kratom for different types of pain

[Nelson Baboon]

I love kratom, but i don't take it for pain. I love taking it to work out, but this is mostly because i enjoy being 'kratomized' while i do so....

but hell - i'm old, and sometimes my joints get cranky, or i feel otherwise stiff (which i guess would not be characterized as pain per say). I think that a lot of people use kratom for chronic pain, which thankfully i don't have to deal with.

Any recommendations? I've followed recommendations here to try lower doses and have been having great success with 1.5 and 2 grams, but i don't notice much difference in my overall stiffness, or joints, etc. Are larger doses plus a nice red generally required?

[Kelleytoons]

I think it boils down to the batch.

Some batches are very good at reducing pain. Not alleviating it - you require heavy drugs for that and even those drugs tend to either not remove it completely or you tend to build up tolerances that then defeat the purpose. But with the right batch you can get the pain level dialed down pretty well. Before my knee operation (when I could not even lay down at night without being in so much pain I couldn't sleep) kratom eased me so much I slept well and could even play tennis (not very well but that's a whole other story).

Folks say "reds" but that's a VERY general observation and not particularly helpful. I think you need to just experiment and find the batch or batches that work well in that regard for you. As another very general rule a batch that provides energy (most often known as a white but can be other colors as well) is not helpful with pain. Usually the best pain relief comes with a sedating batch.

I have at least 10-15 batches I think are excellent at making me feel better. Again, not completely pain free, but well enough I can cope. But everyone is different and it will require some effort and research to find what works best for you (start with reviews here that mention this trait). Oh - and no one is older than I am. And thus my entire body, at times, is in pain (particularly after tennis). I took a great green this morning and I'm finally able to walk around and function.

[Nelson Baboon]

I think it boils down to the batch.

Some batches are very good at reducing pain. Not alleviating it - you require heavy drugs for that and even those drugs tend to either not remove it completely or you tend to build up tolerances that then defeat the purpose. But with the right batch you can get the pain level dialed down pretty well. Before my knee operation (when I could not even lay down at night without being in so much pain I couldn't sleep) kratom eased me so much I slept well and could even play tennis (not very well but that's a whole other story).

Folks say "reds" but that's a VERY general observation and not particularly helpful. I think you need to just experiment and find the batch or batches that work well in that regard for you. As another very general rule a batch that provides energy (most often known as a white but can be other colors as well) is not helpful with pain. Usually the best pain relief comes with a sedating batch.

I have at least 10-15 batches I think are excellent at making me feel better. Again, not completely pain free, but well enough I can cope. But everyone is different and it will require some effort and research to find what works best for you (start with reviews here that mention this trait). Oh - and no one is older than I am. And thus my entire body, at times, is in pain (particularly after tennis). I took a great green this morning and I'm finally able to walk around and function.

i'm 70. I guess one of my questions (probably not articulated well) is whether kratom that works well for chronic pain will also be good for the kind of soreness and stiffness that I experience? or does kratom that is 'good for pain' simply work on the pain itself, and it's really all the same?

I would like to find a strain that will make me get younger, though. I'd pay a little more than the usual....

[SeventhHeaven]

I'm 69, Mr Baboon - and I got into kratom a couple of years ago now because of pain from osteoarthritis. Someone I know on a political forum elsewhere suggested both kratom and this forum to learn about it. I'm forever grateful

Unlike the majority here on Double M, I usually only dose once every other day. I have zero tolerance, and every time I dose an appropriate "batch" I get from 3-6 hours of pain relief - not completely, but a nice break. I also enjoy good greens for the "euphoria" they can provide, and the best ones can give some pain relief as well. But usually a good red is what helps the most for pain, at least for me. The colors merely refer to how the leaf is cured and/or the effects, but they can be a good starting point.

I've had two hip replacements, one of them just last November, and my fingers for the most part are barely functional. I played hard rock lead guitar for a living when I was young, and I played lead guitar on numerous worship teams for many years - the fingers on my left hand went first, starting about 20 years ago. These days, EVERYthing hurts

As Kelleytoons said, kratom doesn't "cure" the pain, but - for me - it's a wonderful break, and I enjoy both the short 3-6 hour easing of pain AND the warm fuzzies and U4ric smile the good greens give me. Everybody's body is different, so different "batches/strains" work differently for different body chemistries - or even for one person's at different times. But over time, you'll figure out what works best for you

[Kelleytoons]

Yeah, I'm older than both of you (not put together, however :>) and kratom works for me - just have to find the right batch.

I don't think there's a "chronic pain" batch and a "severe temp pain" batch - it's just that kratom, the right kratom, can provide relief of any kind of pain you have. Not total relief, but enough. I couldn't play tennis without it.

[Loveandpeace]

I just HAD to comment -- you three old men have given ME the 'warm and fuzzies' 🫶

Thank you for an utterly wholesome guffaw on a mellow Sunday morning...

Please carry on...

[SeventhHeaven]

I just HAD to comment -- you three old men have given ME the 'warm and fuzzies' 🫶

Thank you for an utterly wholesome guffaw on a mellow Sunday morning...

Please carry on...

What's thatcha say there, sonny? Eh?

* squints harder at screen *

* picks up blackthorn cane and carries on *

[Kelleytoons]

Age really CAN be a state of mind - I play tennis two or three times a week and Friday I was playing and this guy sat down on our court to watch and I asked him (somewhat facetiously) if he wanted to play for me in the next set (it was like 95 degrees and 80% humidity and I was pretty worn out after having won the first two). He said he could not, that he was 92 years old and his tennis days were behind him.

Hell, at twenty years older than me he was walking and looked fine - so he couldn't play tennis? So what - my goal is to be this guy a couple of decades from now. I also DID play tennis with a guy 91 and we were unbeatable. He couldn't move, but I could cover everything else and we was great at any ball that came his way. Again, my hero.

Don't ever give up - this is the life we have, and while it's way too short (and then we die) at least we can have a great deal of fun living it. Kratom helps (a lot).

[IdiopathicPain247]

I just joined, and this is my first post. I am almost 71 and was diagnosed with idiopathic neuropathy 16 months ago. I am in pain 24/7 so I started trying Kratom about 2 months ago. Beginner and very curious. I live near Columbia Missouri, and there is a shop that carries Kratom that is owned by a guy that has Lyme disease and has used Kratom for 9 years. He is a reliable person with very good products that cover a wide range holistic products. His website is https://www.mindrightwellness.com/
I use marijuana, not a lot, and it helps with pain & anxiety/depression, but sometimes my Kratom dose really cuts those issues. I have tried to take a break but have only been able to "tough it out" for about 12 hours. I do not want to take more than 10 grams a day, but the effective doses for me are as follows: 7am-1 gram white maeng da, 1 gram green maeng da 12pm-1 gram super red indo 1 gram green maeng da 5pm- 1.5 grams green maeng da, .5 grams white maeng da 2am-4 grams super red indo. That is 10 grams per day. I have two questions ( so far ). The places that are advertised here, do they have better and reliable strains? Is there a large consensus on a very good place
( website ) to buy approx.. 300 grams of white, green, and red each? From what region is best? Do I need to be concerned about addiction or tolerance issues with the way I am taking it?
I know we are all different with different issues. I would like Kratom to be part of my everyday "medicine" because it works better than pharma pills, it is safer, and less expensive. I think I am need of a Kratom "coach".

[boureka]

@ idiopathic pain
Hi. If you haven't already, take a deep dive and read read read the myriad new and older threads on double m. You will learn many things and get a lot of information of what to and what not to do. People like ballzdeep and kelleytoons have promoted a less is more strategy which is very helpful because you don't want to climb the dosage ladder. Obviously, the forum is not designed like a textbook so you'll be jumping all over the place and you'll be well served by a pen and paper. The search button is helpful of course to home in on your questions. Good luck

[IdiopathicPain247]

I have neuropathy that flairs up bad when I rest/sleep/lie down. My legs, abdomen, neck, shoulders/arms, ears and sinuses. I get fatigued by lack of sleep and dealing with pain. I am starting to use Kratom daily as it is the best medicine I have used...gabapentin, ibuprofen, or marijuana. I guess I have to be aware of the "less is more" practice, because my instinct is to up my doses. Kratom doesn't remove all the pain ( except occasionally-which is miraculous ). I am glad I found this forum...I am learning a lot and I have already ordered some Kratom from some suggested types and suppliers.

[Kelleytoons]

A couple of things you sound like you might have missed.

First of all, there's no such thing as an "area" or a place name for certain kratom you might want. IOW, if something is called "Bali Red" that is just a name that particular vendor uses. It doesn't mean it comes from Bali, it doesn't even mean it's what we would think of as a "red". Another vendor could use EXACTLY the same name and his batch could be COMPLETELY different. In fact (not to confuse you further) a vendor could use the same name for two different batches, and they are different because the dates they were gathered are different.

The only thing you CAN be sure of is that IF a vendor identifies his batch by a number (say, B051223) and a name then that is the same batch - so if you hear someone saying it's a good batch then it's worth a try (particularly if you hear a LOT of folks saying it's a good batch).

Also - it's good to vary your vendors. Again, while a lot of vendors are selling the same stuff (but calling it different names) using different vendors makes it more likely you ARE getting different powder, and that's important because it appears the body does adapt to a certain batch. As a very general rule you shouldn't use the same batch more than once every three days - this will help with tolerance levels (note: this is a VERY general rule. Some folks will use the same batch for three times a day for weeks with no problems. We are always trying to take the widest possible picture on what is best).

Dose wise you sound fine - as another very general rule you shouldn't need more than 2-3 grams for any particular dose. Those folks doing a lot more can cut way down with better results. But if you are keeping it as low as you say I think you're doing fine. I'd just make a point of mixing up your batches, though - if I were you I'd get at least 10-15 different batches to rotate in (I'm a bit crazy - my rotation is nearly 100 batches in about a month).

[Nelson Baboon]

A couple of things you sound like you might have missed.

First of all, there's no such thing as an "area" or a place name for certain kratom you might want. IOW, if something is called "Bali Red" that is just a name that particular vendor uses. It doesn't mean it comes from Bali, it doesn't even mean it's what we would think of as a "red". Another vendor could use EXACTLY the same name and his batch could be COMPLETELY different. In fact (not to confuse you further) a vendor could use the same name for two different batches, and they are different because the dates they were gathered are different.

The only thing you CAN be sure of is that IF a vendor identifies his batch by a number (say, B051223) and a name then that is the same batch - so if you hear someone saying it's a good batch then it's worth a try (particularly if you hear a LOT of folks saying it's a good batch).

Also - it's good to vary your vendors. Again, while a lot of vendors are selling the same stuff (but calling it different names) using different vendors makes it more likely you ARE getting different powder, and that's important because it appears the body does adapt to a certain batch. As a very general rule you shouldn't use the same batch more than once every three days - this will help with tolerance levels (note: this is a VERY general rule. Some folks will use the same batch for three times a day for weeks with no problems. We are always trying to take the widest possible picture on what is best).

Dose wise you sound fine - as another very general rule you shouldn't need more than 2-3 grams for any particular dose. Those folks doing a lot more can cut way down with better results. But if you are keeping it as low as you say I think you're doing fine. I'd just make a point of mixing up your batches, though - if I were you I'd get at least 10-15 different batches to rotate in (I'm a bit crazy - my rotation is nearly 100 batches in about a month).

I see people making general statements, like you make above, particularly "Again, while a lot of vendors are selling the same stuff (but calling it different names) using different vendors makes it more likely you ARE getting different powder", is that really true of say the more trusted of 'small batch' and private vendors? I would personally be a bit surprised if private vendor X (i've bought several strains each from several recently), are just renaming the same stuff, ostensibly just to suck more of my money. And if one doesn't really need to worry about trusted vendors, then it really isn't necessary to rotate vendors, rather than simply rotating strains...just trying to follow the logic.

[Kelleytoons]

I do not believe that *most* small private vendors are doing anything even slightly dishonest. However, we know there are only a limited amount of growers, and those growers supply a LOT of different people. With the exception of TFH I am POSITIVE that many vendors end up with product that another vendor has - no effort to be evil or misleading, they just get what they get, and call it what they want to call it.

But by changing vendors/batches we can, as much as possible, insure we aren't taking the same batch every time. It may not even be that significant - as I wrote, there are some folks who use the same batch repeatedly with no issues. But I certainly wouldn't want to take the chance that my body would accommodate itself to one batch.

So, again, to be clear - if I am a vendor getting something from grower H who is also supplying, say, ten other vendors, there's no way I have of knowing what those other vendors are even calling the batch (the grower doesn't name it - it's just a batch of "stuff" to him). And then you factor in that many vendors are selling "blends" they make themselves and you end up with a pretty good chance of getting something different as long as you don't buy the same batch from the same vendor over and over (well, until they run out).

But you can do whatever you want - I'm only providing very general advice.

[Nelson Baboon]

I do not believe that *most* small private vendors are doing anything even slightly dishonest. However, we know there are only a limited amount of growers, and those growers supply a LOT of different people. With the exception of TFH I am POSITIVE that many vendors end up with product that another vendor has - no effort to be evil or misleading, they just get what they get, and call it what they want to call it.

But by changing vendors/batches we can, as much as possible, insure we aren't taking the same batch every time. It may not even be that significant - as I wrote, there are some folks who use the same batch repeatedly with no issues. But I certainly wouldn't want to take the chance that my body would accommodate itself to one batch.

So, again, to be clear - if I am a vendor getting something from grower H who is also supplying, say, ten other vendors, there's no way I have of knowing what those other vendors are even calling the batch (the grower doesn't name it - it's just a batch of "stuff" to him). And then you factor in that many vendors are selling "blends" they make themselves and you end up with a pretty good chance of getting something different as long as you don't buy the same batch from the same vendor over and over (well, until they run out).

But you can do whatever you want - I'm only providing very general advice.

i just think that one can overcomplicate things. If multiple vendors are using kratom from the same source, then rotating vendors doesn't mitigate that. and if one trusts a particular vendor, it seems harmless to rotate amongst their strains, and not worry about always switching vendors.

i appreciate the advice, i just think that some of this isn't necessary if one trusts a vendor.

but yes - it's true. it can't hurt to rotate vendors as well.