” Some words have been changed from the original writing so the article will comply with FDA requirements”
This article was written by Matt Finch from Opiate Addiction Support on January 7, 2015
In this article, I’m going to teach you how to use kratom for opiate withdrawal. When it comes to withdrawal remedies, kratom is one of the best-kept secrets there is. I went through opiate withdrawal many times over the span of a few years, and I never once heard of kratom.
It wasn’t until I cleaned up and became a Substance Abuse Counselor at an Opiate Treatment Program that I finally learned about kratom for opiate withdrawal from a patient of mine that had used it to get off methadone in the past.
I started researching it, and the things I learned blew my mind.
Here was a beautiful tree (member of the coffee family) that was not regulated by the Drug Enforcement Agency in the United States (making it legal), which had mu-opioid agonist qualities (like morphine), that could without a doubt help anyone ease their opiate withdrawal symptoms naturally.
Table of Contents
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- 0.1 How Kratom Works for Opiate Withdrawal
- 0.2 My Experience with Kratom
- 0.3 Best Kratom for Opiate Withdrawal
- 0.4 How Much Kratom to Take for Opiate Withdrawal
- 0.5 How to Use Kratom for Opiate Withdrawal: Your 4-Step Success Plan
- 1 Step 1: Go Shopping
- 2 Step 2: Stop taking Opiates
- 3 Step 3: Use an Opiate Withdrawal Supplement and Kratom for Opiate Withdrawal
- 4 Step 4: Stay Clean!
How Kratom Works for Opiate Withdrawal
This evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia is not an opiate.
Kratom, simply put, is an opioid agonist. This is just a fancy term meaning that it mimics the effects of opioid drugs such as heroin, morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone etc.
You’ve probably heard of the medications Suboxone, Subutex, and methadone. These are also opioid agonists, and they tend to eliminate opiate withdrawal symptoms and cravings especially well.
The only problem is that many individuals are now stuck on these powerful medications, due to them being a lot harder to come off than one might think.
Mitragynine, the major alkaloid in kratom, is a partial opioid agonist producing similar effects to morphine.
An interesting minor alkaloid of kratom, 7-hyrdoxymitragynine, has been reported to be more potent than morphine. Both kratom alkaloids activate supraspinal mu- and delta- opioid receptors, which is the main reason the plant alleviates withdrawal symptoms so well.
The patient of mine that told me about kratom said it helped her come off methadone by reducing 90% of her withdrawal symptoms.
This piqued my interest, to say the least. After studying the plant on my own, I felt comfortable recommending it to my patients for coming off opiates and opiate replacement medications such as methadone and Suboxone.
My Experience with Kratom
To be quite honest, I was pretty bummed out that I never got to use kratom for opiate withdrawal. However, after two years of being fascinated with the plant, I finally gained the courage to try it from a strictly investigative perspective.
I obviously wasn’t using kratom to ease any opiate withdrawal symptoms, nor was I intending to get high or ease any physical pain.
I simply wanted to feel the effects of the plant before I wrote an article on kratom for opiate withdrawal.
I had been nervous about trying it for some time due to its potential for addiction and withdrawal symptoms. I went to the local store to purchase some Kratom.
I spoke with a very knowledgeable employee about different strains, dosages, and whether or not she thought I would get addicted to it.
After our conversation, I decided to purchase some MaEng Da kratom, which is one of the more powerful strains available.
I figured “go big or go home right?” I ended up really enjoying the feeling, which felt a lot like taking hydrocodone or oxycodone, though not exactly.
That was five months ago, and since then I’ve probably taken kratom around a dozen times.
I’ve experimented with different strains and dosages, and even different potentiators (something that increases the effects), in hopes of finding the perfect protocol for coming off opiates.
What I’ve come up with for you is an easy, step-by-step program on how to use kratom for opiate withdrawal.
I’m going to teach you what the best kratom for opiate withdrawal is, and you’ll also learn how much kratom to take for opiate withdrawal.
By following the plan I’ve created, you’ll be using a powerful, natural plant that binds to the same receptor sites in your brain that drugs like morphine and heroin bind to.
The result?
If you’re like my patient on methadone……a 90% reduction of withdrawal symptoms.
Best Kratom for Opiate Withdrawal
Red Bali is, in my opinion, the best kratom for opiate withdrawal. Also known as Red Indo kratom, this strain has powerful pain relieving and sedating qualities, which makes it more desirable for opiate withdrawal than some of the stimulating types of kratom.
All strains of kratom work for opiate withdrawal, but the Red Vein types are preferable because of their ability to relieve symptoms to a greater degree.
How Much Kratom to Take for Opiate Withdrawal
The main alkaloid in kratom, mitragynine, is an opioid agonist, which means that it sticks inside opioid receptors in your brain.
These receptors significantly influence your mood and pain levels. Since mitragynine fills these receptor sites, it can produce euphoria and pain relief in the same way that morphine can, though it’s not the same as a morphine high.
The major difference between kratom and opiates is that kratom prefers delta- opioid receptors first, while morphine and other opioid drugs bind to the mu- opioid receptors.
However, if you take a large enough dose, kratom is able to more powerfully activate mu- opioid receptors.
The difference between kratom’s affinity for either delta- or mu- receptors depending on the dosage is most likely why the effects go from stimulating to sedating. At lower dosages of about 3-7 grams, kratom has more stimulating and mood-enhancing effects. At around 8 grams and up, it actually has more sedating and pain relieving effects.
After experimenting with kratom dosages and strains, I’ve found that taking 9-10 grams of powder is the perfect amount to stimulate the mu- opioid receptors.
Using 9-10 grams of Red Bali provided me with the same feeling I got from opiates.
Furthermore, this dosage made me “nod out” hardcore while I was relaxing on the couch watching a movie, which was my determining factor for coming to the conclusion that this was the best dosage for treating opiate withdrawal symptoms.
How to Use Kratom for Opiate Withdrawal: Your 4-Step Success Plan
The following plan can be used for getting off heroin, hydrocodone, oxycodone, Suboxone, methadone, or any other opioid. If you adhere to the steps I’ve created, you should be able to eliminate 70% to 90% of your opiate withdrawal symptoms.
Being physiologically dependent upon opiates sucks. The fear of withdrawal can keep you stuck in your addiction for years and years. I want you to have a mild withdrawal, and most importantly, I want you to STAY CLEAN FOR LIFE!
- You don’t have to be a slave to the drug anymore!
- You can end your addiction!
- You can use these steps to have a very mild opiate withdrawal!
- You can stay clean and live the life of your dreams!
- All of the courage, determination, love, and faith you need are within you now!
Visualize your life after getting off opiates. Imagine yourself looking and feeling healthy. Picture yourself waking up in the morning and feeling awesome without having to take drugs.
How does that feel? How bad do you want this? I know you can do it.
You can decide right here and now that you are going to follow this withdrawal plan and take back control of your life.
“It is in the moment of decisions that your destiny is shaped.” – Tony Robbins
Step 1: Go Shopping
My strategic plan for using kratom for opiate withdrawal consists of obtaining the following items:
- 8 ounces of Red Bali
- 20 grapefruits
- A cheap digital scale
- A 30-day supply of an Opiate Withdrawal Supplement
The eight ounces of kratom should be more than enough to get you through your opiate withdrawal. The grapefruits on the shopping list are going to be used to make fresh juice to mix with the kratom powder.
Grapefruit juice is a great “potentiator”, which means that it increases the effects of kratom. You’re also going to need an accurate scale that weighs to the gram. This is very important because using 9-10 grams per dose is essential for stimulating the mu- opioid receptors, which are the ones that will relieve your withdrawal symptoms the most.
Note: Start out with 3-5 grams for your first time. This might be all you need. Everyone is biochemically unique, so different dosages and strains will work better for different people. The white vein kratom strains are more stimulating and energy producing, and the green veins are somewhere in the middle of white and red.
Feel free to try different strains, and you can even mix them together (quite nice effects if done correctly). Also, the grapefruit juice stretches the kratom further, but it might even make it too strong for you. Start off with low doses without grapefruit juice then see what your body needs.
Opiate Withdrawal Formula contains a powerful blend of amino acids, herbs, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that can help ease your symptoms in the following ways:
- Enhances Mood
- Eases stomach discomfort
- Increases natural energy
- Calms anxiety
- Restores dopamine production quickly
- Reverses depression
- Reverses insomnia and helps you get more restorative sleep
Step 2: Stop taking Opiates
There are a few different ways to go about this next step. One is to come off opiates “cold-turkey”. I don’t ever recommend this method.
It results in the most severe withdrawal symptoms, and if you can avoid it I strongly encourage you to follow one of the next two strategies.
Another method is to “taper” your opiates, which means to systemically decrease the amount of narcotics you take over a period of time. Tapering is better than coming off cold-turkey because it is much less of a shock to your body.
By spending a few weeks or more slowly lowering your daily opiate intake, it allows your body to gradually adjust to the changes, which will result in a reduction of withdrawal symptoms.
The following plan I’ve outlined is based on a cold-turkey withdrawal.
Here are some important tips to remember before you plan your withdrawal:
- Every individual is biochemically unique (so what works for one person may not work for another).
- Depending on the severity of your opiate addiction, you may need to raise or lower your kratom intake (people with an extremely severe addiction might need a dosage of 16-25 grams).
- Always use the least amount of kratom possible to alleviate your withdrawal symptoms.
- Discontinue kratom after 7-14 days so you don’t become physiologically dependent upon it (which could lead to more withdrawal symptoms).
- Listen to your body and adjust dose as necessary.
- Always take kratom on an empty stomach as this helps with absorption.
Step 3: Use an Opiate Withdrawal Supplement and Kratom for Opiate Withdrawal
It’s VERY IMPORTANT that you start taking your Opiate Withdrawal Supplement a minimum of seven days before you come off opiates. Doing so will enable the nutrients to start priming your body for the impending withdrawal. If you wait until the last minute it will still help a lot, but the benefits from starting early are too good to pass up.
Days 1-4: Take Opiate Withdrawal Supplement in the morning. Cut a grapefruit and squeeze the juice into a cup.
Weigh out 9-10 grams of kratom powder and add it to the grapefruit juice. Stir it up good with a spoon, or put it in a blender on low for a few seconds (I prefer this method because it mixes it better). Drink up! Wait an hour before eating breakfast.
You can take 3 more servings of kratom and grapefruit juice throughout the day to minimize withdrawal symptoms, just make sure you always take it on an empty stomach (at least 3 hours after meals).
Before bed on an empty stomach, take the Opiate Withdrawal Supplement.
Days 5-7: Continue to take the Opiate Withdrawal Supplement, and reduce your kratom intake to only two 9-10 gram servings per day instead of four.
The hardest part of the withdrawal is usually over by the beginning of Day 5, and this will also help prevent you from going through mild kratom withdrawal.
Days 8-30: Discontinue kratom. Continue to take the Opiate Withdrawal Supplement. It will help restore your brain chemistry to its pre-opiate addiction state, and it will also promote a positive mood, increased energy, calming of the nerves, enhanced digestion and appetite, and better sleep.
Step 4: Stay Clean!
After using kratom for opiate withdrawal successfully, the final step is to stay clean and build a strong recovery.
I believe the most important part of recovery is correcting the biochemical imbalances that opiate abuse either caused or exacerbated.
Without first addressing this physical aspect of addiction, counseling and other types of psychological treatment can only lead to moderate success at best.
I encourage you to follow these guidelines to heal your body and mind:
- Eat at least 20-30 grams of protein 2-3 times per day to boost endorphins and other mood-enhancing chemicals in the brain (organic, free-range and wild-caught are best).
- Consume at least half of your body weight in ounces of water per day.
- Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, and healthy fats.
- Eat high-quality protein foods like chicken, fish, turkey, beef and cottage cheese.
- Eliminate or reduce refined carbohydrates, processed foods, sugar, nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine.
- Focus mostly on organic whole foods.
- Exercise on a regular basis to help your body produce endorphins (natural morphine).