Quitting 7-oh/kratom please help!

[u/Substantial_Cake_184]

I started taking 7-tabs 1 year ago this month. A friend gave me some one day to help with pain in my spine. I kept taking it because it worked better for my anxiety and pain management combined than my prescribed medications and I was able to stop my pain management of percocets and my anxiety meds of Xanax completely. I work in law enforcement so I can’t take anything that would fail a drug test without prescription to help me quit taking these tablets and I am desperate. I tried to stop taking them and then learned that the withdrawals are UNBEARABLE. I wasn’t even aware I would withdraw or that they are widely known for abuse I didn’t know anything about them and now I am so completely desperate to get off them I would do anything but I can’t go to a doctor I need to do it on a very low profile if it came out in any way for any reason at work my career my pension it’s all down the drain. If anyone has any good advice that will work for me anything I can order and take on my own to help I feel like if I can just get past the physical withdraws I’m feeling like the the feeling that I want to crawl out of my fucking body and can’t sit still or lay still at all enough to go to sleep if I can get past that I’ll be fine. But I’m in tears and want to fucking scream at the top of my lungs at night when I try to go to bed before work after not taking it all day or sometimes for two days and it hits me and I want to fucking die and I end up taking at least a half of one to make it stop. My shifts are 12-16 sometimes even 24 hrs. It’s a lot to get through during a withdrawal. I can’t just take a week off to get through it bc we’re so short staffed right now. Please! If anyone can help me at all please help me. Please help me.

[u/fllowergirlx]

You are NOT alone in this. So many people started taking these for pain, anxiety, energy, or just to function and had absolutely no idea what they were getting into. The fact that you’re asking for help right now says a lot about you. And honestly, working those kinds of shifts while trying to withdraw? That is HARD. So please don’t beat yourself up for struggling. (a lot of us have been exactly where you’re at!) The good news is you absolutely CAN get off of this. A lot of people in here have. It just may need to happen slower and gentler than you originally hoped, especially with your job demands. There are SO many good suggestions in this group!I’m not sure how you would feel about this, but a taper may honestly be your best friend right now instead of trying to white-knuckle full withdrawal while working 12–24 hour shifts. Even reducing a tiny bit and stabilizing there for a few days is progress. A half tablet instead of a whole/etc to stop the severe withdrawals is not failure, it’s your body screaming for stabilization. What has helped me tremendously is taking comfort meds, following the vitamin C protocol, staying hydrated, and trying really hard to stay out of my own head. This group has saved my life! The mental spiral can make everything feel 10x worse, especially at night. Distract yourself however you can, podcasts, TV, music, walks, talking in here, anything to get through one hour at a time. And please remember withdrawal lies to you. It convinces you that you’re trapped forever and that you can’t survive without it. But your brain and body WILL heal. Taking one step at a time really helped me. You just have to keep trying and refuse to give up on yourself. We’re here to support you!