H1: Kratom Withdrawal Symptoms in Nashville: What Patients Experience
I am Dr. William Conway, MD, FACP, FASAM. I treat Kratom addiction in my addiction medicine practice in Nashville, Tennessee.
In the past year, I have had several patients who presented for buprenorphine maintenance treatment because they suffered from Kratom. One is a professor at a major University. Another is self-employed and owns his own construction company. A third is a truck driver.
Each of them is unique. However, all three share the common pathway to Kratom. They purchased their Kratom at the gas station. They all received some relief initially. They all accelerated their dose. Their expenditures on Kratom went from a few dollars to literally hundreds of dollars. Their use of Kratom disrupted their life. In the end, they suffered from Kratom.
H2: What Kratom Withdrawal Feels Like?
Kratom withdrawal typically causes anxiety, restlessness, muscle aches, nausea, and insomnia. Many patients describe it as feeling like a severe influenza-like illness.
Withdrawal occurs when the patient takes in less Kratom than before, or no Kratom that day. Withdrawal is a form of emotional misery. There is a general sense of discomfort while living in your own body. Sleep becomes difficult. Even though the patient is exhausted, their body remains alert.
One of my patients on Kratom described his bipolar disorder as being much worse when he was in withdrawal. The patient who lay on concrete found his body aching while he was in withdrawal,
Withdrawal makes the day’s predictable stresses worse. The patient often becomes irritable, with a sense of sadness or generalized fear or anxiety. It is difficult to get a day’s work done, whether you are teaching a class or laying concrete.
H2: Timeline of Kratom Withdrawal: Hours, Days, and Weeks
Kratom withdrawal has a pattern that is similar to other opioid withdrawals. However, Kratom withdrawal can be very prolonged.
In the beginning, what we call the acute phase, the suffering begins within 12 to 24 hours after the last dose, or a reduction in the last dose. The patient experiences profound restlessness, sweating, and muscle aches. Anxiety worsens. Over the next two to four days, it goes from bad to worse, with the suffering from restlessness, sweating, and muscle aches increasing. Finally, a peak is reached, and the symptoms subside.
While the acute phase is like the worst flu of your life, the next phase is described as a “ blue funk.” This phase can last for weeks. The patient experiences low energy, poor sleep, and persistent mood symptoms. The patient has an exaggeration of sadness or anxiety.
Kratom withdrawal, as a form of opioid withdrawal, has an acute phase of a few days, which is followed by a prolonged phase that can last weeks to months.
Relapse often occurs in the prolonged phase. The marathon race of misery from withdrawal is too much. The return to the gas station to begin Kratom again often occurs.
H2: Why Kratom Withdrawal Can Be Severe
Kratom withdrawal has a spectrum from mild to severe depending upon dose, duration of use, and individual factors.
Patients who are spending hundreds of dollars are often using concentrated forms. This produces a much more severe withdrawal since the body has adapted to a high concentration to maintain a sense of normalcy.
My patient with bipolar disorder suffered from a deepening of depression associated with a fluctuation of his mood from elation to sadness.
My patient who laid concrete was on a very high Kratom dose. He was unable to work. He was driven to extremes in trying to relieve his suffering. His study of the internet exacerbated the severity of his withdrawal for methods of “ painless Kratom withdrawal.”
Another patient of mine found that his chronic pain worsened. Each of these patients had a severity of withdrawal driven by their previous dose as well as their underlying biological vulnerabilities.
Kratom withdrawal is not a walk in the park. Kratom withdrawal produces predictable suffering,
H2: When Kratom Withdrawal Becomes a Medical Problem
The withdrawal from any opioid or opioid equivalent is a problem. Dehydration is common when nausea and poor oral intake persist. Sleep deprivation is always disturbing, leading to exhaustion and impairment. For patients with underlying medical problems such as bipolar disorder, chronic pain, or fragility, withdrawal can destabilize these conditions.
The mixture of physical suffering with psychological distress is significant. My three patients in Kratom withdrawal were all overwhelmed, each in their own individual fashion. Each of them went through withdrawal several times before choosing to see me. Each of them did better when they choose a path of recovery
Obtaining a physician’s services can make Kratom Withdrawal manageable, reducing suffering, and enhancing the return to work. If you have a Kratom Addiction, you require a well-supported recovery.
H2: Treatment Options for Kratom Withdrawal in Nashville
Treatment for Kratom withdrawal depends upon the severity of your illness, your means, and your choices. For any addiction in withdrawal, the patient has broad choices in treatment,
Abstinence-based treatment is always a choice. Buprenorphine maintenance treatment is effective in mitigating withdrawal as well as removing future opioid cravings.
Treatment of your other medical and psychiatric problems is always essential to reduce the losses from your Kratom Addiction, as well as to create a better future for you.
H2: When to Seek Help for Kratom Withdrawal
Everyone benefits from a long-term relationship with a general internist or family physician. Seek help immediately if you are experiencing major symptoms such as nausea, dehydration, hallucinations, or worsening medical conditions. These severe symptoms all require prompt medical treatment.
Kratom withdrawal produces suffering and losses. Having a Kratom Use Disorder, which is active, places you at ongoing risk for future losses.
Withdrawal from Kratom is the “canary in the coal mine.” It indicates that you have a disease that requires treatment.
“If you are trying to understand how kratom use begins and progresses, please read our guide on What is Kratom and How It Leads to Dependence.
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Conclusion
My work is to walk with you through those decisions — quietly, steadily, and without judgment. I am William Conway, MD, in Nashville
📞Call 615-708-0390
