kratom stories Archives - Speciosa Guide

Opioid addiction is a growing concern. With nearly 70,000 opioid overdose deaths in 2018, the number keeps speedily growing. Heroin is one of these opioids, and its use and overdose deaths have been on an incline, as well, with nearly 15,000 lives claimed in 2018 alone. The interest in using kratom to quit heroin and other opioids is also on the rise.

What Is Heroin?

Heroin is a highly addictive and illegal opioid drug. It’s produced from morphine, a natural substance that can be found in the seed pod of the opium poppy. Heroin binds to opioid receptors within the brain, resulting in reduced pain and feelings of euphoria.

Heroin use isn’t safe, and it has a wide range of short-term and long-term negative effects.

It is possible to overdose on heroin. Moreover, it causes respiratory depression, which can result in coma, brain damage, or even death.

Sadly, around a million Americans report having used heroin in the past year, and this number and related issues only keep growing.

Heroin Use Disorder

Heroin is a highly addictive substance. It also creates tolerance in those taking in regularly. As a result, it makes it increasingly dangerous for one to use heroin.

Sadly, however, prescription opioids like Vicodin and OxyContin have a striking similarity to heroin. As a result, misuse of these medications or the inability to access them can lead to a person with chronic to starting taking heroin as a means of managing it.

That’s not the only reason for one to start taking heroin. Others use it to manage anxiety or depression, feel better, and more. A significant number also do so merely out of curiosity or due to peer pressure.

Quitting heroin, though, can be extremely hard, which is why many need professional help.

Common Heroin Use Disorder Treatment Methods

The most common means of treatment are behavioral therapy and medication. Usually, a combination of both is used.

Medications that are commonly used to treat and overcome opioid addiction target the same receptors in the brain. Yet, they are deemed safer. Two common medications to treat heroin use disorder are:

Methadone – a slow-acting opioid agonist. It’s an oral medication. Therefore, it reaches the brain slowly, as opposed to heroin. The person experiences a much weaker “high” and less likely to experience withdrawal symptoms. Unfortunately, methadone use can also be addictive and lead to overdose. Methadone also has numerous side effects that include drowsiness, constipation, confusion, coma, or death.
Buprenorphine – a partial opioid agonist. This sublingual medication reduces cravings and can also relieve pain. However, it also has negative side effects and potential for abuse and addiction.
Naltrexone– an opioid antagonist. This medication blocks the action of opioids and is neither sedating nor addictive. While it is a safer alternative to the medications above, one needs to comply with their treatment. Otherwise, the drug loses its effectiveness.

The issue with many medications that treat heroin and other opioid use disorder is that they too are opioids or opiates. Due to that, one may jump from one addiction into another.

This is precisely what happened to Steven Koontz, a 56-year old male, who decided to share his kratom story with us.

How Steven Quit Heroin with Kratom

Steven was addicted to heroin for thirty years. For him, it didn’t start as a means of getting pain relief. “I started with smack and fell in love immediately,” he says.

Regardless of the severity of his countless withdrawals, Steven was unable to quit. He tells us: “I have gone through withdrawal more times than I can count and no matter how horrendous the withdrawal, I would go back.”

As a means of getting off of heroin, Steven was prescribed methadone. Yet, it didn’t help as expected. Doctors prescribed additional medication to deal with the side effects of the prescription drug. Steven also spent time in rehabilitation centers and mental hospitals, against his choice.

“I was on methadone for almost five years, and that was harder to kick than heroin. Doctors wanted to put me on anti-depressants and mood stabilizers, but I hated how I felt on those, so I refused meds. I have been committed against my will twice to mental hospitals and in rehab seven or eight times.”

Everything changed for Steven when his youngest son introduced him to kratom.

“I tried it because I was out of ideas,” he admits.

Luckily, it was a good choice for Steven that he is grateful for: “I thank God for taking me down the path….and my baby boy.”

Not only he feels exponentially better now, but his craving for heroin is no longer an issue.

“It was three years ago since I have had dope. The drastic mood changes, days of lying in bed are almost gone. There are days, but they never last. The most amazing thing happened when I started kratom. The craving for heroin is gone. I’m not being over-dramatic. The desire for that high is just not there.”

Studies on Kratom and Its Effectiveness in Treating Opioid Addiction

While many take kratom to quit heroin and other opioids as well as beat alcohol addiction and have shared their positive experiences in surveys such as the John Hopkins study, official studies on the effectiveness of kratom are scarce.

But not for long. NIDA awarded the University of Florida College of Pharmacy two grants worth nearly 7 million USD. The study is led by Christopher McCurdy, a pioneer in kratom studies in the US, and its objective is to study kratom alkaloid and their effectiveness in treating opioid addiction.

Hopefully, this research will shed more light on kratom and result in a more positive reputation of the herb in the media.

Has kratom changed your life, too? Help us spread the word about kratom and its numerous benefits and uses to those who need it most! Share your kratom story here.

Becky Moore is a Tillamook, Oregon, resident. She is a terminal cancer patient who suffers from multiple myeloma.

What Is Multiple Myeloma?

Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that develops in plasma cells, a type of white blood cells created in the bones.

It is a painful form of cancer that causes cancer cells to accumulate in the bone marrow. They push out the healthy bone cells, making bones fragile. As a result, bones easily break and lesions develop inside the bones.

“I have been in pain for the last few years.” Becky accounts. “The war on opiates here has made it hard to get a prescription for pain medication. Even for a person with cancer. I know it is ridiculous but what can I do? I have tried mindfulness, yoga, steroid injections, and other things. But nothing worked.”

Pain medication that is commonly used to relieve cancer-related pain is also the very medication causing the opioid crisis in the United States. Due to it, there is a lot of stigma associated with prescribing opioid medication even to cancer patients.

It’s common for cancer patients to suffer from excruciating chronic pain. Nonetheless, every one in three cancer patients does not receive pain medication for their intensity of pain.

How Did Becky Discover Kratom?

“One day, a friend of mine who has multiple sclerosis told me about this plant. She gave me some and told me to try,” remembers Becky. “That night my pain was excruciating, and I was in tears. I remembered the kratom my friend had given to me and mixed it with orange juice. I put in three teaspoons as my friend had directed.

Yet, kratom was able to help by providing potent pain relief.

“About thirty minutes later the pain was down from a 9 to a 1. It was a miracle.”

Becky proceeded by finding her perfect kratom vendor.

“I called my friend and she gave me the names of some reputable vendors. I tried several kratom vendors until I found the perfect one. Not too far away. I got to be friends with the owner. She herself had found kratom. She used to be addicted to opiates. After she found kratom, she was totally drug-free.”

Why Does Becky Love Kratom?

According to Becky, kratom does not only relieve multiple myeloma-related pain. It has improved her quality of life and allows her to do tasks that she wasn’t able to perform before.

Becky shares: “The great thing about kratom is that I can live again. I still have pain but I can pick up my granddaughter, play ball with my grandson, help my mom in her garden and do other things. I CAN LIVE AGAIN! BECAUSE OF THIS PLANT!”

Because of the effects that Becky has experienced with kratom and the changes that it brought to her life, she wants to make sure that kratom remains legal and helps even more people.

“Please, this plant has changed thousands if not millions of people’s lives here in the United States. Without kratom, I would be bedridden or in such pain in a rest home. I want to continue my life without pain. I know that eventually, things will get worse but my oncologist says that could be years. Do not take this miracle away from us. I talk with people who use this every day like myself. They say the same thing. It has changed their lives for the better.”

Kratom Legality in Oregon

At this time kratom is legal in Oregon, yet, it’s unregulated. A new bill that intends to regulate kratom in the state of Oregon, is currently under review. If Oregon Kratom Consumer Protection Act passes, Oregon-based kratom vendors will have to comply with regulations that will offer safer access to the herb across the state.

Nonetheless, there is much controversy about kratom across the United States. Many believe that it’s an opioid or a dangerous drug that provides a high as well as other effects that have nothing to do with kratom.

Therefore, stories like Becky’s are crucial to share to counter the mass of misinformation on kratom. Kratom is a life-saving herb and more need to know about it.

“Thank you for reading my story,” Becky says. “I hope whoever reads my story, will pass it on. Like I’ve said, there are millions of stories like mine here in the United States. Please let us keep our miracle!”

We thank Becky Moore immensely for the time and effort it took to share her kratom story with us. If you too have a kratom story that you’d like to share with others, please do so by filling out this form. Together, we can help to make sure that kratom remains legal and helps millions of people across the United States and the world.

Kratom Stories: Kratom Helped Steven Quit Heroin