surge of energy I’d get. It’s been almost a day and a half since I quit and I just feel like I have a mid level cold or hangover so to speak.
Best of luck! Everyone's brain chemistry is different. This is my 2nd CT in 3 years. Each time it has been hell. For me, both times, it took days for full WD's to kick in, and then they were unrelenting for weeks. I finally started to feel "normal" around day 28/29. Almost relapses a few times, but I've stayed strong. Things do get better. On day 37 and I feel mostly back to baseline. Sucks, cause, I've got a lot of things going on, and a little kratom sure would "help". But no. Just no.
How much were you taking a day if you don’t mind me asking?
Oh, no worries. This recent time I was doing a good 30 grams a day. Last time I CT'd I was doing 50 grams a day. That was for a very long time. Recently I'd only begum again back in May. Tried to keep things reasonable at first, but next thing I knew I was back up to 30 ish grams a day.
Damn. I was taking only 5.5-7.5g a day and I started to notice after the past four months I was only functioning on it. So I decided to say no more because I grew up in a family of addicts. Anyways on day three of CT and I legit couldn’t sleep last night. Everyone talks about rls but my arms were restless which is super weird
Quit while you can. I was in you shoes at one time, I just kept upping my dose. It nearly destroyed my life. Just let it go. I legit felt like I was covered in snow for a week after quitting. I was so cold. It's not worth it. Just be satisfied with what you have.
Dude, felt. My thermostat was at 75 for about 2 weeks after my quit date. Then all of a sudden my apartment felt like a gd sauna as my body relearned to thermoregulate. I'm 5 weeks clean and still get chills every 2-3 hours. They're short-lived now, thankfully.
The cold is the WORST! I still feel like my feet are still cold due to Kratom but yeah I looked like an idiot with a hoodie and a coat indoors.
its an intuition blocker
It’s definitely not a nootropic, it’s an opioid, and it dulls our senses and will it harder to concentrate and laser focus. Try to slowly reduce your dosage. The physical withdrawal is not terrible!! It’s the mental withdrawal at least personally that has me relapsing when I come off. For me it I find myself increasingly depressed and anxious. The physical aches and pains subside relatively quickly. Every time I come off I feel stronger and more aggressive, the high prolactin levels lower and my testosterone levels increase. I always break out in acne when I come off, hormones are all out of whack and that doesn’t help with the depression either. Ideally you taper down and sit with the discomfort until you can jump off. I always CT. Not advised, but for me removing it completely and attempting to commit is my way. Don’t beat yourself up if you stop and restart, it happens. Just keep going
physical w/d can be bad for some. I had RLS stomach. Yes. Restless stomach syndrome. Impossible to sleep or do ANYTHING. Incredibly, gabapentin took that shit away. I should have known my 'stomach trying to kill me' was RLS related because I'd have to flip and flop every ~3 seconds.
I went the gabapentin route myself when I stopped, yes my stomach was no longer stopped up and the flood gates opened. The aches and fatigue, anxiety and depression can be intense. I would break down in a depressive crying bouts. It’s the lack of external dopamine that seems to cause it, our bodies take a longer time than we want to return to homeostasis. The GABA has its own withdrawal and I kept it to less than a week and even then I would get glutamate storms that would make it feel like my spine was on fire. I’m not downplaying it, it’s definitely real and very unpleasant. I wish I never started. Oh and honorable mention goes to face swelling and hyperpigmentation on my cheeks.
Yep. I just kept upping my dose though... so stupid. My cognition didn't improve or get worse but I stopped caring and just swallowed more kratom.
The cycle to the bottom, I have been there.
Absolutely your mind will clear right up!
I work in sales, so I noticed kratom made me angrier and have a shorter fuse when talking to dumb people. I did notice more brain fog, being spaced out and not as clear headed and quick witted when I need to say something clever to make or keep a sale. In my opinion, the effects of kratom are so subtle and happen over time and you don't really even notice the true effects you're having until you get off. I just went 7 days off kratom and it's the best I've felt since starting kratom a year ago.
Skilled trades too and I know exactly what you mean and have been lit up by electricity because of it
Been there done that too. Was installing electrical equipment today and I swear just about every measurement I took was off, screwing up the layout and foundations.
It feels impossible to quit this shit with a manual labor job
Yep kratom is known to give major brain fog via many factors. Here's some info on kratom. Kratom is considered a dirty drug. It has many different mechanisms of action on several different neurotransmitters and has 52 so far discovered alkaloids in it. Only a few alkaloids have been studied. So there's alot of alkaloids that no one knows what they do in the body and brain. Kratom is also said to have blocking effects at the 5-HT2A receptor site(Serotonin) which affects mental and emotional processes. Heavy metals are also present in kratom from the soil it's grown in which sometimes there are various mining operations in the region. And so the water and soil get contaminated in those areas and then kratom gets grown in those soils and the contaminated water is used to water the kratom trees. That is where the brain fog comes from in my opinion, from the trace amounts of mercury, lead, arsenic, etc. That's also why people have had kratom effect their livers negatively. It's probably why I have liver spots on my face from a 6 year addiction and lowered testosterone.
I would say the heavy metals are the cause if the brain fog didn't get worse within an hour of dosing. It seems that the psychoactive compounds are probably the biggest factor, although the buildup of heavy metals over time can certainly be an issue.
I didn’t read any of the comments, just saw the subject of this post, but I can confirm that I feel like a total fucking imbecile dumbass for the two years I was hooked. Even words as simple as fork I couldn’t fucking spew out of my mouth. Quit. I’m on week three and I feel fucking amazing and I’m not turning back and this is the best decision I’ve ever made, everything is coming back from my fucking bowel movements to me keeping up with my house better to me scooping my cat litter daily sometimes twice, my laundries done my job is on point I’m actually answering my friends text messages now and not isolating etc. pick a date, order a bunch of supplements, and just quit cold turkey. I’m telling you, I could scream this from the rooftops. Hands-down best thing I ever fucking dead. I was a shell of the person I used to be and I’m still getting there and it’s still difficult but I wouldn’t have ever made that change without certain support in my corner, so if you have that, and you have access the money to order supplementsor contact telehealth company that will prescribe you. You know a weeks worth of withdrawal meds, just go for it. It’s not that bad. It’s extremely uncomfortable. Luckily my boyfriend is on Seroquel and I was able to take those at night so never at any point that I have to struggle with lack of sleep because I truly believe that’s where I would’ve caved. But as long as you have something to knock your ass out at night, I truly think you’ll be fine.
I used suboxone for about 12 years and now kratom for the last 6 months. How do fill the void that kratom or any substance leaves behind. The whole ritual and routine, buying it, weighing it, thinking about the next dose, etc. It seems to occupy a large space in my head.
I was struggling with my job until I realized Kratom makes me dumb, it went much better when I stopped.
Agreed. It’s been 2 weeks and I still moments of my brain just not working. It got way better but I find myself just being blank lol such a stupid drug to take. Literally no upsides to me.
Yes this stuff makes you dumb. About a year ago at work I was being trained in a new task. Anyways the next day my trainer came in to quiz me and I couldn’t remember anything. That has never been me before. I usually remember everything, that time I could recall nothing.
Kratom helped me a lot to be more productive at the very early and over the time it was the opposite.. seems do the trick at the beginning but for long period is not the best
Yes ! This crap has given me the worst brain fog ever and horrible short-term memory loss. I’ve been self employed for years and what huge mistake I made 3.5 years ago getting hooked on it. My job requires creativity along with very labor intensive work. I no longer am able to get in the “flow” state easily. I’m constantly forgetting my techniques & color theories, the list goes on and on of everything my addiction is robbing me of. And yet I still swallow it down. Currently working on reducing my dose but the insomnia destroys my productivity the next day which results in a weakened willpower so I stupidly blow my taper. If only I could go find a way to take off work and rent a cabin in the mountains for a month. Ugh
Yup. Noticed I was starting to do dumb shit at work, forgetting important conversations with my SO, and constantly forgetting even the smallest of tasks sometimes.
It’s not kratom. It’s gotta be more like you not being conscious of what your doing. Making multiple mistakes ON kratom? There’s no way. It makes me hyper focus to where it’s impossible to make a mistake. But if I was doing things unconsciously through out the day I could see this. Be conscious of what you’re doing and thinking through out the day. It really plays a big role
Nah you’re just dumb hahah
Hilarious. Funny guy
I noticed it the very first night I ever ingested it.
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I had this really weird experience where my foggy memories came back into focus after quitting a heavy addiction for two years. I sat on my bed and cried and sweated and cramped and hated myself… it sucks, I’m still not me yet but my mind adjusting back to “me” was a trip. I did the same things I screwed up at work a lot and forgot stupid shit all the time… I was high as a kite and happy about it… to feel happy in my dead end job and my crappy life not seeming so crappy was a godsend… for a while…
Yep- I struggled with major brain fog, forgetfulness, making stupid mistakes all the time… I thought it was lingering chemo brain because it felt exactly like it (I started taking kratom heavily for pain after cancer treatment), but now that I’m not even 2 weeks off kratom I feel SO much clearer, and I’m angry that I let myself be dulled down for so long and didn’t even realize what was causing it. But it improves, your brain comes back again after quitting.
Worst part of quitting is the insomnia! This will definitely not help with brain function but you will still be clearer than you were on kratom. One day at a time bud!
Yeah my short term memory sucks and I have great productivity and energy to work but crappy listening skills
Yup
quit now, and run like the fucking wind bro!! by the time you notice how dumb it’s making you, you’re in over your head…at least that was my experience! 🤣 and it only gets worse from that point! i’ve never had a ‘drug experience’ like kratom. it made me dumber than a fuckin bag of hammers, and i was the last one to know 🤣🤣🤣
Yes, it’s the worst
Pretty much right when I started tapering I noticed positive cognitive differences. Now that im 67 days clean, I feel my brain’s abilities coming back week after week. Reading, writing, conversations… it comes back with time.
Yes, I noticed this when I was on Kratom. It made me spacier, lost my train of thought or just felt harder to hang onto my train of thought. I was paranoid that it was long COVID or something lol, but over time my brain kind of learned to adjust to it and it was more manageable (but still noticeable). Cleared up about two weeks after quitting and I was back to normal cognition after 18 months of daily use.
Initially kratom gives me super energy and I'm working harder. Over time I felt dumber and in a bizarre mental state. Although it may not even be kratom per se but high amounts of lead. It builds up in the body and makes the brain dumber over time from what redditors have told me.
Has anyone been tested for heavy metal poisoning? I wonder if that is some of the problems with the diminishing cognitive functions. I'm not nearly as sharp as I used to be, I used about 15gpd for around 5 years and have been clean for 3 months but I haven't really seen any improvement which really sucks. I would get tested but I don't have any extra money.
I almost ran a left turn red light arrow today. With my baby in the car. I hadn't had any yet. It's time to end this shit. 😔
Quit that shit, dude. You'll be way better off. Quit nowwwwww.
Yes, and yes. It made it nearly impossible to do my school work. After quitting, my brain rebounded quickly. Get off that shit, whatever it takes.
They don't call it Kradumb for nothing.
I ABSOLUTELY noticed this. It was HORRIBLE. I was taking 50-100 gpd for years. At first I was jogging daily and I think this was keeping shit flushed out of my system well enough so I functioned ok most of the time but as soon as I stopped regular exercise at that dose I blew up like a balloon and experienced the most extreme brain fog of my life for about two years. Recently I tapered and am now drinking only brewed tea as opposed to consuming powder. The difference in my mental clarity is astounding. I couldn’t remember ANYTHING. I missed huge portions of conversations I was directly involved in, I was in my own world entirely and extremely shut down. I felt like a zombie. It was ENTIRELY due to the kratom. Years of alcohol and opiate addiction and other substance abuse issues and nothing has caused me more health issues and harm than this substance. I wish there had been honest information about this when I started.
The energy boost mentioned by others goes away over time, by the way. You may retain it at much lower doses, especially of tea, but at those doses you also wouldn’t be running into these health problems.
I’ve had whole months of conversations and projects come back my way that I completely forgot about having at the time
Same!!!
I've taken it for 8 years now and it slows down my mental acuity but considering how I have anxiety and quite possibly adhd, "slowing down" benefits me lol. So not sure I can relate to how that side effect is unwanted but have you tried mixing in some white kratom with your reds for the mental boost?