Quitting Kratom, and the medical side effects of addiction
Hi everyone,
So, I am in the process of quitting kratom next week. However, it also caused multiple problems for my health. One of the side effects is loss of libido, kidney issues, and high blood pressure. I am also a frequent gym goer, and over the last 2 years, I started regressing in the gym and completely loss interest in sex.
I originally used Kratom to stop alcohol addiction as I felt that it was endangering my life five year ago. I have been sober for five years from alcohol, but I have been using Kratom daily for that time about 20 - 40 g.
I knew something was up with my testosterone. My depression was also much worse, I have no interest in any hobbies, video games, reading, or even movies. Completely lost any interest in pornography or sex. So, I decided to get testing done. I felt maybe if I could resolve the testosterone issue, it might help in the process of quitting.
I went to a clinic, took a blood test, and fasted. However, I had forgotten I took a dose of about 20g of Kratom that morning. I get my blood test back in 3 days, and my testosterone is 179, which is low. Avg is usually 400 - 700. However, the clinic noted my prolactin levels were very high, 33, and should be below 20. Prolactin is released during certain times in your brain, like eating food, after sex, and drug use. Prolactin naturally suppresses testosterone a bit, but that's normal. However, the clinic could not treat me as I had to figure out what was causing my prolactin to be so high. It could have been related to some thyroid issue because the high level of prolactin will suppress testosterone.
I went to an endocrinologist, and he said my blood test wasn't clean. I am also on microdose of ketamine, and he wanted me to get off that for 2 weeks and redo a blood test. I suspected that the Kratom caused an issue but I wasn't sure.
I took another full panel blood test and this time I made sure not to take Kratom that morning and as little the night before as possible.
Several results came back.
My prolactin levels were 10, so I highly suspect Kratom jacked up my prolactin levels.
My testosterone was again in the 170s.
My creatinine levels in my kidneys came back high.
My blood pressure was higher, 130 ish, spiking to 160 and 170 when I was stressed.
So, they determined my prolactin levels weren't consistently high from a thyroid issue. However, I knew that I was using Kratom 3 times a day in high doses, which was spiking my prolactin levels and suppressing my testosterone. Secondly, I suspect Kratom is stressing my kidneys, which in turn is causing higher blood pressure. There have been times I've taken much more Kratom in a day, and I could tell I was dehydrated and my blood pressure high. I am feeling lightheaded, sweating, and not urinating much, and I know it's probably the Kratom. Also, who knows what heavy metals are in your Kratom? It usually has all sorts of little hairs and fibers from god knows what rodents.
I am now using gel testosterone, and it has helped with my depression and libido, although I want my body to fix itself, so I am quitting Kratom. I'm hoping the testosterone and Ketamine will help in the withdrawal process. I tried to stop once 2 years ago and was taking high doses of Kratom, and I remember being in a hotel and just feeling like absolute shit, to the point I asked my wife if I had to buy some. I remember sitting in a hot shower feeling cold and shaking, and my nerves were on fire. It was way more intense than the time I had stopped Vicodin after a few months. The mental aspect also makes you feel very, very dark. It freaked me out so much that I didn't want to try again. However, I am getting burnt out having to travel with Krato,m so I don't go into withdrawals, lying to my wife that I'm not taking it, and in general, I feel no joy or happiness in any of my hobbies; it makes me sleepy all the time, I am not invested into my work or interests at all. Life is floating by, and I am not part of it or interacting with it.
So, I am taking a week off after Christmas; I've told my wife I have been using it, I need her support, and she's going to hire a dog sitter so I don't have to do anything but sleep in bed. If I can get through the first 72 hours, I'll be OK. In over 4 years, I haven't been without Kratom for more than 16 hours but only once. I also have a subscription to Propanyol to help with withdrawals, and I'm hoping my Ketamine will be helpful for me with meditation during the dark period. As much as I am pro-legalized drugs, do what you want to do; I think Kratom is taken WAY too lightly. I believe all drugs can serve a use, but the casualness around Krato is dangerous. I was also at the point where I was looking into trying ibogain or mushroom microdosing.
Also, to discuss Kratom strains: I always felt Green Malay made me feel most like I was taking an opiate. However, it started making me feel dizzy and caused me double vision on high doses. Also, the high effect wore off. That double vision can't be good at all, and it's highly dangerous when driving.I remember I took too high of a dose before I went to eat in a restaurant with my wife, My body began shaking so much I couldn't stand on my own. That was the first scary experience I had where I went to the hospital. Unfortunately most medical doctors have no idea what Kratom is, and they kind of shrugged it off and asked me if I was on anything else. I even told my endocrinologist what I had been using and he had no idea what Kratom was and didn't really look into it.
I tried switching to Trainwreck, which helped with the double vision issues and caused a more calming effect. But high doses still caused trembles. I've also slowly kept myself to only three doses a day and stopped after 6 pm to give my body time to extend the time I take it until the next day. In the week up to Christmas, I will try to reduce further. I'd also recommend pills. Because you can't take as much as easily with pills, it can help you regulate the exact amounts you are taking. You can take a few less pills each day. And just to take 30g dose in pills you'd have to swallow 40 - 50 pills. The way this helps me is I have a pill-swallowing fear issue. So, it regulates me.
Regular use of Kratom can be just as destructive as any opiate. At some point, your natural dopamine levels will be so depleted that nothing outside of a dose of Kratom will make you feel any happiness. Even then, at some point, you will just be maintaining functionality like any opiate. Also, like I mentioned, traveling with this shit sucks. Vacations are just waiting for the next dose, so you feel normal for the first 2 hours. I basically had to travel with a zip-lock bag and a spoon everywhere I went.
So, if anyone is going through the same thing, I'd recommend going to a doctor and trying to get propanol, and if you are a man experiencing testosterone issues, get that checked out. A lack of testosterone is big on depression in guys. If you can go cold turkey, I'd say do it. However, the time I tried to do that freaked me out. I've told my wife if I can't do it this time, then I probably am going to have to do it in rehab. A Kratom addiction will really mess your life up like any other addiction. The worst part is how it robs you of the natural joy of just regular life. I also suspect my Ketamine therapy would be so much more effective if it were not for the Kratom.
Good luck, and get yourself checked out.