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Really Nice at Low Doses
Kratom
Citation:   TooOldForDrugs. "Really Nice at Low Doses: An Experience with Kratom (exp97078)". Erowid.org. Jan 23, 2014. erowid.org/exp/97078

 
DOSE:
3 g oral Kratom (capsule)
BODY WEIGHT: 190 lb
I got into Kratom as an alternative to popping pills. For a little background, I love getting high. But I'm grown now with responsibility that can't be ignored, even for half a day, so really getting high is a thing of the past. Not only can't I afford the time to really get wrecked, there's also no time for hangovers or detox. Also, since staying up all night isn't in the cards, most of my drug taking is during the day, and must be kept at a level that allows me to attend to real life as needed. So now I pursue 'enhancements' rather than teeth-grinding sheet-soaking benders. Sounds awesome, doesn't it? Well, that's adulthood I guess.

To that end, one thing I've come to really enjoy is low-dose opiates. Not enough to nod, but enough to get that warm rush. 10mg Vicodin has been my pill of choice and my routine has been to take one on an empty stomach with some grapefruit juice, wait for the come up, and take a second one just as the warmth starts. Seems to prolong the best part of the high, keeps the tolerance low, and makes for an enjoyable and manageable high. Then, that's it - no redosing until the following day at the earliest.

But getting the good high out of the low dose can be tough. That nice warm rush is super sensitive to getting derailed by seemingly anything. Even smoking weed, which I do daily, is enough to kill the best part of the high, and then I'm just left feeling foggy and annoyed. Also, finding with the pills, especially the good ones, is a hassle. And then there's the tolerance and detox - even at the low dose, I find the hydro loses it's effectiveness quickly and after 3 or 4 days on, it's hard to sleep and I'm constipated. So, while the high can be nice, I've been looking for alternatives. I found one.

I don't recall where I first heard about kratom, but I saw it was active with the mu and delta opioid receptors and was legal - that's about all I needed. Even better, at low doses it has a stimulant effect. A light, natural, legal, cheap speedball. So, I googled and found a local head shop that carried the stuff and was on my way.

Like most people, my initial thought was 'this has got to be bullshit'. I bought a small package of pure dried leaves sold as 'Cxxxxxn Kratom' and started off with two pills. I figured the most likely scenario was that I would feel nothing, and then gradually up the dose until some really shitty 'high' set in and I'd shit-can the rest of the pills. I was wrong.

As I was walking around after taking the two pills (1 gram), I was surprised to notice a slight visual 'shimmer' and a nice light uplifted feeling within 20 minutes. That feeling stayed with me for a few hours. That was all I had time for that day, and while I thought it was a good start, I figured the potential for upping the dose was still questionable.

The next time I started off with three pills (1.5 grams). 20 minutes after taking them I started feeling that good warm feeling (that I did not get at 1 gram) and I took one more pill (.5 gram). The feeling continued to build. I took two more pills about 30 minutes later for a total of 3 grams over an hour. The stimulated feeling was prominent, with a nice warm rush and emotional contentedness. Really felt great. Smooth high - not edgy. No nausea. Motivated, friendly, physically, emotionally and mentally high. Very, very similar to a great Vicodin high, but without the tiredness and itching that inevitably follows the passing of the opiate warmth. Very smooth come down. The stimulating effect outlasted the sedating effect at the 3 gram dose and the whole experience was very easy to integrate into the rest of my day.

Since then, I've found the magic to be in the 2-3 gram range, taken all at once. 4 grams and up leads to more sedation, more hangover, more constipation, and more opportunity for dependence. Obviously, 3 grams doesn't produce the nod that most opiate users are seeking, but for my purposes, it's awesome. At these doses no more than once a day, 4-5 days per week, the kratom doesn't seem to lose it's effectiveness and it's a nice fresh high every time. Where some aspect of the Vicodin high was erased by smoking weed or drinking alcohol, the kratom high sits perfectly with a couple of bat hits and a beer. And it's cheap. Less than $5 a throw. It's easy to do - I pay up for the prepackaged pills - no screwing around with powders and gelcaps or teas or what have you. No itching. Constipation is there, but not nearly as bad as with the opiates. At this stage in my life, kratom is exactly what I was looking for. A really nice high to keep the mood light.

Like most people, when I first looked into it, I figured, it's legal - how good can it be? It's good. The drug is very real. The high is very real. The opportunity to get hooked is also very real. After several trips around the block with cocaine, opiates, mdma, and speed, I've learned not to chase the high. But the high is certainly chaseable if you haven't learned that lesson yet and the results are not positive.

Playing with your opiate receptors, regardless of the chemical you do it with, is a recipe for several really difficult days if you don't manage your withdrawal. Constipation is no fun. But, for those who are either willing to tolerate those symptoms, or can manage to avoid them, this is pretty fun.

Exp Year: 2012ExpID: 97078
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: 35
Published: Jan 23, 2014Views: 77,998
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Kratom (203) : First Times (2), Not Applicable (38)

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