It's necessary to write and share this now, as this natural, non-high-making, safe plant is being aggressively threatened by the FDA. (not sure why the layout is messed up, bear with choppy reading!)
I am a 61-year old counselor/educator whose life was changed considerably after developing three auto-immune diseases (CFIDS and colitis, interstitial cystitis) in the late 90’s, and then tossed into painful disability 14 years ago after two cancers (bladder, colon) whose aggressive treatments resulted in severe pelvic radiation disease. Following that, the diagnosis of fibromyalgia) left me in an ongoing state of serious to severe pain.
I will live in permanent, worsening pain for the rest of my life. Since 2001, I have necessarily had to take heavy medications in order to live a somewhat tolerable, "normal" life. Though many different medicines have been prescribed to me, my everyday go-to's were Morphine, Gabapentin, Vicodin, and Cymbalta. I also ended up needing sleeping medicines, as narcotic use dependably leads to considerable sleep disturbances. I never felt truly rested.
Even though I worked hard at not increasing dosage, I needed to do so a couple of times, and frankly, was frightened to observe the personal, far-reaching effects of long-term narcotic usage. My cognitive abilities became dulled. I also developed a "way" of communicating: I would be in the middle of a sentence, and suddenly simply go completely empty. I would suddenly have no idea what I was saying; all was a big blank. Helping to get me back on track, family and friends became used to having to say to me, "You were talking about _____." This was extremely embarrassing, and it happened approximately every 2-5 minutes while talking. I always played it off, saying, “Oh you know me, my mind is in a zillion places at once!” I regularly felt ashamed. As a singer, suddenly forgetting my lyrics on stage was mortifying, and I stopped singing. That was an indescribably serious, disheartening, humiliating loss.
I also noticed that life seemed to become increasingly "un-handleable." I got fewer and fewer things done, and seemed overwhelmed by a blanket of incapacity -- I found myself sitting, more often than not, in my chair in the living room, trying to carve out some type of a life while feeling dulled, both physically and mentally. I was forced to develop a new identity; the heretofore high-achieving, very active type-A personality no longer described me. This grueling endeavor of self- redefinition has been nothing short of monumental, as it is for all of us who find ourselves disabled, or weakened by physical misfortune.
Respiratory depression is a very serious, and very common side effect of narcotic-taking. Being someone who took dosage seriously, I never took over the prescribed limit, yet on three occasions, I was unconscious and vomiting. Had I been alone, I may not be alive to write this -- indeed, tens of thousands of people in the exact same position lose their lives every year to this accidental overdose scenario. One does not have to be a "strung out junkie" to fall victim to these horrid eventualities. It only takes ONE PILL atop a weakened body to push it over that precious edge. I know; I was almost there, and I did not take more than prescribed doses.
I will not go into the fact that narcotics are absolutely negative for the body in general; one only need study the boundless information out there.
Using narcotics, I was unhappy. I was stuck. Once again, I can NOT be without something to address the permanent, severe pain that I have. Disillusioned with the suffocated, truncated life that narcotics-taking made for me, I became depressed. Yes, this result -- robust depression -- is also extremely common in those who find themselves stuck in the same narcotics-dependent position...having to take these horrid drugs, without any other option.
For years, I had tried all sorts of alternative pain relief remedies without success. Who knows why I decided to try Kratom after hearing about it last November (2014). First, I studied about it, and found, after careful investigation, vendors whom I felt were reputable. Soon after that, I received the powder, and I made capsules, starting the experiment with trepidation.
KRATOM WORKED.
There is a lot to know about taking this plant responsibly. Those who only read mainstream news, and imagine obtaining it from local "head-shops" are in for trouble, as 1. it is presented as a dangerous horror, and 2. head shops have been known to sell adulterated, or poor-quailty Kratom. Misinformation abounds, and unfortunately, the overriding presentation of Kratom as a negative, woe-causing danger is rampant.
As of December 2014, I have completely stopped taking all prescription medicines for pain, sleep, and depression. The vast nightmare of withdrawals from these drugs further pointed up their toxicity (I have since discovered that several of them have occasioned myriad lawsuits, as manufacturers marketed the drugs in knowledge that they caused considerable harm both while taking them and in leaving them).
I have been returned to LIFE…true, real, active, feeling, full-sentence-producing LIFE…all thanks to Kratom. I am so deeply thankful for this; I am so amazed by the fact that I am back…I have verve and spark and hope again. In truth, after over a decade of being clouded by needed medicines, I felt that I had, in effect, disappeared. A disconnected shell of me remained, and life was a continuum of days and nights to merely get through, as well as possible.
As this amazing plant changed my life completely — gave it back to me, I became very involved with the on-line Kratom communities on FaceBook. There are many groups to find — all differing in their professionalism and articulate presentation. For months, I co-administered one such group, and there, found hundreds and hundreds of people whose stories were similar to my own. Bottom line: Kratom is saving and restoring lives of people across all parameters of age and socio-economic position. It is helping junkies come off street drugs. It is helping construction workers who have injured their backs. It has helped the depressed and the anxious. It has helped teachers with Lyme Disease. Nurses with depression. Hairstylists with ruptured discs. Accountants with MS. Cashiers with Lupus. Welders with DDD.
In short, Kratom is a life-changing remedy for myriad populations.
As of November 2017, I have been taking Kratom, without pharmaceutical medicine, for 3 years. With exception of the withdrawals from Rx medicines, I have never had ANY negative side effects. It does NOT make one “high,” and it does not ever cause respiratory depression. Kratom effects every person differently, and to find your perfect blend and dose requires some simple experimentation. There are several plant strains that have different effects on people’s systems: some is energizing (in a very pleasant, “non-rush” way), others are sedating to some (not to me), and others offer straight-up pain relief. I stopped taking it at one point several months ago and experienced no bad withdrawals (though some people evidently do).
Finding good information, and then responsibly taking the step to try this plant is the way to go, and should anybody want to do that, they should definitely connect with the reputable sources of information, such as “ilovekratom.com” or the National Kratom Coalition, Inc.(nationalkratomcoalition .org). where lots of essential information and excellent articles can be found.
The thought that should this plant be made illegal, forcing me to return to narcotics, is a nightmare for me. The idea that others assume the position of dictating the influences over the quality of my life (which is the bottom line) is disillusioning and angering. I imagine that the push toward criminalizing this plant is connected to the potential loss to the corrupt, shamelessly money-hungry pharmaceutical industry.
Please consider this a testimony that refutes the rampant misinformation available regarding Kratom, and please consider adopting an attitude of openness and willingness to see the facts as they are, not as they are ill-presented by a media that is largely bought by the wealthy opponents of all natural healing. Without Kratom, my life would shrink back into a sad scene of simply "getting by.” And *that* is a slow death.
