I must have been mistaken when I read this novel you posted about the journal of quitting and all of the drugs a person had done. I took this to be your story since you were posting it :

POST 11 For what it's worth.. when I withdrew from opiates, Ambien was a lifesaver! I just did a small 3 day WD on Kratom going from 6-8g per day down to 4 and Ambien was no savior. Actually seemed to make the RLS (chest for me) worse! Seems like WD is generally worse on Kratom than it ever was for me on opiates. :( POST 12 I don't get why it says on the petition it's no more addictive than a cup of coffee. I was an everyday heroin user and I have not stopped taking kratom because the wd's seem very reminiscent of opiate wd. I feel if we are to be taken seriously should provide correct argument. The only difference is kratom is dirt cheap so if you are wd'ing you should probably have more money. EDIT: still signed and I believe it is a wonder drug but I see and sense a strong will not to want admit addiction on here. It's all good man life ain't perfect and sometimes a crutch helps walk POST 13 Everyone who has kicked Kratom after long-term use...hope u recognize that it's a significant accomplishment. This is NOT easy, and I HAVE detoxed off plenty of other stuff. Hopefully this will be the last one, although I'll never assume that...ever. I'm doing 12-step meetings everyday. It gives me some relief somehow and I just keep my mouth shut. REPLY TO POST 13 : Yeah Kratom withdrawal weighs so heavily on my mind; it scares the fucking piss out of me. The last time that I detoxed off Kratom I actually checked myself into the hospital phsyc ward. And I checked myself into the physc ward the time before that too. For me; the transition from my 'Kratomed' self; back to my clean self is really dark. The hospital gave me a safe place, and comfort meds. Gabapentin is amazing for withdrawal. POST 14 Prior to quitting, I was drinking a shit ton of powdered Maeng Da every day, several times a day. It got so bad that I actually started feeling dysphoric and detached from the world. I thought I had pneumonia or something. Nope. Once I realized that kratom was ruining my life I threw it all away and haven't looked back. I've experienced withdrawls from opiates and benzos, but none of that even comes close to what I'm experiencing now. I'm fucking incapacatated. All the kind messages and comments on here are what keeps me going. You're all in my thoughts. I'm gonna keep on fighting until the day sobriety embraces me. POST 15 Good question. I withdrew from a sizeable tramadol addiction a couple years ago. It's hard to compare since you forget over time, but tramadol was ALOT more difficult physically for me. Mentally, Kratom has been more difficult. But every one is different in their reactions. Best of luck! POST 16 I found giving up the kratom much more difficult than quitting oxy. I just feel like so many more parts of my brain were involved with kratom. Kinda subjective and hard to explain. Although at least I didn't have to stay so close to a bathroom coming off K. POST 17 I've done the cold turkey off regular opiates (oxy, morphine, etc). It SUCKS and its harsh. The physical part is awful. Thankfully the physical hell runs its course quickly and then it's mostly over. Kratom affects me intensely on a mental level and when I have tried to just quit, I go to such dark places in my mind that I can't possibly see past it. I can't even trust myself. For that reason, it's harder for me to quit Kratom. I have to taper. Physical symptoms do stink, but man, when you lose your mind, you really have nothing... POST 18 I feel like I could survive everything Kratom w/d could throw at me EXCEPT the absolute mental HELL that I've never experienced before trying to quit Kratom. I tried just stopping it and prepared for the 'symptoms similar to quitting caffeine' but that's not what happened at all. I got so dark in my mind soooo fast that I decided to taper and found this Sub. I am not new to opioid withdrawal. I've done plenty. Morphine, poppy tea, oxy, Suboxone. Have quit SSRI's too. I can say 100% honestly that Kratom effs with my head worse than anything ever has. That is where my real fears lie. It's like my whole life, every little pain and disappointment, every unresolved issue or stressor, every unfulfilled dream or desire, every fear and insecurity..they are all HUGELY magnified and I'm in this utterly hopeless, desperate black hole. I'm absolutely not exaggerating. Does anyone have any clue how or why this happens? It would help me to understand. Thanks. POST 19 I tapered from 10 to 20 grams per day down to less than a gram per day in two doses and then stopped. The depression and anxiety was worse than when I came off heroin years ago. But I stayed off and got better, and then started Kratom again about three months ago. I'm tapering again, down to about a gram and a half per day in four separate doses. I'll provide updates. Would love to hear from others who are fighting this Kratom thing. For me, the physical wds are not that bad, but the mental agony is worse than any opiate. POST 20 (and reply to guy from post 19) I'm with you, the mental side of things is what I'm really struggling with. I too had nowhere near the anxiety I am currently experiencing after quitting Suboxone and Oxy's. I'm not sure if it's worse to have bad physical w/d's, or bad mental. Of course, right now I'm going to say it's worse having bad mental wd's, but also consider that I was 5 years mostly opiate free (no dependency) until I started Kratom 2 1/2 months ago. It's been quite some time since I had to go through pharma opiate w/d. POST 21 (reply to post 20) With the mental--in addition to intense anxiety and waves of depression, there is also the foggy headedness (difficult to formulate and articulate thoughts), inability to concentrate and forgetfulness. It's like a form of brain damage (almost like alzheimers?) And the Kratom seemed so innocuous at first. I'm relying on gabpentine, but have a doctor who is sympathetic and will probably prescribe lorazepam (don't see him until the 16th). Problem is, the lorazapam can make the depression worse, and clonidine (which I have) can make the lethargy and depression worse. I'm 51 years old and can't believe I've gotten myself in this predicament, having should have learned my lesson years ago. At any rate, thanks for the feedback. I wish you the best with your process! POST 22 I've experienced the worst of the worst opiate withdrawals. Coming off of Kratom was horrible as well. I wasn't even taking very large amounts. The withdrawal symptoms are very real. "It's like coffee withdrawal" is the biggest load of BS I've ever read. I understand everyone is different but people downplay the seriousness of how shitty coming off this stuff is.