Has anyone heard of Kratom or tried it?

I love that web md has this forum. But, they, and Mayo, are wrong about Kratom. Been on for years, it saved my life. Neuropathy is hard to treat, but the opiod crisis has left people with severe neuropathy undertreated with meds like gabapentin, lyrica, snri, and tricyclics. All very bad, and marginally effective. My liver function continues to be very good, but I take kratom only and no longer consume the beer and any alcohol that I used to. If you suffer from this malady of neuropathy, it can't hurt to try Kratom if you can get it. For me, high level of relief, no side effects.

Thank you Steven,
Just today I've read article on kratom, as it should not be taken every day, as body can get used to it and then one might need higher dosages.
Did you experience this?
Or your dosages stays the same for years?
Reviews in this article says it does help a lot with neuropathy.
Thank you for the advice!

Great question. I can only tell you my experience as a long term taker of it. At first, I started low... For the best effectiveness, I worked up to 5G, twice a day. Have not increased from that point. Nor have I decreased, because it helps and I had suffered far too long before I started Kratom. As I understand my dosage, I would call it medium high. The negativity comes from much higher doses than mine. 25 or more grams a day, are where people start having issues I think. I researched it extensively prior to even starting it. From the research I remember determining right away that I would not go over 18 G in a single day. And so far I have not approached that amount, and still experienced relief.

I’m working in the kratom industry (part time) since 2015/2016.

The product selection is so vast, and new people are not provided with the education to use kratom safely and effectively. Except on vendor websites.

Convenience store kratom is likely combined with a multitude of other herbs or botanicals and phony company names are on those SHOTS. They are STRONG and can be habit forming for some. I would pull them out of there if it were up to me.

Hopefully you are using regular kratom while you experiment a bit.

Everything is EXTRACT now and EXTRACTS are not the place to start with kratom.

Less is more.

Kratom can be measured but it’s still not precise like synthetic pharmaceuticals.

I’m a mod on a website you can find a lot of reading information on (the forum chat is not active but articles and old discussions are still relevant: (ILK.co). I just keep the website working and I did a lot of coaching during the Ban Mania threat to kratom legalization AND when the opiates were being discontinued immediately for a lot of chronic pain patients who don’t abuse their medications in the following years.

Things have settled down now with Fentanyl being the bigger threat. IMO

The American Kratom Association (americankratom.org) is a good place to refer to for laws in states, counties, and all aspects of the industry and the other website I posted for you might also be helpful.

I know many good vendors but I won’t violate any rules here.

Hope you find the links helpful. ILK.co is the more informative site.

I am taking White Maeng Kratom (2 pills) and Royal Jelly (2 pills). After being on Trimectin, Nicotine patches etc.
I am on the first week of this (however currently I am in a crash 2 days now after jogging and housework a couple days ago.
Praying and hoping it helps.

“Is Kratom addictive?

Is coffee addictive? Are you addicted to chocolate?

Asking questions like this is a bit misguided. In none of these examples we ask whether plants themselves are addictive. Instead, we question the potential for abuse of active alkaloids in each plant.

Alkaloids: one of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds derived from plants that have been pronounced physiological actions in humans.

In simple English, alkaloids are any chemicals in plants that cause real effects when consumed by humans. Caffeine, for example, is an active alkaloid in coffee beans that is responsible for the stimulating effect of coffee. Nicotine is an alkaloid in tobacco, and theobromine & caffeine are alkaloids in chocolate (chocolate).

There are about 20 active alkaloids in the Kratom plant. The two dominant alkaloids responsible for plant effects are Mitragynine (MG) and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-HMG). Of all the alkaloids in Kratom, MG is the most common, making up about 60% of all alkaloid profiles. In contrast, 7-HMG only makes up 2% of the alkaloid profile. Therefore, it is believed that MG is the alkaloid responsible for most of the effects reported by Kratom users; such as relieving anxiety, relieving pain and regulating moods.

"The main effect of kratom is most likely produced by MG with the possible contribution of 7-OH-MG.

(from Pinney Associates's 8-factor analysis of potential kratom abuse)

With this in mind, we should reframe a little the original question: Is Mitragynine addictive?

According to a study conducted by the Society for the Study of Addiction published in June '18 in the Journal of Addiction Biology (a peer-reviewed academic journal), "These findings indicate that MG has no potential for abuse and reduces morphine intake, a desirable characteristic of pharmacotherapy candidates for opiate addiction and withdrawal ... "So, in other words, MG does not match the potential abuse profile assigned to addictive substances, such as heroin and Oxycontin. More about that here. In fact, in the study, they gave mice with Morphine for several days in a row, and then turned it into MG for several days. After their time with MG, Morphine was again available to them, and they showed a reduced likelihood of returning to using Morphine. This is what is referred to in the quote above when they show that it "reduces morphine intake". Which, as the authors say, makes it a very promising potential therapy for opiate & withdrawal addiction.

In addition, when looking at potential drug abuse, the main factor considered is the effect that the substance has on the daily lives of users. For example, the majority of cocaine or heroin users report a drastic negative impact on their ability to engage with work, friends, and life in general. The use of kratom does not fit this description at all. In fact, according to Pinney Associates 8-factor analysis, "Consumption usually does not interfere with work or social activities and commitments, and in fact kratom is widely reported in the US, as in Southeast Asia, to contribute to work productivity, quality of life, and social relations. "So, unlike abuse drugs, kratom seems to improve the quality of life for many users, as opposed to reducing it. It is interesting to read this description as presented by scientific research.”

Lori, thanks. I agree, due to much misinformation, we are kind of on our own. Companies that publish their testing for purity, and use only dried, crushed leaf, and advertise that fact...are a good bet. Ones that don't? Probably not a good choice. My condition, severe neuropathy, made life miserable. Horrible ineffective medications, did not help. Kratom is miraculous, and for me, has no negative effects. Glad you are helping keep people PROPERLY informed. God bless!