Kratom as a natural pain reliever?

I can't vouch specifically for this herb, but natural remedies can be just as effective - and potent - as pharmaceuticals. They're essentially natural versions of drugs, so just like pharmaceuticals, they can have side effects, and interact with other things, and need to be taken responsibly. If possible you could try to find an herbalist or naturopath to consult with.

Unfortunately, doctors don't always listen to their patients. Steroids like prednisone often cause problems for people with lyme disease by suppressing immune function. Of course no one here can tell you what to do, but neither can your doctor. You don't have to take the prednisone!

I'm no expert on herbs, but usually anti-inflammatory herbs are a good go-to for pain management. There are so many out there - here's one list of many you can find by doing a little internet research theconsciouslife.com/9-natural-anti-inflammatory-herbs.htm

Teasel root is another one that I hear of a lot of people using with lyme - usually more for the arthritic kind of pain. I love a little chamomile when it comes to nerve-related pain. Hope this helps some!

Please be aware of interactions with other drugs. It's not recommended for those on warfarin and other blood thinning therapies. This has not been studied well and so those who choose to use it really need to do a lot of their own research to be sure that it's not something that will only make them worse, or put them in the hospital.

Kratom doesn't necessarily have any large medical studies that I'm aware of, but it has been used for centuries in Asian countries. I've personally experienced a lot of pain relief from kratom. You should consult with your doctor and do a bit of research on strains and dosage levels. There is a good post on this blog I added to regarding different strain effects: www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=16&m=3416854&p=1

There are tons of online vendors but I usually buy kratom from PA Botanicals www.pabotanicals.com

Lichen - I have no input about the Kratom, but just wanted to welcome you back to the forum.

Also while Kratom is absolutely addicting the risk is way overstated. Coffee is far more addicting IMO (though I find coffee more addicting than most drugs). I've been practically dependent on moderately large daily doses of kratom the past semester to get through school. Yes I wanted it ever day. Come Christmas break with no school stress my cravings disappeared and I have been cold turkey for several days after 3 months of continuous use with no issue. I've been doing this on and off for years. So life factors can certainly factor into dependence but in and of itself it's not some malicious entity that makes helpless users nor is the risk of physical dependency very large. Some do get withdrawals but it's rare. Nowhere close to. Conventional opioids. I would consider kratom about as safe if no more so than MJ and with far less behavioral impacts.

I have not taken it myself, but it has helped many on my neuropathy forum with their severe pain. I do know that it isn't legal everywhere. I can not get it in Wisconsin.

I took four grams of red kratom the other night and the pain went away quickly.

That is great that it is working for you. If for any reason it stops working or you need it more frequently then consider that the source of your pain or ailment still exists in your environment. If you have a failed dose, be careful how much you add to it.

A word of caution to those who are thinking of trying it. Avoid the enhanced or extracts. It adds cost and risk. You should only be using this in its natural form the way nature intended.

1000 mg of Agmatine Sulfate daily goes a long way to keep tolerance lower. If you find yourself in a position of weaning in the future, this addition may be key for you as everyone's withdrawal stories are different ranging from nothing and extending to rehab clinics. The less regular you use the more effective it will be.

I am a daily user for well over a year now and this fall it will be two. My dose is now 13 grams as needed. I am coming from a place of former medical dependence on opiates, so this Kratom has been a godsend for me. Compared to opiate withdrawal this should be a breeze, but it has been said that everyone must pay the piper at some point.

Will that be true for me also? I dont know. I have gone a day without it but not two. When it comes time to come off of this I will share the experience with all of you.

Thanks for posting about this. I have been taking Butrans patch and Tramadol for pain relief and after about 4 years, the Butrans stopped working. I was put on Fentanyl patch and it’s not giving me any relief. I have constant severe pain and can’t take care of my kids and home when am in so much pain. Would really love to have more natural way of relieving pain than stronger and stronger opioids. Even if just to take every so often to bring down tolerance to other pain meds. Would definitely love all the info as asked in questions in post by Insomniaaa.

Q:Can I use kratom as a sleeping aid?

A:There are some sedating strains, Red Borneo and to a lesser extent Green Raiu. Many strains are stimulating so you would want to avoid most types 3 hours before bed.

Q:Should I ingest it in the morning?

A: The stimulating strains like Green Maeng Da, Green Malay, and all Whites should be used in the morning. I am not a big fan of many Red strains whereas some swear by them. Green Maeng Da is my favorite for pain and motivation.

Q: What dose should I start with?

A: 3-4 grams. You should time how long it takes to affect you. For me its 1 hour but I have heard as little as 20 minutes. This way you know when to add another gram or two if needed. Try not to add more than 2 grams in this period.
(If coming off narcotics you should use a high dose and cease taking the narcotic. 7-8 grams is a high dose.)

Q: How do you consume it? can I just eat it?

A: Some make a tea using lemon juice. There are videos on line for how to make this. I have never succeeded at making a powerful batch of tea. In my opinion you get more from the method called Toss and Wash. Although it is very bitter.

I place a bit of sweet liquid in the bottom of a used 20 oz iced tea bottle which has a wider mouth and makes it easier to spoon in with a tiny spoon. Then I tare the scale to zero. Then I add the Kratom powder unitl it reaches my desired dose. Put the lid back on. Shake it and drink it down. Then pour in some more drink in, shake, and rinse so I get all of the goodness as well as accurate dosing. If you pour the powder in first it will stick to the bottom so pour some liquid in first.

Some cant stand the taste and add it to apple sauce. Be cautious of coffee consumption as it potentiates the Kratom. I have heard Grapefruit juice does also but in my opinion this is one of the more dangerous potentiaters. Alcohol should not be used either.

If you ever take too high of a dose, or accidentally double up like I did, you might get some tremors which will be relative to the dose. If this happens eat a decent amount of food. Food consumption seems to lessen its effect. For me Alprazolam will calm this down also but I have needed a relatively large 2.5 mg dose. Then go lie in front of the TV until it wears off. The TV will help keep your mind off of it.

insomniaaa said...
Thank you very much for the answers.
I forgot to ask some key questions though:

Is kratom bactericidal / antiviral / antifungal ? Can it cause herxheimer reactions?

Does Kratom increase the heart rate? Or any other side effects that I should know about?

Thanks.

There is no evidence that Kratom has any antibiotic activity of any kind nor do I suspect it does.

Kratom although stimulating has no more effect on heart rate than coffee as it is from the same family of plant.

At doses higher than recommended it might lead to temporary anxiety or tremors but I have not noticed any other side effect. Some have indicated an increase in constipation or bowel movements which may be green from all the powder. So expect this may happen. They may also have more volume when you toss and wash the powder, so dont be alarmed if you experience this.

I use magnesium to keep things moving easily.

For future readers;

I started getting classic babesia herxes after taking kratom for 4 months, at 5-10g daily. For me, reactions are pretty much the same as from artemisia and cats claw, which both started also at the 3-4month mark. Mepron + azithro gave me the same herxes, only that they started sooner.
Had to stop all of them due to severity.

From what i've researched, kratom does have some antimicrobial properties and significant antifungal and antiprotozoal (babs, malaria).
Natives were using it to treat malaria and those who were taking it regularly for other reasons were pretty much immune to malaria.

I can safely say from my own experience that kraton can indeed cause significant herxheimers if one has babesia co.