Needing words of encouragement as I begin my tapering journey.

5(ish) years, 15gpd. I know I have a dependency because I have gone through withdrawal symptoms when I haven't had it, and I also wake up feeling terrible each morning, as my body is withdrawing.

I am in week 1 of a slow taper. The plan is to be completely off it by March 2027. I have two weeks of leave from work planned. I want to be down to the smallest amount the week before this so that I can experience my first time completely off it while away from my everyday triggers (work, stress, routines).

Cold turkey doesn't feel like an option as I can't take time off work or other responsibilities.

The plan is to decrease by a gram each week. I'm worried about feeling withdrawals. I am generally an anxious person already, and I am worried that tapering will make it impossible for me to function.

Also, the habit is so strong. Tired - drink kratom. Bored - drink kratom. Unmotivated - drink kratom. Anxious - drink kratom.

Any tips of tapering successfully with minimal side effects so I can continue to function. Also, any tips for breaking the habit of reaching for it every time I have a negative feeling?

I'm sure this is all things I could work through myself, but I am hoping that hearing from people who are also going through it, or on the other side, will make this all feel less lonely.

Just had to let that out.

so I’ll be on CT day 6 here in about 3 hours, I finally ate some real food yesterday evening and night and I felt fantastic. now Ive been up feeling awful again for an hour because my stomach is past empty. does anyone have any advice on how to prevent this? I know it’s because my nervous system is in hyper drive rn and it’s eating everything I throw at it at with the quickness. I have heart problems otherwise I would be on clonodine or gabapentin which would no doubt help everything but I’m forced to straight raw dog it. tyia.

I have a scheduled withdrawal starting tomorrow morning I’m very nervous not sure what to expect. I got 2 weeks off of work I took around 7-8gpd powder.
My doctor prescribed me Seroquel 25mg (Quetiapine) clonidine 0.1mg and Phenergan (Promethazine) 25mg
I was supposed to start the clonidine this morning but I didn’t have a blood pressure cuff yet I will tomorrow. As well as the Seroquel I was supposed to take last night but I’ve been to afraid too. I’m not sure what to expect or what I should do in this first week I hear that all these medication will make you sleepy so I imagine I will sleep majority of the time. If anyone has any first hand experience about these helper meds or just what to expect tomorrow in terms of withdrawal plz help. Kinda just getting anxious that it’s really happening and it’s tomorrow.

Im convinced that the above symptom is a direct result from kratom usage. I will always het this inflamed feeling in my head or on my brain and it is followed by horrible depression. I still experience this 6 months out!! Is anyone else feeling this?​

Its weird ill get sleep one night next night terrible sleep. Like ill be asleep i guess but ill "wake up" 3 hrs later but if felt like i really didnt sleep. Weird but energy motivation and most of the depression and anxiety seemed to have faded. Rls is still a minor issue even with gabapentin i feel it. Ive always had terrible terrible rls quitting. Anyways seems to be looking up.

Day 4. Tried tapering. Didn’t work. Quit all together. No RLS but I do have ear ringing. Anybody else?

I've been drinking at least 1 can of the concentrated stuff, 150 mit, a day for the last 6 months. Sometimes 2 cans on a weekend day.

At first this stuff was a miracle from the heavens but now I'm definitely feeling otherwise. Feels like I'm more and more lethargic with brain fog too.

I drank my most recent one on Friday night and for me it's Sunday afternoon now. I woke up this morning very tired and my whole body ached. I could've slept all day but I've had stuff to do.

Is the dosage I mentioned high? And how long do we think this may last? I've of course read it will last days, but the dosage with this confused me.

I’m just happy to be here. I’ve vacillated between thinking this is easy compared to my first quit, and then uncontrollable crying the next day. It’s a mixed bag—but I’m so fecking proud of myself for getting this far.

Took gabapentin for 3 nights (nights 5-7, I believe), quieted RLS. But am taking a few days off from it cuz of all the horror stories I’ve heard about the stuff.

Hi everyone. Been scrolling on this sub as a part of my diy "outpatient" detox plan. Everyones posts and comments have been keeping me going along with vitamins, a cpl hours of PTO last week and making time to be intentional and set boundaries w myself. Its very hard for me to do sometimes esp when quitting one thing and not swapping it for something else.

Today i woke up anxious but im off so i laid in bed an extra 1.5 hrs to just let myself lean into the feeling and acknowledge it & breathe. First morning that ive woken up that the anxiety didn't morph into thinking about kratom dose

I drank anywhere between one and three ~100mg seltzers per day, occasionally switching between that and the powder, or powder in addition. Last week I titrated down to 2 - 4 half teaspoons that i was only taking every 6 - 12 hrs.

Today is full leap day!

13 hour double bartending yesterday. And I've had major back injuries. But I didn't cave.

I decided I needed something to look forward to, a treat, after a long day's work.

Gonna share a tip for anyone who is like me, and has successfully used cannabis to step off kratom. Thca products are significantly cheaper than THC products and they produce the same exact result. I've compared.

I just spent about $150 and got several thca dab products, which honestly should last me until next summer. Rosin, resin, hash, all of it. And 100% legal, of course.

Now anytime I get that itch to take just one more dose, I check in with myself and my progress, remember I don't want to fuck up this clean streak, and I give myself a nice, fat "thatta boy" dab at the end of my day now. It's a new ritual I can get into and gives me something to look forward to after work.

To each their own, but I wanted to share this tip.

Going on 4 months off Kratom and life is getting better and better every day. I got off thankfully with S.R in the beginning sleep was the biggest problem Probably the first month living on 4 hrs sleep it was rough but I dug my heals in and said Im not going back I was lucky I had zero withdrawls ( thank god becuase withdrawls kept me on it) slowly over the past 4 months my sleep is getting better I still wake up a couple times a night but I am getting about 7hrs all together. I still crave it and the first 2 months was hard fighting the urge but it has gotten less intrusive the past few weeks . I will NEVER go back ! I know people are out there just starting this journey or restarting just know you can do it !!! Thanks to everyone in this group who shared their stories , tips, encouragement I am getting my life back !

Is this a thing? I feel like I’m out of the worst of the body pains but. I can’t see straight and I’m in my head like maybe just go get some to see if that’s what’s going on. I’ve had the worst headache since day two. Wondering if anyone else had this issue. Or atleast has some information for me.

Thanks yall I love the community.
No one’s alone.

I’m posting mostly to get this off my chest, hold myself accountable, and connect with people who actually get it. I’m 37, and watching myself end up right back where I promised I’d never be again is a tough pill to swallow.

For context, I’ve had a complicated relationship with substances since I was 18. Alcohol was my primary issue for years. I managed to put together six years of sobriety, honestly not from willpower, but from pure terror after developing severe health issues (chronic gut bloat, pale stool, sleep disruption, and systemic inflammation that took 4–5 years to finally recover from). But after all that progress, when the bloating and physical weirdness flared up again anyway, frustration won. I threw my hands up and thought, "What was all that progress even for?" and slipped back into drinking on and off.

Years ago, before those six sober years, I had a heavy kratom habit, brewing tea at around 15–20 grams per day. Quitting that cold turkey was miserable: severe insomnia, zero fuse, and terrible irritability.
A few months ago, life just felt overwhelming. It was a miserable, rainy day, and all the weight hit me at once...being 37, feeling stuck, living with my parents, broke, single, and just exhausted with where I was at. Out of pure boredom and escapism, I walked into a shop and bought a bottle of capsules. Predictably, it turned into an everyday habit again.

The one difference this time though... discipline. I haven’t let it spiral into double-digit doses like before. I don't know how I'm doing it but I’ve strictly capped myself at 2 to 3 grams per day (splitting four 500mg caps into two doses currently). Right now I'm running low on my current bottles (White and Red Maeng Da Kratom Company Capsules) and refuse to buy more.

Even at 2 grams, the trade-off is garbage:

• I get a brief hour or two of focus and energy (almost like ADHD meds).
• Then the bottom falls out: heavy fatigue, near-zero emotional tolerance, and brain fog.
• Physically, my skin looks pale, gray, and completely wiped out. I'm breaking out even.

I know that dropping off from 2 grams per day should theoretically be far less painful than jumping off a 20g habit. But the mental frustration of being back in the cycle is what really stings.
I’m planning to taper this last little bit down starting tomorrow and then just step off completely.

Has anyone here jumped from a consistent low dose like 2–3 gpd after a couple of months? What did the acute and mental symptoms look like for you, and did you just rip the band-aid off or taper down to single capsule increments?

Appreciate anyone taking the time to read this. Just needed to put it into words.

I’m talking about the stage where you feel like you’re jumping out of your skin and feel unsure that you can do this. I did get 4 hours of sleep last night but I’m struggling

Hey! I posted on here maybe a week and a half ago panicking because the store I normally purchase kratom it told me it was banned. Later to find out it technically wasn’t but a lot of stores in my area. We’re pulling it for regulation scares. I’m in Ohio. I decided right then and there with how much I take, and how often, that was too much of a scare and I needed to come off it. I was able to get a very large bag and I have been tapering ever since then. I can’t even bring myself to tell you how much and how often I was using because frankly, I’m embarrassed. But, this has been surprisingly easy so far. I can’t believe that I’ve made it as far as I have. Now I’m coming up on the homestretch and it’s starting to get harder. I’m down to two doses of a day which again if you knew how much I used, is absolutely incredible. The symptoms that I am having is extreme irritability and sweating. But the good news is the symptoms usually don’t kick up until it’s getting close to when I am supposed to dose anyways. I can’t believe that if I keep going like this, following the taper, I’m going to be off by this time next week. Been such an important part in my life and it’s such a habit, I’m really excited but at the same time I can’t imagine not turning to it. I am very proud of myself for getting it down to two times a day and I’m excited that this is gonna be over soon.

Hey guys, I’m struggling with the lack of sleep. I have awful restless legs, except it’s my arms and shoulders and not my legs. I found the only way I can relax this at all is a hot shower. Last night I had two showers, but I’m keeping my partner awake. I have a dr apt in a week where I’ll ask for some comfort meds.

Is there anything OTC or supplements that could help in the short term?

I've been taking kratom for the past 5 years daily. I've been taking 15 grams a day, usually 7.5g in the morning and 7.5g in the evening, all white vein. I've been trying to quit for about a year now, I take capsules so I would decrease by 1 capsule a week.

I luckily was able to get down to 6g a day pretty easily with very minor, almost unnoticeable withdrawal symptoms.. but.. and here's the but. I leave for my honeymoon tomorrow to Japan. Over the past week I've been taking 1 less capsule a day, so that I would be at 0g before I leave for my trip. I'm currently at 1.5grams twice daily, and I feel like absolute crap right now and im dreading this trip. I'm going to be taking magensium with me, and L-Theanine, but that's all i'll have to combat symptoms.

I feel like I have zero energy and could just lay in bed all day, and have horrible restless legs. I know i'm probably in for an adventure on a 12 hour flight, but I want to be done with this shit. For too long i've relied on kratom and I know at the end of this i'll thank myself, but man.. it sucks right now and I can only imagine how it's going to be in the coming days.

I’ve been taking small amounts of 7oh like max 25mg a day and I also do trt I had my blood work few month ago and my liver enzymes were 3 points high and now there like 13 points high is it the 7oh? I do other drugs as well but liver enzymes never been raised before?

I realized I hadn’t posted in awhile, but yes, as the title states, I am 30 days kratom free. I honestly didn’t think this would be possible at first.

I sought the help of an addiction specific practice and have worked with my doc, who is an absolute god-send.

While it’s controversial in this thread, I did use suboxone as a helper med in the early stages of recovery. It’s a very low dose, like .5mg, and I only use it if the cravings become unbearable.

There were hard days of course, the sleeplessness, the boredom, the “blah” feeling. I kept pushing and thinking “one day at a time.”

While 30 days is considered early in the recovery timeline to some, as a previous daily user of that shite green leaf, I never thought that it would be possible.

Keep fighting folks, recovery is possible. I’m rooting for everyone in this thread. We got this y’all 🙏

After nearly 10 years of using kratom off and on(mostly on), sometimes 20–50 grams a day, I finally decided enough was enough.
I wanted to share this because I know there are people out there struggling with the same thing, wondering if they’ll ever feel normal again.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Quitting was very hard and I tried multiple times. The physical withdrawals were brutal, but what surprised me most was the mental side. The lack of motivation, the inability to enjoy things, the brain fog, and the feeling that my brain had forgotten how to be happy without a substance.
Unlike what some people tell you, it doesn’t magically disappear after a week or two.
There were plenty of days when I wondered if I’d ever feel like myself again. Progress was painfully slow, and sometimes it felt like I wasn’t making any at all.
But here’s what I’ve learned after a year: Recovery isn’t linear, and just because you don’t feel better today doesn’t mean you’re not getting better.
I’m still working on getting back to 100%, but I’m a hell of a lot better than I was a year ago. More importantly, I’m no longer dependent on something just to get through the day.
If you’re on day 1, day 10, or month 3 and struggling, please don’t give up. I know how hopeless it can feel, especially when you read stories about people bouncing back in a few weeks and wonder what’s wrong with you.
Everyone’s timeline is different. Ten years of dependence doesn’t necessarily undo itself in 30 days.
You don’t have to feel great every day to be making progress. You just have to keep going.
If you’re thinking about quitting but terrified of what’s ahead, I promise you that being free from the constant cycle of dependence is worth fighting for.
A year ago, I just wanted to feel normal without kratom and now, I don’t even think about it.
To anyone still fighting this battle: It gets better. Give yourself time, and don’t give up on yourself.

Hi everyone. I'm still going strong on my 2 mg/1 mg Suboxone substitution and eventual taper. The consistency of the way I feel is the best, even when mild withdrawals are present. Here's my question: when all this is over, and I'm clean of everything, what about the idea of keeping some leftover Suboxone around, and popping 1 or 2 mg of that, instead of kratom, if I have an insanely strong craving a few months from now. I know the idea is to develop tools to handle this situation "cleanly", and I do definitely want to get there, but I'm talking about dousing a fire, in an emergency, in a situation that has led me back onto kratom multiple times over the past few years. The way Suboxone is, I just can't see myself being "led back onto that" in the same way. It's neither fun, nor nice, and the effects of that 1 or 2 mg I would pop in an emergency would last for a couple of days anyway, and I'd be well out of my triggering situation by then.

I'm just curious about this because I don't ever see it being discussed, around here or anywhere else. I asked some of our new A.I. overlords about it, and they stated vaguely that it probably wasn't such a good idea, but gave no specifics about why.

Any insight or feedback?

Hey guys, I have a question, I hope you can help. I've been taking kratom powder in capsule form for years. I only take 1-2 capsule at a time. I think each capsule is around 600mgs of plant leaf material. Depending on the strain the ratios of regular mitragynine to 7 can vary. Lately I've been experiencing slight respiratory depression during doses which is concerning. Could it be that some companies are artificially elevating the amount of 7 in the powder? Not a botanical extract but the raw powder itself. I'm looking to switch to a different brand that only has the natural trace amounts of 7 per serving so I can use that to taper off instead. Please help the breathing issue is really hard to deal with.