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Legitimate Alternative
Kratom Powder
Citation:   Engrgamer. "Legitimate Alternative: An Experience with Kratom Powder (exp71290)". Erowid.org. Aug 28, 2009. erowid.org/exp/71290

 
DOSE:
10 g oral Kratom (tea)
BODY WEIGHT: 220 lb
First I need to give some background on myself. I am a storied substance user, not abuser. Part of that has to do with my fascination with the pharmacology of drugs. I have used many opiate and opiate based substances. Therefore, I’m definitely not new to the sensations in which this type of drug creates. I’ve used opium once, ultram (extensively for headaches), darvocet, vicodin and oxycontin. I’ve experienced hardly any of the negative side effects associated with them. However, with very little use of oxycontin (10 mg) I developed a moderate depression for 24 hours afterward. Needless to say my allure with opioids was not limited to painkilling properties.

I’ve used few illegal drugs and many legal medications. Many of my experiences with previous legal highs have been underwhelming at best. Many times I was looking for purely an escape, but more recently headaches have been a constant problem. An old weightlifting injury causes me to have migraines occasionally and strong headaches at least a few times a week. So a substance which had analgesic properties piqued my interest.

10g, empty stomach 10:15 pm
Mindset at the time was calm to begin with and that day was relaxing. I received a small bag with a somewhat sweet, but earthy smelling green powder type material. So I poured the Kratom into a boiling cup of water. I let it steep for about 10 minutes and then drank it. It was sort of bitter, so I added some sugar which made it actually taste pretty good. I ingested very little of the plant from the tea until the bottom of the cup. Then after adding some water I managed to ingest the rest of the Kratom.

T +15 minutes:
I’m feeling some numbing in the mouth and a sense of calm. The initial effect from the tea did very little in the way of analgesia. Onset seems slower than it actually was.

T + 30 minutes:
Starting to have the familiar feeling of an opioid drug, limbs are getting heavy and feelings of euphoria start to creep in. Pleasurable warmth comes over the body and increases up until about an hour in. It is a very odd coming up. It was very slow and almost seemed like it wasn’t going to happen. It is very easy, nothing like a hallucinogen. There isn’t a well defined point of soberness and euphoria. I am completely content with having a conversation about almost anything. At the same time I felt perfectly lucid, but calm. Any pain felt in the body is easier to deal with.

T + 1 hour:
I seemed to have reached the zenith of the high and really do not feel any pain or at least notice it. It is easy to speak. Words flow and even the most stressful thing is manageable. Enjoyable things become sublime such as music appreciation. This is a common side effect of opiate based substances and I was very impressed with how amazingly it mimicked medications. It is a moderate euphoria at this dose, mostly because of my weight I’d say. To explain to someone not familiar with opiates: imagine being pretty drunk but still having your motor skills and ability to think rationally. It would be about the equivalent of a strong dose of vicodin.

T + 3 hours:
The euphoria is starting to go away quite slowly just as it came. As far as drugs go this is one of the easier highs to come off of. A VERY mild depression is created from the after effect of the drug, but if the dose is taken at night you’ll most likely sleep it off. I had some lethargy the next day, but not enough to where I couldn’t function.

My thoughts on the plant: Kratom so far has been very helpful to me. In a sense many opiates are more like pain management instead of painkillers as people would have you believe. They get rid of some of the pain, while helping you to deal with the rest. As a migraine sufferer, this provides a good alternative to using the aforementioned medications as they have many more side effects and can have more serious long term health problems. I personally would not take the extract of this plant, because it seems to be on the same course of action that happened with heroine during the 19th and early 20th century. The poppy seed was turned into opium, and then a stronger version called morphine and then a super concentrated version which is the heroine known today.

Exp Year: 2007ExpID: 71290
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Aug 28, 2009Views: 21,524
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Kratom (203) : Unknown Context (20), Medical Use (47), Health Benefits (32), First Times (2), General (1)

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Experience Reports are the writings and opinions of the authors who submit them. Some of the activities described are dangerous and/or illegal and none are recommended by Erowid Center.


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