Originating in Southeast Asia, kratom is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. While it is advertised for the treatment of anxiety, cancer, and everything in between, the truth is that not much is known about kratom and its long-term effects as of yet. However, what we do know is that quitting this substance can lead to uncomfortable kratom withdrawal symptoms.
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for people to realize that kratom isn’t as safe and innocent as it is said to be only when they attempt to quit it. Often, it causes no less distressing withdrawal symptoms than opioids, which can make it very difficult to quit the drug.
For this reason, learning how to detox from kratom the right way is critical to preventing severe withdrawal symptoms and minimizing the risk of relapse.
What Is Kratom?
Kratom is an herbal substance with psychoactive properties that is derived from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical tree native to Thailand, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian countries. It contains two psychoactive compounds—mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.
Traditionally, kratom has been used for various purposes, both ceremonial and not. While it has been used to treat pain, fever, etc., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved this substance for medical use. Nonetheless, some companies advertise it as a cure for chronic pain, anxiety, and opioid addiction, among other conditions.
While some states—Arkansas, Alabama, and Vermont, to name a few—have banned its use, kratom technically isn’t illegal in the U.S. Still, the FDA warns people against taking it due to the risk of adverse events, including seizures and addiction. Not to mention, scientists are still researching the safety of this psychoactive substance.
In Southeast Asia, kratom is most commonly consumed as a tea. It can also be ingested by chewing its leaves, smoking them, grinding them into a fine powder and then snorting it, among other ways. It also comes in the form of pills, extracts, and capsules.
Depending on the dose, the effects of kratom may range from stimulating to sedating. Lower doses can make you more talkative, energized, and focused. Although it isn’t technically an opioid, kratom produces opioid-like effects when taken at higher doses. It can also induce psychosis, characterized by symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations.
Kratom Withdrawal Symptoms
Kratom withdrawal symptoms indicate that you’ve developed a dependence on this drug.
Like opioids such as oxycodone or morphine, kratom can lead to tolerance when taken regularly, especially over an extended period. Your body can become so used to this substance that, eventually, you’ll need to take higher doses to feel its effects.
If you quit taking kratom after becoming dependent on it, you’ll experience a set of uncomfortable kratom withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the extent of your kratom use and addiction, these may range from mild to moderate or even severe. The longer you’ve been taking kratom, the more intense your withdrawal symptoms will be.
One of the most common symptoms of kratom withdrawal is fatigue. A 2018 study found that 86% of people suffered from a severe lack of energy after quitting kratom.
Like opioid withdrawal, kratom withdrawal may cause a variety of physical and psychological symptoms, including:
- Abdominal pain
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- Appetite loss
- Cravings
- Depression
- Diarrhea
- Muscle aches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Restlessness
- Runny nose
- Sleep disturbances
- Sweating
- Watery eyes
Tapering off kratom can lessen the severity of these symptoms, whereas abruptly quitting kratom may lead to particularly intense discomfort, both physical and psychological. At worst, it can even lead to seizures and psychosis.
For this reason, you should never quit kratom “cold turkey.” Otherwise, you may be at a higher risk of relapse, which could lead to a potentially fatal kratom overdose.
Kratom Withdrawal Timeline
The kratom withdrawal timeline varies from one person to the next, as it depends on the duration of kratom use, the method of consumption, and other individual factors.
Here’s an overview of a typical kratom withdrawal timeline:
You can expect kratom withdrawal symptoms to begin within 48 hours after taking the last dose. Typically, the first symptoms to occur are anxiety, flu-like symptoms such as a runny nose, sweating, and depression.
Kratom withdrawal symptoms usually peak in intensity within the first four days after quitting the substance. At this time, you may also experience severe cravings for kratom, stomach discomfort, and trouble sleeping.
After reaching their peak, kratom withdrawal symptoms begin to fade away gradually and typically subside within 7–10 days after the last dose. However, you may continue to struggle with psychological symptoms, such as cravings and depression, which can put you at risk of relapse.
Kratom Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS)
Kratom post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) refers to protracted kratom withdrawal symptoms. While withdrawal from this substance lasts a little over a week for most people, some—especially heavy kratom users—may suffer from uncomfortable symptoms for weeks, months, and even years after quitting the drug.
More often than not, kratom PAWS causes psychological withdrawal symptoms, such as:
- Cravings
- Difficulty focusing
- Apathy
- Mood swings
- Depression
If you suspect you may be struggling with PAWS after quitting kratom, seek medical attention. Not only can protracted kratom withdrawal symptoms interfere with your daily life and wreak havoc on your mental health, but they can also increase the risk of relapse, overdose, and death.
How to Manage Kratom Withdrawal Symptoms
The key to managing kratom withdrawal symptoms is seeking medical help. Your doctor can help you taper off kratom to minimize the likelihood of severe symptoms.
Alternatively, they may suggest using medications such as Suboxone® for kratom withdrawal and dependence. However, it’s not unheard of for Suboxone® and other similar drugs to lead to opioid dependence, which essentially means that you might swap one dependency for another.
While you may be able to detox from kratom at home and manage some symptoms with home remedies, this isn’t recommended due to an increased risk of relapse. In some cases, kratom withdrawal can also cause potentially life-threatening complications, such as dehydration. To quit kratom safely, consult with your doctor or seek professional kratom withdrawal treatment.
Speaking of kratom withdrawal treatments, keep in mind that kratom detox isn’t a cure for addiction. Rather than repairing the endorphin-receptor imbalance resulting from kratom use, it simply flushes the substance out of your system. Since it fails to address the root cause of the problem, it’s not unusual for patients to relapse after receiving this treatment.
Now that you know how to quit kratom safely and effectively manage its withdrawal symptoms, let’s discuss the risks and dangers of taking kratom.
Risks and Dangers of Taking Kratom
Given that kratom hasn’t been FDA-approved, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it comes with a myriad of risks and dangers, ranging from side effects to addiction.
Kratom is often believed to be safe and is often advertised as a natural herbal supplement that can prevent and cure various diseases, including cancer. However, it interacts with the same receptors in the central nervous system (CNS) as opioids such as hydrocodone. Over time, it can alter the brain chemistry and lead to tolerance, dependence, and addiction.
Most importantly, kratom isn’t regulated in most states. While this makes it easy to obtain, it also means you might unknowingly buy it laced with other substances, such as fentanyl.
This can significantly increase the risk of a potentially lethal overdose, as polydrug abuse is closely associated with kratom overdose. Between July 2016 and December 2017, 152 people who unintentionally lost their lives to drug overdoses had kratom in their system, and nearly all of them used other substances, too, including prescription opioids.
Moreover, kratom can also cause various side effects, such as:
- Constipation
- Dry mouth
- Eating disorders
- Seizures
- Confusion
- Appetite and weight loss
- Loss of libido
- Aggression
- Sleep problems
Kratom Rapid Detox
Kratom rapid detox is a medical treatment that quickly removes kratom from the body, usually with the help of opioid antagonists such as naloxone. Since rapid detox is performed under sedation, patients go through kratom withdrawal within several days without having to suffer uncomfortable symptoms.
Although rapid detox promises quick results, this procedure can be dangerous and lead to potentially lethal side effects, including acute renal failure and sepsis. Not to mention, despite being expensive—rapid detox can cost up to $24,000—this medical treatment doesn’t guarantee that patients will fully overcome kratom addiction.
Kratom Rapid Detox vs. ANR Treatment
Kratom rapid detox and the Accelerated Neuro-Regulation (ANR) treatment are very different in terms of their goals, safety, and effectiveness.
Unlike ANR, rapid kratom detox only treats the symptoms of kratom addiction but doesn’t eliminateits cause. In other words, this treatment clears kratom out of your body without doing anything to actually treat your dependence on the substance. It can also lead to side effects, complications, ongoing withdrawal symptoms, and relapse.
Meanwhile, ANR is a comprehensive opioid addiction treatment designed with a clear therapeutic goal in mind—to restore the endorphin-receptor system to its normal state.
In turn, ANR heals kratom addiction at its root, eliminating withdrawal symptoms and negating the risk of relapse. Most importantly, this treatment is only performed in an ICU setting in accredited hospitals by board-certified medical staff, ensuring patient safety.
ANR Opioid Treatment for Kratom Addiction
Accelerated Neuro-Regulation (ANR) is the most innovative, safe, and effective opioid dependency treatment available today.
Unlike rapid detox, which only manages kratom withdrawal symptoms, the ANR treatment tackles kratom dependency at its very core, restoring your brain to its pre-addictive state. As a result, ANR has no risk of relapse or overdose, which often comes with rapid detox and similar treatments.
What’s more, ANR isn’t a one-size-fits-all method like most other opioid dependence treatments. On the contrary, each ANR treatment is tailored to every patient after considering their medical history, substance use history, and individual needs. This makes ANR highly effective and safe, even for patients with cardiovascular, renal, and other conditions.
To get started with the ANR treatment, contact us today for a free, 100% confidential consultation.
Key Takeaways
Although kratom isn’t classified as an opioid, it can produce not only similar effects but also similar withdrawal symptoms to opioids. Because of this, you should never quit taking it without medical supervision.
Now, let’s summarize the key points we covered:
- Kratom is a psychoactive substance derived from a tropical tree with dose-dependent effects.
- Kratom withdrawal symptoms usually begin within 48 hours of quitting the substance and last for up to 10 days, though psychological symptoms may last longer than that.
- The most common symptoms of kratom withdrawal include diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue, depression, and cravings.
Kratom Withdrawal & Detox FAQ
1. How does kratom change the brain?
While the effects of kratom are still being researched, it’s clear that it affects the brain similarly to opioids, as it interacts with and partially activates the same receptors as opioids do. At large doses, it can induce an opioid-like “high” and sedation, whereas lower doses have a stimulating effect.
2. What are the signs of kratom use disorder?
Some of the most common signs of kratom use disorder include experiencing withdrawal symptoms after quitting kratom or reducing its dose, continuing to take the substance even if it negatively affects your life, and becoming isolated from friends and loved ones.
3. What is ANR opioid treatment?
ANR stands for Accelerated Neuro-Regulation, an innovative opioid addiction treatment that has helped over 25,000 people conquer opioid dependency. Unlike traditional opioid addiction treatments, ANR reverses opioid-induced changes in the brain. Since it addresses the root cause of addiction, it eliminates all withdrawal symptoms and the risk of relapse.
4. What is kratom used for?
Kratom hasn’t been FDA-approved for any medical use as of yet. Still, some people use it to manage pain, opioid use disorder (OUD), anxiety, depression, and other mental and physical health conditions. However, it has addictive properties and may lead to a variety of adverse events, which is why the FDA advises against taking it.
5. Can kratom cause opioid addiction?
Technically, kratom is not an opioid and thus cannot lead to opioid addiction. However, it acts on opioid receptors and produces opioid-like effects. Like opioids, it can also cause addiction, which can often look similar to opioid addiction.
6. How long does kratom withdrawal last?
How long kratom withdrawal lasts depends on many individual factors, ranging from the extent of your kratom use to your metabolic rate. That said, kratom withdrawal typically lasts 7–10 days, but some withdrawal symptoms may persist long after that.
7. How long does it take to detox from kratom?
How long it takes to detox from kratom can vary based on how often you take kratom, at what doses, and whether or not you’re seeking any treatment for kratom addiction. Typically, kratom withdrawal and detox last a bit longer than a week. With the ANR treatment, however, you can skip the kratom detox process altogether and recover from kratom addiction in a matter of days!
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