I have heard a lot of buzz about Kratom lately. Has anyone here used it, and did it offer any pain relief? I have ATN, and the only thing that offers me some relief from my constant burning is Opioids and/or Excedrin. I have become resistant to Gabapentin, Tegretol and any other preventative medication. I am terrified of the long-term hazards of opioid use, and there are many days when my 1-2/day Oxy still leaves me in agony. Medical cannabis is still not legal in my state, but Kratom is. Any help or advice would be very much appreciated.
This drug only began to be seen in the US in 2012, but it is easy to obtain online. Many smoke shops, “head shops,” convenience stores and gas stations sell this drug. Its not much different than opiates in its effect.
A person using this drug may not expect or want the following undesirable effects of kratom:
Edginess, nervousness
Vomiting (can be severe and prolonged)
Nausea (can be severe and prolonged)
Sweating
Itching
Constipation
Delusions
Lethargy
Respiratory depression
Tremors
Aggressive or combative behavior
Psychotic episodes
Hallucinations
Paranoia
Since the drug is also addictive, one of the effects can include compulsive use of the drug despite the harm that is being done to one’s mental state or life.
Addiction effects may include:
Loss of sexual desire
Loss of weight
Darkening of skin on face
Constant cravings that drive one to use more of the drug
Withdrawal effects of kratom are very similar to those of opiates like heroin or prescription painkillers. My guess it will be illegal VERY soon
Mod Support,
Never heard of Kratom but thank you for posting this so people will know about it.
There are a lot of claims about Kratom but the only person I know who uses it has an addiction problem that came about after his late-stage lyme disease. They used to use it as a substitute for opiates in places like Malaysia. I would be very careful.
Here is a recent study:
Don’t use it! I have worked narcotics as a police officer for decades. I see a lot of people addicted to kratom and abuse it regularly. A lot of them started much like you are thinking. I wrote an article on it here: https://onlinedrugtraining.com/what-is-kratom-and-why-did-the-dea-try-to-make-it-a-schedule-1-drug/
Opiates don’t work on nerve pain. Don’t take those. You will only become an addict. The only drugs that work are the medications in the same family as gaba. I did not want to become addicted to these drugs, so I chose to do MVD pretty quickly after being diagnosed. I had immediate relief. I still have frequent attacks, but they are manageable if I stay away from stress. Stress makes it unbearable.
You have to realize that the pain never will really go away, but it can be minimized. There are ways around the medicine trap. I have reduced my pain through surgery, meditation, removing stress from my life (this is the hard one).
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Hi Keith,
Do you have TN1 or TN2? I suspect TN1, since you had MVD. I’m so happy for you that it was helpful. I was told by Dr. Linskey that I am not a candidate for MVD because I have TN2. I can tell you that opioids do offer pain relief to some of us in my category. Our pain tends to be present every waking moment, so opioids is preferable to suicide. (Not to diminish the pain of TN1 sufferers, as I well know their pain is far more severe, but to my understanding, not as constant, and sometimes a break from the pain is all that keeps me going). Perhaps I am one of the lucky ones in that I have no psychological craving for opioids, but I do need them when the pain is unbearable and unrelenting. I prefer not to take them, so my neuro has me trying oxcarbazepine (trileptal), which I have just begun, and it seems to be helping a little, but makes me so drowsy and stupid that I can’t find words, which isn’t great for a professional writer. Anyway, I just wanted to say that opioids do help with my nerve pain and with some others who suffer from TN2 or atypical. I wish you continued healing and agree with you that in both our cases, stress makes it much worse.
By the way, just to clarify, I have never tried Kratom and will not in the future. When I need opioids, I take low doses of oxycodone. My neuro told me that this is preferable to oxycontin, which she wants me to avoid because she calls it “the heavy duty stuff.” I believe oxycontin may have codeine in it as well, so this would not be an option for me anyway, because codeine makes me projectile vomit…
I guess this what I was looking for.
And opiates are the only thing,so far, that touches the pain, that I can tolerate.
I would have been dead without them.It dulls the burning and the feeling of the tooth expanding.I can do something at a level 3 pain for an hour and a half.Then it comes back.But I know I have another dose in a few hours.Doctor trying to titrate me down.Hoping the new drug works.
Hi flute_cutey. Did you ever try Kratom? I told myself I wouldn’t, but after watching a documentary on it, I am considering trying it. If you have, I’d love to hear about your experience. According to the documentary, the addiction problem comes in when you use it every day. I read somewhere that if you use it only every third day, addiction is less likely, however I cannot vouch for that and can’t even recall where I read it. If I do try Kratom, I will report back here.
Hi Hollywood_Girl! I am glad you reached out to me. Yes, I am now taking Kratom. It has literally given me my life back! I am off of all other TN medications. Kratom will pull my ATN pain down to a 3-4 on most days. On flare days I am still pretty miserable, but this only happens about once per week. I have been taking Kratom daily for about 20 months. I dose about 4x per day. It gives me minimal side effects (constipation…which I have solved with a certain Magnesium supplement). I love it because it give me zero high. It just makes me feel normal again! Believe me. I have tried it all: over 30+ medications, MVD, simulator in face, Botox, etc.
Please reach out to me if you would like more details on how to give this a try. I can point you to vendors who test their products for safety and purity. I can also give you pointers on how to dose. Find me on Facebook and message me: Lora Smith Romney. Talk soon!
Thanks so much for getting back to me! I may give this a try if my exosome treatment does not work. And yes, magnesium is a lifesaver! So happy you are doing well. Talk soon.
Best,
Sheila