Please Help! I'm Taking Care of my Partner as he Experiences Kratom Withdrawals
I apologize if this is the wrong subreddit to post this on, but I need some guidance. I (25F) am looking after my partner (30M) who was a hardcore narcotics user and alcoholic back in the day. He has been sober for 2 years now, he picked up his second 12 month chip just a couple weeks ago. He went to detox and rehab about 6 months before we started dating and our relationship has helped him stay accountable and away from the pills and drink.
I hardly ever drink and I've never done anything crazier than tripping on mushrooms a handful of times and a few lines at parties in college. I've also never experienced a loved one deal with bona fide addiction and withdrawals. This is all very new to me. And although we've only been dating for about a year and a half, I have learned so much from him.
Since I've known him, he has used these little Kratom capsules which I had no idea what they were before meeting him. He explained them as having the same effect as caffeine in small doses. I never questioned him because I just assumed they were a way to keep him off the stronger stuff. But now we're moving to a new state together and beginning a new chapter, he has expressed for a few months that he doesn't want to depend on this stuff anymore. Not to mention, we leave in two weeks and where we are going, it is not going to be regularly accessible at local tobacco shops like it is where we are currently.
Today, he finally decided that it's time to go full cold turkey. We're about 12 hours in, and he is struggling. It started with aches and restlessness, and he is now in a state where he can barely explain what he's feeling. He can walk, he can eat, I've been feeding him a constant stream of water and blood orange rooibos tea (his favorite), and we took our dogs out for a short walk about an hour ago. But this poor guy can't seem to get comfortable no matter what he does. Every few minutes he needs to find a new place in the apartment to sit and change positions. He's constantly sniffling, and he constantly feels cold. This in particular is very odd to me because this guy runs HOT. He can't be out in 80⁰ whether for more than 5 minutes before he's drenched in sweat and I often joke that he's a walking heater. I did a temperature check on his forehead, but it felt normal. What's concerning me is the nausea is starting to set in, and he's very sensitive to that. If he feels even slightly nauseous, he's most likely going to throw up whatever is in his stomach.
I am doing my best to make sure he's fed, hydrated, and comfortable. I bring him meals, I'm rubbing his back and head constantly, I'm making sure he's warm and cuddling up with the dogs, but I fear I'm not doing enough. We take a lot of vitamins and supplements namely NAC, Zinc, Vitamin C, Tumeric, and Magnesium Glycinate for bed. This has helped his physical and cognitive recovery over the past two years, and I'm hoping some extra vitamin C might help him get through these withdrawals faster.
Despite all this, I feel like it's not enough. I don't know what else to do, but I hate seeing him like this. This is so out of the norm for him and it's tough to watch. Does anyone have any advice for our situation right now? What else can I do to help?