r/quittingkratom

Back in 2019 I became a bit of a partier and started experimenting with all kinds of substances. One of them was Kratom, which I liked how genuinely happy and loving it made me feel (mind you, I'm saying this as someone who felt virtually nothing when prescribed opioid medications for pain relief when I would have surgeries). Eventually, it got to a point where I was taking it about twice a week. When anxiety kicked in, I bumped it up to daily...something I told myself I'd never do.

Fast forward 5 years. I've been damn near celibate the last several years (due entirely to there being virtually no libido). I'd be lucky to have one or two hookups a year. I tried telling myself I'd only do it occasionally, like on my days off. Telling myself I was doing it twice a week when it would be more like 4x if I went out on weekends.

At this point, I'm throwing this shit away for good. Kratom was intended traditionally to be used ceremonially, not habitually or even twice a week...you can't call it a ritual if the occasion is just a day ending in Y.

Do I think my way is the only way to approach kratom use? No. Are there people who have benefited from daily use? I'm sure there are. But I am tired of chasing the dragon and blowing money on something that I have become so used to, especially given that it's not required. It's taken away my libido, reduced my drive, and has just made me okay with being passive in life as the days go by because I get the internal reward that it gives with nothing to show for. Sadly, I believe that because of kratom, my brain has learned to stop working toward what I want. I guarantee you it has also done other damage to my body that I don't even realize.

Will I ever go back to the rare and once in a blue moon use of it for extra special occasions? Who knows, but given how slippery of a slope that is to fall back into old habits, I am telling myself that the answer to that is no. I've walked away from most other substances since the chapter of excessive partying that I was in when I started taking it (even though I wasn't taking those regularly), and I have decided that this substance is just sapping life of its quality.

Five days sober. Here's to many more.

Coming off ~25g/day regular capsules for 2 months. (Before this, I got clean for about a month then relapsed)

It just doesn't feel real. I've done this sooo many times; written out plans, taken time off, all the things we do during vain attempts at quitting. This isn't something I necessarily feel like I want to do but it's really something I need to do. I'm 28M and my life is just an empty shell. No ambitions. No hobbies. No friends. No sense of self. No light. No routine. No healthy relationships. No natural happiness. No evolving. Just the pills and waiting to get high so I can escape. It slowly scraped away at my life until I had nothing left. That's not a life right?

But God. Without drugs, I feel quite miserable. Everything is grey and I just want to crawl out of my skin when I don't have that vice I've grown familiar with. I don't want to feel like shit. I don't want to be bored. I don't want to have to see myself for the disappointment I believe I am. I don't want to do any of the hard work. Even during the times I quit, it still felt just as empty and bleak as it did while on Kratom. Only difference is I could get high for a couple moments of release, then I'm back to where I started reaching for more pills. I know I wasn't trying hard enough or really applying myself at all during the times I quit but how the fuck am I supposed to when I feel like a bottomless pit majority of the time? I don't want to quit then feel even shittier with other unhealthy vices like I have in the past (food, masturbation, youtube, sleeping all the time, doom scrolling etc.) to distract myself from the only vice I actually want. I know I sound like a baby and hard work is inevitable in getting anything worthwhile. But I'm lazy. I'm scared. I don't believe in myself. I don't believe in anything anymore and I'm stuck.

So, here I am: Informed my job about my situation and that I'll need a couple weeks off. Rent for the next 2 months is taken care of. I have $0 to my name but my sobriety HAS to come first regardless of whatever else is happening in my life. I don't even know where my employment stands at this point. I've got all the comfort meds (clonidine, gabapentin, magnesium, vitamin C, sleeping meds etc.). I've written a "plan" out for the next few weeks. I've informed the roommates I live with, who are also a support system since they're sober too. I tossed out my stash. Meditated on it.

So there. Is this just another shallow attempt at quitting? I really don't know. I don't feel confident. I don't feel safe. I don't even think I love myself enough to give this an honest shot with all I got. It all feels fake and insincere, like in my heart I know eventually I'll just go back to my old ways because I don't have the strength that it takes to do this. I feel weak and incapable.

I understand that this is a very self-defeatist and pessimistic attitude. Why would I get anywhere close to recovery if I'm already expecting myself to fail? But that's just where I'm at right now based off of my track record.

I'm not sure what I'm getting at with this post other than just explicitly stating how I feel and where my head is at. I suffer from mental health issues, as well and it's a double wammy for whatever else life throws at me, including addiction. I do have health insurance so I'll also be working on getting help in that department too.

Oh, I'm also quitting weed while I'm at it. Kratom and weed are the only 2 drugs I abuse religiously so I figured I would kill two birds with one stone.

Where is everyone else at on their journey? Anybody in the same head space as I am? What's helping you? Any words of wisdom or helpful insight would be greatly appreciated.

I have been a kratom user for the past 5 years. Typically 10-15gs of powder every night but this year I made the stupid decision to try 7oh.

This past year I will say i’ve made a lot of progress. In august 2025 I reached an extreme breaking point after a relationship ended, and with how much this stuff was affecting my life. I think I made it 80 days sober. It was the hardest thing I had ever done and I was so proud of myself. I didn’t get rid of some though and then I relapsed. Ever since it’s been on and off and I haven’t given myself a chance to fully get back to normal.

Fast forward to a couple months ago and I got my hands on some 7oh. I knew it was an awful idea but I was at such a low I didn’t give a fuck.

Now i’m here, 4 days sober. Physical withdrawals are already getting a bit better which I can’t believe, because it was so much worse last time I quit. Although the mental withdrawals are fucking with me big time. I am so fatigued and am filled with so much anxiety. It is absolutely debilitating. I feel like a zombie that can feel nothing but anxiety.

Just felt like I need to get back into this community because i’m so fed up with this stuff. I don’t really know what else to say

During one of the darkest periods of my life, I relapsed.

But relapsing at 26 is a very different experience from becoming addicted in your early twenties. You're no longer just wasting time—you can clearly see what you're losing.

Over the course of almost a year, I fell behind in my studies, my work suffered, and I lost my girlfriend. None of it happened overnight. That's what makes kratom so deceptive. It's a silent addiction. It doesn't destroy your life in a dramatic way. Instead, it slowly numbs you until you stop noticing everything that's slipping away.

In the end, all that's left is a bag of green powder, a life that has quietly stalled, and ambitions that have gradually faded.

The memory of withdrawal fades surprisingly fast—but I don't miss it.

What I do remember is the damage kratom caused. Too many missed opportunities. Too much time wasted. And above all, too much emotional numbness.

Looking back, the withdrawal itself was temporary. The consequences of addiction lasted much longer.

I still have many of the same problems in my life—minus the biggest one. And for the first time in a long while, I actually have the chance to work on them instead of hiding from them.

Recovery didn't solve my problems. It gave me the opportunity to face them.

Long story short:

It's really worth it. My life got better. The easy path is only paved for the first steps.

The quality of friendships and depth of life is the part that you can't see during consumption.

I was sober from kratom for a few months, but recently relapsed and now I’ve been using it for 2.5 weeks. I want to make the jump, but I can’t afford to take time off work.

Does anyone know how bad the WD’s will be after just a couple weeks? It’s been 1 dose per day. I’ve been tapering for the last few days. I was told that ph en i bu t helps quite a bit with WD’s, so I’m planning on having that for the first 2-3 days. People say it’s a bad idea, but i know myself and i could never let myself become dependent on that. Only substance I’ve ever had issues with is opioids. I also have experience with that, so i know what I’m doing when it comes to ph en.

Does anyone have any info or experience with this? Any info would be appreciated, thank you

Today is Day 64, and I want everyone who's struggling to know that if I can do this, you can too. I used a buttload of this stuff, and I honestly never thought I'd make it this far.

My biggest advice is to plan your quit. I used a week's vacation to get through the worst of the initial withdrawals, and I'm so glad I did. This sub is full of great advice about supplements and other things that can help make the process a little more manageable.

I came here every single day to read success stories and connect with people going through the same hardships this poison caused. It reminded me I wasn't alone.

For me, the second wave was the depression and lack of sleep. It didn't just disappear overnight, but it slowly faded with time. Exercise has been the best medicine I've found and has made a huge difference in my recovery.

Hello Everyone 🙌

I just wanted to say that I am thankful this community exists, and all the people who have taken their time and energy to provide support and guidance through this process.

A little about me, I was in recovery for 7 and a half years and relapsed on 7oh on 4/20 of this year. I had used Kratom and alcohol in the past but, never 7oh. I learned about it on TikTok of all places and, was already struggling with mood/energy and depression at the time so, I had the bright idea to try it. Absolute worst decision of my life.

It turned into an everyday habit and I finally came clean this past Monday to my husband and quit cold turkey. Restarted my sobriety date and everything. ( I love the recovery community I am in - I know it’s not for everyone but, it helps me. I have a two and a half year old, work full time and, had really stopped working my program the past year adjusting to everything which I believe is a big reason why I had the bright idea to try this!)

Anyways, the first 4 days were hell. I needed up setting up a session which my doctor to get some meds to help - gabapentin, sleep meds, zofran and clonidine. I chose not to do subs because I just wanted this to be over with the quickest. And I stopped the clonidine because it made me absolutely dizzy and, unable to keep up with my toddler and work. I work from home and on day 3 I had to take a sick day because I had a full day of meetings and I just was not able to be present enough to crawl my way through them. The rest of the week was bad but I was able to push through and not be on camera.

I am on day 7 now but, am still dealing with RSL, nausea and most importantly THE NIGHT SWEATS & Chills if I do fall asleep and insomnia.

I just wanted to ask if you have had this experience and when does it end?! Most specifically the night sweats and chills. I did find some info here about vitamin C and am going to my local CVS to see if they have anything there later today.

Any and all experiences are welcome. It’s insane because my doctor and psychiatrist both said they have been seeing more and more people coming to them and not being able to stop. I live in NJ by the way and, I hope it gets band soon so no one has to go through this. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

For the people here who have made it through - you’re all fucking rockstars and I am so so proud of you. I can’t wait to post here a year from now and say I have a year clean.

Thank you anyone who ready this - I had to get this out there.

Hey, today I'm on day 5 and last night I slept 4 hours which is a new record for me and today was the first day I felt really better and I had enough energy to go biking and for around 1 hour driving my bicycle and listening music was really a lot of fun. I enjoyed it very much. Then... I got tired pretty quickly, but that's fine. Big progress.

I write this here mainly for all the people on day one or two or three. I know it's terrible and you can't sleep and everything sucks and every little action is hard. That's why we have to get rid of this addiction! otherwise we'll stay a slave to it forever. It will cost us money, motivation, relationships, our dreams and hopes, everything. I found out it's not possible to achieve my dream life or goals while being addicted and with this messed up dopamine system in my brain. So many reasons to stop!

I feel like these are the only two states I ever feel when taking kratom.

I'm constantly obsessing over how not good enough a dose makes me feel and keep redosing until I feel sick and dysphoric.

It also makes me crave other substances.

Can anyone else relate?

I’ve been on long-term, high-dose powder for many years, and I’ve worked out hard pretty much my entire life.

One thing that has kept me attached to kratom is that it seemed to give me a strong boost for training, consistency, energy, and motivation.

It also helped keep my lean. Made it super easy to intermittent fast.

I’m getting ready to quit, and one of my fears is that PAWS will leave me with no energy to work out for a long time.

I know this may be the addiction talking, but it feels very real.

For people who trained hard while using: how much did quitting kratom negatively impact your workouts?

Did you have to back way off for a while, or were you able to keep training?

Just looking for real experiences from people who were active before, during, and after quitting.

I have been taking kratom powder straight by the spoonful's since 2017. Watched my dose gradually go up from a spoon a day to not even counting them anymore. But well in the 40-60gs a day range since 2020. I ended up being one of those extreme users who was taking extract tabs and 7oh (either or) ALONGSIDE powder. Now, for the first time in 4 years im not taking them both simultaneously. Also I was taking 6+ of these tablets a day, now im powering through the uncomfortable feelings and im down to only taking 3 a day. Not much longer and I feel like I will finally be free of this decade long curse. My finances, my relationships, my body, my mind, and my ability to make big moves in my life has been drastically halted due to my addictions but I guess 29 is a better age to start over than 35, or 40, or 50.

My state made Kratom a controlled substance on July 1st. So I was basically forced to go CT. The flu like withdrawal symptoms aren’t that bad. I have no appetite but I force myself to eat. I know I need to. What I’m really having trouble with is sleeping. If anyone has any advice I’d greatly appreciate it. Had my last dose 4 days ago and I was probably 75-100 gpd. Honestly I didn’t keep track.

Edit to add: I’m allergic to cannabis and alcohol so neither of those are options. I’d rather not try kava. Any supplements I could try? Melatonin doesn’t work on me either

Checking in. I’m on day 9. Slept well after 4th of July celebrations.

I woke up and went to play golf in 93 degree weather. Sweat my ever loving ass off and my legs felt heavy, but I had a blast. It gave me a lot of confidence that I can actually do things again without needing kratom.

I’m home now and just had pizza with my kids. Probably should have picked something healthier, but it was easy/convenient. I feel absolutely fine right now with the one symptom being that my bones from my knees down hurt. It feels like something is just squeezing the life out of my lower legs.

For those of you in your first few days, keep going. In full transparency, I thought about “using a just a little”. I told myself something I think I read here. Temporary relief is not worth permanent pain. I also couldn’t live with myself if I spiraled and put my wife through the past week again. Day after day she cared for our kids when I couldn’t. I owe it to myself and my family (especially my wife) to never touch the shit sludge again.

Thanks for letting me get my thoughts out there. Good luck to everybody going through it right now.

Welcome to the r/quittingkratom daily check-in thread. You are free to post as many updates as you'd like. Please help to moderate this subreddit! Please report any posts, comments or content that does not adhere to the sub rules, and a mod will look into your report (there is a report button below every posting and comment). Reports are anonymous.

Glad you're here!

I quit 7oh 3 months ago because I had my first seizure while driving, it was really scary and my gf and I almost died. Never looked back

However I kept taking kratom powder, which I’ve been taking since I was 19 years old, so for nearly 6 years. I had a second seizure not long after I started taking a lot of kratom powder again. It was thankfully at home but it was still ofc really scary

So I quit kratom that same day as well. The first week after acute withdrawal was easy but now I’m really feeling the depression. I have dreams about it every night

I spent nearly my entire early 20s on kratom. It played such a huge part of my life. It was with me through so much. It’s such a hard thing to let go, but seizures are fucking terrifying so it’s a good deterrent lol

I don’t feel I wasted all those years on kratom. I used it to cope with my life at the time. But my body is saying it’s time to stop

(help me i am miserable). edit: i was taking 30 capsules a day of leaf , each capsule .5 mg

I believe I’m about a year and a half off of kratom and extracts. Glad to be off of that mess. What I did was quit my morning dose pushing it off until lunch. I did this for a couple weeks and my body adjusted. Looking forward to lunch kept me going.
I then did the same with lunch. I pushed it off until 3 pm. Eventually I got to one nightly dose and just weaned off of that one. Even after coming off I felt like crap some days and it lasted for months. Well… it turned out my gallbladder was bad and wreaking havoc on my body. I’m now recovering from surgery to have that removed. I wonder if Kratom caused all those issues. Now that my gallbladder is gone I am not experiencing the overall health crap I felt for so long. Anyone else have experience with the possibility of kratom causing these issues?

I am now armed with a lot of experience from the last attempt (1 month clean after almost a year of consistent usage). I have to say, I feel a bit more nervous than last time, probably because this is actually fully planned out and last time I did it on a whim.

I have to say, I posted here earlier this year, because I was trying to taper a little bit just to make it easier for me when I'm cold-turkeying, but I didn't really get the daily dose down at all and arguably I've been doing a bit more here and there as the exam season went on. But I'm still at relatively low doses (15g+-5g per day) to what I've seen mentioned here, so I'm full of hope

Anyway, my plan this year is to move as much as I can, do something that will completely fill the dopaminergic hole left by kratom. It's obviously gonna take some time to go back to baseline, but I have it planned out.

Anyway, I am in general just gonna try to push through the initial phase with movement and try CBD if that will help a bit, at least with sleep. I'm also a programmer and I'm fully aware that that's gonna get pretty difficult for a while, but I believe that mentally challenging things like that that aren't crazy rewarding immediately, but take a while to reward you are one of the key things to go back to baseline. So I'm gonna try to walk, move, program, read and have fun as much as I can.

Also I'm gonna have written some sticky notes for myself that I can read here at my workstation that contain crucial messages and tips, ideas, etc. that might not come to mind when I'm actually in the withdrawal state clouded by doom. I think it's very important to have a support mechanism with important information in case you're really just too clouded. I have this trick honed from my depressive episodes that I have during winters.

GOOD LUCK TO ANY FELLA STANDING IN MY SHOES HERE, LET'S BEAT TF OUT OF THIS ADDICTION

​

Hey everyone. I've been using powder kratom on and off for a decade but these last two years I've been drinking up to two mitra 9 seltzers a day. I decided to skip a can of mitra and woke up with obsessive, torturous thoughts and body aches. This led me to do a 4 week taper which led to some sleepless nights. I'm proud to say that I'm 30 days clean today.

However, despite being an outgoing person with a loving wife and good health. I'm having mental health problems to the point where I've thought about getting on SSRI's. Every day I've been increasingly getting those intrusive, obsessive, looping thoughts again over the most petty things. Such as latching onto old friendships, past beefs, ex lovers, being unfollowed on social media. Just childish things. And I can't stop analyzing past conversations from social media for clues about how people feel about me. It's like there's a black cloud lingering in my subconscious. The worst of this happens when I wake up and then go to sleep, I'm usually ok when I'm active and focusing on other things.

The weird part is that I went cold turkey the powder kratom for a month 3 years ago and experienced nothing like this. It makes me wonder if it's the little bit of extra 7-OH that's in those seltzers that's kicking my ass.

Questions:

1. Did anyone else get obsessive rumination and looping thoughts as part of PAWS? How long before it faded?

2. Anyone able to compare withdrawal/PAWS from 7-OH stuff (Mitra 9, extract shots) vs plain leaf?

3. What actually moved the needle for you? exercise, psychedelics, supplements, or just time?

4. Did the wake-up spike improve on any predictable timeline?

To be honest I've been using low dose THC drinks at night for over a week for relief as well as kava, classic substance swapping that I'm considering cutting off. I'm on Wellbutrin and low-dose prescribed Adderall (psychiatrist knows everything), just started NAC, and thinking about psychotherapy. I'm Asking here for the lived experiences most doctors can't really give. Thank you so much.

I've been using the tablets for about a year and a half. I quit in September of 25 using Suboxone and it worked really well. But it only lasted about 6 weeks because the anhedonia was so severe. I ended up going back on kratom until February at which point I used the same strategy and it worked again. That lasted about 6 weeks a second time before the anhedonia took over again. I've since been trying to quit using the strategy that I have employed beforehand but it's not working anymore. My daily dosage is about 1,000 to 1500 mg. It varies because some days are worse than others. I've heard about the federal ban and I am all out of money and I am absolutely terrified and I have no idea how to quit. My psychiatrist gave me a bunch of prescriptions that are supposed to help with the withdrawals but they're not. Any suggestions would be so incredibly helpful that I will be forever indebted to you. Thank you so much.