I reckon in the name of Harm Reduction and Addiction Swap/Substitution I have to put forward a couple of comments regarding Kratom, as I have pretty much been taking it daily since 2007, with two six month long interruptions due to working abroad/travelling, so I have experienced the good, helpfulness but also the bad.



1: Quote "It is reported that Kratom WDs can be unpleasant". I'd say that is a massive understatement, I know that myself included and a couple of other people were actually taken by surprise by both the severity and sheer lenght of long-term, high dose kratom WDs.



True for the short term, at the doses you mention it is unlikely you will have bad WDs, however the doses mentioned, which I feel are quite low, especially if somebody is using kratom as an opiod substitution substance.



I know that even if it's after a couple of weeks of daily oxy, I would need at least 25 grams of kratom leaf before all the WDs symptoms are taken care of. I have a friend who I lived with who used kratom to come off heroin and he used to dig into my at the time multiple-kilo stash of bali leaf several times per day, I think he was probably eating up to 50 grams a day to effectively negate WD symptoms from daily brown.



If somebody is coming off any opiate stronger than codeine and needing kratom to come off, it is very likely a dose under 10/15 grams would not even be felt in the slightest and would not provide any comfort.



2: WDs from kratom itself: I have to say that I don't have that much experience with proper opiates, apart from a few month stint with oxy in the US and other weeks of occasional binging also with oxy, I have never really consumed any heavy duty opiate on a daily basis for a period longer than six months so I can't comment too much. But for me even a three month oxy habit (daily dose anywhere between 40/80 mgs) is much much easier to come off than kratom. While with oxy most of the bad physical symptoms would be pretty much gone by the third day of abstinence, with kratom WDs haven't even peaked by then. It usually takes me at least 48 hours to develop full blown WDs, sweating, diarreah, vomiting, gagging reflex, yawning, runny nose, red devil eyes that itch and lacrimate, no energy, shakes, uncrontrollable ejaculation(fucking awful that one), severe anxiety, inability to sleep or eat. For me if quitting after three or four months of daily oxy would be sorted within less than a week(3/4 days), with kratom symptoms last for at least twice the amount of time and are more severe in intensity, I have managed to attend conferences and work after quitting oxy, but could never do that with kratom.



Also the worst thing is the depression and lack of motivation, will to live, severe dysphoria that sets in after a week and lasts for as long as it took me to pick up another habit, methoxetamine in my case, the last time I quit long term daily kratom.





Also another thing, high dose LOPERAMIDE. I feel this hasn't been stressed enough in the OP, but taking high doses of immodium, actually negates a lot of the symptoms, not only diarreah, but in my experience it helps with restless legs, yawning, runny nose, itchy eyes, anxiety, depression and sleep. It actually enables one to attend work and not be confined home for days on end. A taper plan starting with 80/100 mgs of loperamide the first day, that's 40/50 pills, with a daily reduction over the course of the week, helps tremendously with opiate WDs. I buy bottles of American loperamide online as here in Europe in pharmacies they only have small boxes with like 16 pills, online you can source bottles with up to 200 pills. I have one bottle in my backpack, which is always with me whenever I leave the house, and other stashed at home just in case.