Rapid Withdrawal Experiment

DOSE: T+ 0:00 0.65 Tbsp oral Kratom (tea) T+ 24:00 0.65 Tbsp oral Kratom (tea) T+ 48:00 0.65 Tbsp oral Kratom (tea) T+ 72:00 0.65 Tbsp oral Kratom (tea) T+ 0:00 2.5 mg oral Pharms - Diazepam
T+ 0:00 10 mg oral Naltrexone (pill / tablet)

       BODY WEIGHT:
   172 lb
     

I figured I would experiment some more with Kratom tolerance and withdrawal. So, in the name of science, I drank moderate doses of kratom tea, 4 days in a row (1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon of 'premium' each day). At the end of day 4, I took approximately 10-15mg naltrexone (a potent opiate antagonist). Within 45 minutes, my stomach became a tight knot, all sensory input became overwhelming, I began sweating profusely (and had to remove my shirt - I felt like I was burning up). My body temperature dropped by one degree even though I was pouring sweat, and I felt very dizzy. My eyes had dark circles around them and I became extremely pale. The feeling was extremely, extremely unpleasant and intense. All I could do was lay on the bathroom floor, wondering if/when I would vomit, and trying to cool myself down. Throughout the sweat, it felt as if my whole body had 'pins and needles' -- a kind of strange prickling effect.

20 to 30 minutes after the episode had started, it slowly tapered off. I was exhausted, laying on the bathroom floor to keep cool, but I felt like I had been through the wringer and had made it out the other side. I felt slightly detached from reality, exhausted, and my eyes were wet -- like crying without being sad, but other than that, I felt pretty much back to normal.

The next day I felt very, very slightly on-edge, but it dissipated quickly once I got moving in the morning. I took 10mg more naltrexone that night and experienced no more withdrawal effects, although I woke up several times during the night. On the third day, I took more naltrexone with no ill effects.

In previous experiments -- without naltrexone -- subtle withdrawal effects, only very minor, emerged after 36 hours after last ingestion of kratom and lasted for approximately 2-3 days.

In conclusion, I believe that the naltrexone precipitated some sort of 'fast withdrawal', which lasted approximately 20-30 minutes and was extremely, extremely unpleasant and intense. However, the only remaining withdrawal effect after the 'quick withdrawal' was a slight anxiousness and difficulty in sleeping and remaining asleep. Even these effects were gone after 12 hours.

My next experiment will be with low dose naltrexone (3-4mg each night) administered over the course of a week to determine if it can reverse kratom tolerance.

Follow-up

I want to make it clear that it was naltrexone, and not naloxone. They are very easy to get mixed up due to the similar names, but the potency, duration of effect, and absorbtion is much different. Naloxone is what they inject intravenously or intramuscularly in opiate overdose emergencies, and it has a very short duration. 10mg of naltrexone (what I took) is 1/5th of a normal 50mg ReVia pill, and the effects of a 50mg pill can last 24-48 hours. It is readily absorbed when taken orally.

I performed my experiment after taking 2.5mg diazepam, which I should have mentioned in my prior post. I can't imagine what it would have been like without it -- far worse, I'm sure...!

Kratom has been used by others, once or twice a week (max), never taking a dose two days in a row. Tolerance and/or physical dependence does not have to occur at all with such a schedule.

I am not a big fan of Kratom's effects, which is one of the primary reasons I choose to experiment with kratom versus other opiate-related substances. It is extremely important to note that I have never experienced any significant degree of psychological craving for Kratom -- which makes it an excellent substance to study in regards to physical tolerance, etc.! All other opiates I have run across induce far greater psychological cravings in my experience, and after several periods of experimentation many years ago, I refuse to experiment with them. Kratom seems much safer (psychologically and physically) to explore in a pseudo-scientific/bioassay manner.

The majority of my interest in Kratom comes from knowing some friends who, at various times, have struggled with heroin use and addiction, and from my overall personal and professional interest in psychopharmacology. Anything that can be learned to help people live their life how they desire is worth exploring, in my opinion, whether it be through mood and energy enhancement, like a pick-me-up from caffeine, through self-exploration via hallucinogens or meditation, or in successfully disentangling from physical and psychological addiction -- not only to drugs, but to food and other addictions as well.

I am also interested in exploring a dosage-reduction plan, where dosages of opiates are gradually reduced via tolerance-reversal with ultra-low-dose opiate antagonists. There are several interesting articles on the subject. One of the most well-known is entitled, 'Paradoxical effects of the opioid antagonist Naltrexone on morphine analgesia, tolerance, and reward in rats.' by Powell et al, 2002. I am also interested in the idea of people 'graduating from stronger drug usage to kratom usage' as an intermediary step towards non-dependence.

Exp Year: 2005ExpID: 39974 Gender: Male Age at time of experience: Not Given Published: Feb 8, 2005Views: Not Supported [ View PDF (to print) ] [ View LaTeX (for geeks) ] [ Swap Dark/Light ]

Naltrexone (338), Kratom (203) : Alone (16), Multi-Day Experience (13), Combinations (3) -->