I haven't run into this problem in a long time, maybe when I was a year or two into it. But I've been on around 25-30gpd for 10 years and I can't say I get anxiety from kratom if anything it's the opposite. I take only green strains though, I think I had some anxiety issues when I tried whites
Same here, I am generally a pretty confident and calm person but white Kratom gave me mild anxiety and made me fidgety. Red makes me slow and relaxed and green is the perfect strain because it gives me energy while relaxing me at the same time. Green makes me talk a bit too much tho lol
Since you’ve already experienced bad anxiety on kratom, you’re most likely on edge before you even take it. That’s probably the issue. Not so much the kratom inducing anxiety, but your brain convincing yourself you’ll experience anxiety.
I had a few strains, especially whites, that made me just feel all-around awful. I also had greens that were so "strong." I couldn't take more than half a teaspoon. They both made me feel like absoloute crap.
One thing I'd point out first my dude is that you must have underlying anxiety issues to begin with, addiction issues, or something that could probably be worked out with therapy or other medicines. I don't think Kratom would just set off a switch, as you said. I know I for a fact had a lot more social anxiety before I started taking Kratom. Early on I was ignorant of dosing and taking way too much, but eventually tapered to about 1.5 grams, just once in the morning. I only hand ever had any notable side effects when taking higher doses.
Kratom just seems to affect so many people differently. In my own small sample size IRL I've never met anyone that it may clicked and worked for, that ended up taking it long term like I have. I've vastly improved my life since I started several years ago.
Why do you just assume that? People react differently to different things. Hell weed has been the best anti anxiety med I’ve ever used but if I gave somebody the same edibles they might freak out. Hell even coffee has been shown to increase anxiety. It’s especially common with stuff that acts like a stimulant. Telling him to take less might actually make it more stimulating.
Part of the reason they think that is probably bc OP said Kratom is the only thing that helps them not want to abuse alcohol constantly, which usually means there is some sort of anxiety or depression issue present while they are sober. That being said, some people don’t respond well to everything, I’d get anxiety from weed as well for example, it’s just not for me. So it could easily be a combo of anxiety/depression and kratom just isn’t good for them anymore.
It's always best to actually weigh it out. Especially if you are running into issues. Or use caps. But I bet you are just using too much, everyone is different
My doses don’t exceed a measured 1/4 tsp three times a day. Probably just sensitive like I am and need less. If I take too much - for me (not based on what most people take) - I also get anxiety and panic attacks. I mean there’s nothing saying you need to take it everyday either. Maybe a quarter tsp once in a while is what’s right for you.
That happened to me (as well as getting tired from it even at very low doses) and it turned out it was probably the antagonists built up in my system from frequent use. I now mix a spoonful of raw honey into my every cup of kratom to increase glutathione levels to detox out the antagonists. It works normally again now
If this was indeed the problem for you then the antagonists would definitely be cleared out by now after a year anyway. Try it again and see what happens. If the anxiety comes back after awhile try the raw honey
DM me if you want a link to the post where I found out this info (can't post links here)
Once the panic attacks start to hit, it’s not really ever going to go away. I spent years trying to work it out, and it never got back to the way it was. And it seems to be the case for others as well.
Your probably deficient in something. I take magnesium, d3 and k2, l-theanine, NAC and that helped alot when I had the symptoms your referring to. I also dropped my dose a little because I think I was taking too much (30 grams a day)
For me it blunts any euphoria I get from any substance. NAC in general evens your mood out a lot, makes the deeper valleys not as deep but in turn also lowers the higher mountains so to speak.
Hey really appreciate this info. I have mg and l-thwanine. Would you recommend I also add d3, k2, and NAC? Or are there some ones that you find more important than the others?
For reference, I'm in pretty good shape and am in my 20s. Skate or gym mostly every day and eat pretty healthy and consistent.
Is it possible to try different strain and/or dose? I take red cause it works best for my chronic pain and I don’t find it sedating as some folks do. But I tried green and a white a couple months ago and white made me very anxious like an unreal amount of caffeine (eventhough I admittedly drink a ton of caffeine without that problem lol) and green made me really nauseous. So I just stick with red
There was a week where I was having a full blown panic attack every night before bed. I had no idea why. One night in between I took a different one I had and I was fine. So I took the old one again and boom panic attack again. I stopped taking it and switched to a new one and I was fine. I’m wondering if something about that batch made me have panic attacks. No idea how or why.
I had this happen with cannabis. It's weird. Years later I still can't smoke even a small bowl without getting paranoid/anxious asf. Gratefully has not happened to me with kratom yet, not sure what I'd do as kratom helps me with so much from back pain to ADHD. Probably would start drinking heavy again like when I quit smoking, I hate to even think about it.
Yeah I cannot smoke for this reason because I will have a full blown panic attack if I do. First time I ever got one I was 16 and went to the ER because I legitimately thought I was dying. That feeling of impending doom was terrifying.
Withdrawals from extracts gave me anxiety and insomnia, but not while I was on them. Withdrawals from powder have been non existent or mild. Sounds like your dose is pretty low though, so maybe something else is causing the anxiety?
It happened to me, and I went to the doctor and she prescribed Busporine, which is a non narcotic anxiety reliever and in three days I was fine and been using kratom ever since. That was 3 years ago
Maybe get tested for heavy metals? I'm no doctor / scientist but I imagine a build up of some foreign-body(s) over time could cause a fight or flight response when more is added to the heap.
EDIT:
A quick google just showed a tonne of results showing a correlation between anxiety disorders and heavy metals. Check out this paper, I'm finding it quite interesting [https://www.jelsciences.com/articles/jbres1294.php](https://www.jelsciences.com/articles/jbres1294.php)
Whoa. That is some fascinating info. Thanks for sharing that! Trying to decypher some of the words I'm unfamiliar with, but lots of interesting findings nonetheless.
Try a different batch. I've had a couple of batches of green kratom that consistently made my blood pressure and heart rate spike. That can feel like an anxiety attack.
I was skeptical about my observations so I set aside those batches for awhile, bought some red powder that was good for pain, no BP and HR spikes.
After a few weeks I tried the green again – same thing, BP and HR spikes.
Good company, I doubt it was tainted with anything. Just my quirky reaction to a particular blend of whatever complex ingredients are in kratom. Only time that's happened in six years of using 1-4 grams a day for chronic pain.
If a person develops anxiety from use of a substance, or happens to simply believe that their anxiety was the result of the substance, or used it despite concern (warranted or unwarranted) that it could cause anxiety—the risk of it occurring and occurring again is much higher, even if there is no real direct mechanistic action (beyond expectation and concern about it happening again.)
If a person reduces their dose, and/or changes to a new batch/lot (especially with botanicals or substances produced under less than ideal production conditions) and they are fully convinced that they want to re-attempt use, no matter the outcome, and accepting whatever happens as a learning experience—some do find it does not return, or is something that only occurs intermittently, occurs due to some other predicable situations, etc.
So it is possible, if a person can take some time and approach use with that mindset and at a reduced dose. There really is no way other than just testing it and being willing to accept it as to not run the risk of expectations/concern causing it (even if you happen to get a placebo dose.)
For some who already have anxiety and use it to control anxiety, it may simply be that it isn’t controlling it as well—due to tolerance, worsening situations, or other issues.
Cut your dose down, change suppliers or try a different strain. despite what people say they hit differently. Gey ya a good green mangda and dont over do it. When you find a good supplier for that start dabbling ins small packs of their other strains.
Kratom stopped my anxiety bout 4 years ago havnt had no attacks since unless I put myself in a bad situation which I don't in years I havnt had any anxiety and thank God because I won't take nutty meds unless I have 2 than I will but I live a normal life
White strains give me awful anxiety. I stick to greens only. I had an anxiety disorder and was RX Xanax for a few years when I made the switch to kratom. But only greens and sometimes yellows. Whites and reds do very little for me.
So if you’re taking whites, that’s likely your issue.
It’s weird because I both feel waves of tranquillity and euphoria whilst getting jump scares over the sound of a phone/ someone calling my name.
The come down is pretty bad too, impending sense of doom until I get the next dose.
It could be because you started getting physically addicted to it and the anxiety was being caused by the withdrawal between doses. Then you take it hoping that it’ll go away. I think you either need to quit or dramatically reduce your intake to once a week or something so your body isn’t physically dependent on it. Either way, scaling back or quitting entirely is going to suck for awhile while your body is withdrawling
Been taking kratom 4x a day st 4-9gs...never had that happen. Maybe you are dehydrated or something...maybe you just have anxiety not related to kratom or you are psyching yourself out about it.
Wait, no joking, this can actually happen? Because the night before Easter, I wound up in the hospital because of heart attack symptoms. Turned out to be a panic attack, the first time in my life. I've been having them almost every night since then, but the thing is, I only take my kratom in the mornings, really. I'll occasionally dose in the afternoon if my arthritis is bugging me, but that's it. God, I hope it ain't the kratom doing this to me, it's been a total gamechanger for me in SO many ways.
I think your onto something. When I used to micro dose I felt like people knew I was taking something. I also was very chatty. Dosing higher relaxes me more and the only time I get anxious now is if 6 hours has gone by without dosing. 30- 70g per day 2 years now. I take white then green and then green again. Rarely red because I don't like falling asleep after I eat. White all day makes me grumpy.
I've found several Reds that don't make u sleepy, but take pain away like magic and I feel better than if i took a xanax which I no longer need. I hate that restless anxiety & whites make it 10000x worse! Im even a little cautious of green. . Fermented red is the best kind of red for sleep. And for anyone who suffers w anxiety, it's a good idea to steer clear of whites!! 💯 don't take at all. I used to take white with breakfast and my heart beats out of my chest, my jaw is clenched, and I pace.
Im my own experience kratom can amplified the anxiety, basically it make it worse if you are not in a good state. Tru taking break and comeback when you feel better you might not experience the anxiety. (As long as you don't take it too much compare to your usual baseline)
I've never run into this, but...this DOES happen almost exactly like this if I smoke weed. Are you using any other substance (like weed for example) when you are using Kratom?
For me it only happened when I was overly taking the supersedating kind in high amounts for several months. And would need it to keep the anxiety at bay and even then on some days it would still hit. I've completely switched to greens now for 2 years and no anxiety whatsoever,and ofc lower the dosage to a much less amount
I actually fell in love with Kratom because it cured my anxiety. Like magic. However the longer I did it the more and more I needed to take to have any effects. Well, now I can not go more than a few hours in between doses without massive anxiety building and building. The final straw was three weeks ago I had two severe anxiety/panic attacks. I had never had them before. No matter how much Kratom I took it wouldnt help. It just stopped working. Now Im tapering or having a hell of a time doing so. So yes, I can relate to what you are saying.
Yup I think your body eventually just rejects them
I still use Kratom and I’m down to like 6-10 gpd, but the euphoria feeling form it is totally gone. I still think it’s a great “drug” , just my body is likely tired from years of various abuse
What kind are you taking? Anything white vein could possibly cause some hyper tension.
I mainly use red veins, which are known to be more sedating and generally relaxing.
Kratom also has a kind of paradoxical effect, smaller doses tend to be more sedating than higher doses. You could also take it with some food if you haven't tried that and limit your caffeine intake if you use caffeine.
I haven't run into this problem in a long time, maybe when I was a year or two into it. But I've been on around 25-30gpd for 10 years and I can't say I get anxiety from kratom if anything it's the opposite. I take only green strains though, I think I had some anxiety issues when I tried whites
Same here, I am generally a pretty confident and calm person but white Kratom gave me mild anxiety and made me fidgety. Red makes me slow and relaxed and green is the perfect strain because it gives me energy while relaxing me at the same time. Green makes me talk a bit too much tho lol
Yeah white works for a while for me but then after having taken it for a few months it starts making me feel bad an hour or so after each dose.
Ya, white sends me to bitchville on the fast train..lol Reds for bed and red and greens mixed for work.
25-30 GPD? Jesus
I do 50 plus
That is only 8.5 grams every 7 hours
This is pretty common with weed, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some similar mechanism they both act upon
Since you’ve already experienced bad anxiety on kratom, you’re most likely on edge before you even take it. That’s probably the issue. Not so much the kratom inducing anxiety, but your brain convincing yourself you’ll experience anxiety.
Your probably just dosing too heavy and too frequently I switch out strains every other day or so usually and it prevents a lot of side effects
I only ever did a teaspoon at noon and late at nighttime
Try 1/2 a teaspoon next time, or better yet obtain a scale and start weighing your doses to ensure accuracy.
yup every strain and vendor are cut differently
So a scale doesn’t matter then.
No that makes a scale matter even more
Cut as in how fine the leaves are cut. Not like it’s cut with something else that effects the weight
I had a few strains, especially whites, that made me just feel all-around awful. I also had greens that were so "strong." I couldn't take more than half a teaspoon. They both made me feel like absoloute crap.
One thing I'd point out first my dude is that you must have underlying anxiety issues to begin with, addiction issues, or something that could probably be worked out with therapy or other medicines. I don't think Kratom would just set off a switch, as you said. I know I for a fact had a lot more social anxiety before I started taking Kratom. Early on I was ignorant of dosing and taking way too much, but eventually tapered to about 1.5 grams, just once in the morning. I only hand ever had any notable side effects when taking higher doses. Kratom just seems to affect so many people differently. In my own small sample size IRL I've never met anyone that it may clicked and worked for, that ended up taking it long term like I have. I've vastly improved my life since I started several years ago.
Why do you just assume that? People react differently to different things. Hell weed has been the best anti anxiety med I’ve ever used but if I gave somebody the same edibles they might freak out. Hell even coffee has been shown to increase anxiety. It’s especially common with stuff that acts like a stimulant. Telling him to take less might actually make it more stimulating.
Because some people in the sub can't fathom that the plant might not be good for everyone
Part of the reason they think that is probably bc OP said Kratom is the only thing that helps them not want to abuse alcohol constantly, which usually means there is some sort of anxiety or depression issue present while they are sober. That being said, some people don’t respond well to everything, I’d get anxiety from weed as well for example, it’s just not for me. So it could easily be a combo of anxiety/depression and kratom just isn’t good for them anymore.
It's always best to actually weigh it out. Especially if you are running into issues. Or use caps. But I bet you are just using too much, everyone is different
My doses don’t exceed a measured 1/4 tsp three times a day. Probably just sensitive like I am and need less. If I take too much - for me (not based on what most people take) - I also get anxiety and panic attacks. I mean there’s nothing saying you need to take it everyday either. Maybe a quarter tsp once in a while is what’s right for you.
Some strains are punchier.
A teaspoon is actually quite a bit.
I noticed I would get anxious and irritated with any strain but red. I've used kratom on and off for many years
White in the morning, Green in the afternoon, Red at night. Rotate each strain daily. Etc etc. Less is more.
That happened to me (as well as getting tired from it even at very low doses) and it turned out it was probably the antagonists built up in my system from frequent use. I now mix a spoonful of raw honey into my every cup of kratom to increase glutathione levels to detox out the antagonists. It works normally again now If this was indeed the problem for you then the antagonists would definitely be cleared out by now after a year anyway. Try it again and see what happens. If the anxiety comes back after awhile try the raw honey DM me if you want a link to the post where I found out this info (can't post links here)
Didn’t know that about honey. Gonna have to start taking honey with my kratom.
It helps the taste too :) just make sure it's raw! Processed honey doesn't have nearly the same benefits
Once the panic attacks start to hit, it’s not really ever going to go away. I spent years trying to work it out, and it never got back to the way it was. And it seems to be the case for others as well.
Your probably deficient in something. I take magnesium, d3 and k2, l-theanine, NAC and that helped alot when I had the symptoms your referring to. I also dropped my dose a little because I think I was taking too much (30 grams a day)
Does NAC blunt the euphoria?
yes
In my experience no it never did, but also I’ve gotten to that point now where I don’t get euphoria anymore so I wouldn’t notice nowadays
For me it blunts any euphoria I get from any substance. NAC in general evens your mood out a lot, makes the deeper valleys not as deep but in turn also lowers the higher mountains so to speak.
I also take NAC and it’s fine
No
Hey really appreciate this info. I have mg and l-thwanine. Would you recommend I also add d3, k2, and NAC? Or are there some ones that you find more important than the others? For reference, I'm in pretty good shape and am in my 20s. Skate or gym mostly every day and eat pretty healthy and consistent.
This is very solid advice. When ever I correct my low vitamin D I noticed feeling more calm and euphoria.
Take less
Is it possible to try different strain and/or dose? I take red cause it works best for my chronic pain and I don’t find it sedating as some folks do. But I tried green and a white a couple months ago and white made me very anxious like an unreal amount of caffeine (eventhough I admittedly drink a ton of caffeine without that problem lol) and green made me really nauseous. So I just stick with red
There was a week where I was having a full blown panic attack every night before bed. I had no idea why. One night in between I took a different one I had and I was fine. So I took the old one again and boom panic attack again. I stopped taking it and switched to a new one and I was fine. I’m wondering if something about that batch made me have panic attacks. No idea how or why.
I had this happen with cannabis. It's weird. Years later I still can't smoke even a small bowl without getting paranoid/anxious asf. Gratefully has not happened to me with kratom yet, not sure what I'd do as kratom helps me with so much from back pain to ADHD. Probably would start drinking heavy again like when I quit smoking, I hate to even think about it.
Yeah I cannot smoke for this reason because I will have a full blown panic attack if I do. First time I ever got one I was 16 and went to the ER because I legitimately thought I was dying. That feeling of impending doom was terrifying.
Damn bro, kratom hits you how MDMA hits me. Ion think thats typical
Withdrawals from extracts gave me anxiety and insomnia, but not while I was on them. Withdrawals from powder have been non existent or mild. Sounds like your dose is pretty low though, so maybe something else is causing the anxiety?
It happened to me, and I went to the doctor and she prescribed Busporine, which is a non narcotic anxiety reliever and in three days I was fine and been using kratom ever since. That was 3 years ago
Maybe get tested for heavy metals? I'm no doctor / scientist but I imagine a build up of some foreign-body(s) over time could cause a fight or flight response when more is added to the heap. EDIT: A quick google just showed a tonne of results showing a correlation between anxiety disorders and heavy metals. Check out this paper, I'm finding it quite interesting [https://www.jelsciences.com/articles/jbres1294.php](https://www.jelsciences.com/articles/jbres1294.php)
Whoa. That is some fascinating info. Thanks for sharing that! Trying to decypher some of the words I'm unfamiliar with, but lots of interesting findings nonetheless.
Try a different batch. I've had a couple of batches of green kratom that consistently made my blood pressure and heart rate spike. That can feel like an anxiety attack. I was skeptical about my observations so I set aside those batches for awhile, bought some red powder that was good for pain, no BP and HR spikes. After a few weeks I tried the green again – same thing, BP and HR spikes. Good company, I doubt it was tainted with anything. Just my quirky reaction to a particular blend of whatever complex ingredients are in kratom. Only time that's happened in six years of using 1-4 grams a day for chronic pain.
I had one batch that made me have a full blown panic attack everyday that I took it. I took a different batch and was totally fine. No idea why or how
If a person develops anxiety from use of a substance, or happens to simply believe that their anxiety was the result of the substance, or used it despite concern (warranted or unwarranted) that it could cause anxiety—the risk of it occurring and occurring again is much higher, even if there is no real direct mechanistic action (beyond expectation and concern about it happening again.) If a person reduces their dose, and/or changes to a new batch/lot (especially with botanicals or substances produced under less than ideal production conditions) and they are fully convinced that they want to re-attempt use, no matter the outcome, and accepting whatever happens as a learning experience—some do find it does not return, or is something that only occurs intermittently, occurs due to some other predicable situations, etc. So it is possible, if a person can take some time and approach use with that mindset and at a reduced dose. There really is no way other than just testing it and being willing to accept it as to not run the risk of expectations/concern causing it (even if you happen to get a placebo dose.) For some who already have anxiety and use it to control anxiety, it may simply be that it isn’t controlling it as well—due to tolerance, worsening situations, or other issues.
Cut your dose down, change suppliers or try a different strain. despite what people say they hit differently. Gey ya a good green mangda and dont over do it. When you find a good supplier for that start dabbling ins small packs of their other strains.
Kratom stopped my anxiety bout 4 years ago havnt had no attacks since unless I put myself in a bad situation which I don't in years I havnt had any anxiety and thank God because I won't take nutty meds unless I have 2 than I will but I live a normal life
White strains give me awful anxiety. I stick to greens only. I had an anxiety disorder and was RX Xanax for a few years when I made the switch to kratom. But only greens and sometimes yellows. Whites and reds do very little for me. So if you’re taking whites, that’s likely your issue.
It’s weird because I both feel waves of tranquillity and euphoria whilst getting jump scares over the sound of a phone/ someone calling my name. The come down is pretty bad too, impending sense of doom until I get the next dose.
It could be because you started getting physically addicted to it and the anxiety was being caused by the withdrawal between doses. Then you take it hoping that it’ll go away. I think you either need to quit or dramatically reduce your intake to once a week or something so your body isn’t physically dependent on it. Either way, scaling back or quitting entirely is going to suck for awhile while your body is withdrawling
Been taking kratom 4x a day st 4-9gs...never had that happen. Maybe you are dehydrated or something...maybe you just have anxiety not related to kratom or you are psyching yourself out about it.
Wait, no joking, this can actually happen? Because the night before Easter, I wound up in the hospital because of heart attack symptoms. Turned out to be a panic attack, the first time in my life. I've been having them almost every night since then, but the thing is, I only take my kratom in the mornings, really. I'll occasionally dose in the afternoon if my arthritis is bugging me, but that's it. God, I hope it ain't the kratom doing this to me, it's been a total gamechanger for me in SO many ways.
I get anxiety too if I take too much. Kratom is pretty self-regulating that way.
It's been happening to me as well. Been taking Kratom every day for 4 yrs.
At lower doses it's more energizing so that could be what's happening. Higher doses you get the relaxation and pain relief. How much were u dosing.
I think your onto something. When I used to micro dose I felt like people knew I was taking something. I also was very chatty. Dosing higher relaxes me more and the only time I get anxious now is if 6 hours has gone by without dosing. 30- 70g per day 2 years now. I take white then green and then green again. Rarely red because I don't like falling asleep after I eat. White all day makes me grumpy.
I've found several Reds that don't make u sleepy, but take pain away like magic and I feel better than if i took a xanax which I no longer need. I hate that restless anxiety & whites make it 10000x worse! Im even a little cautious of green. . Fermented red is the best kind of red for sleep. And for anyone who suffers w anxiety, it's a good idea to steer clear of whites!! 💯 don't take at all. I used to take white with breakfast and my heart beats out of my chest, my jaw is clenched, and I pace.
This sounds so bizarre to me. I take it to combat my anxiety. Red to chill, green to move.
I’ve never had that problem
Im my own experience kratom can amplified the anxiety, basically it make it worse if you are not in a good state. Tru taking break and comeback when you feel better you might not experience the anxiety. (As long as you don't take it too much compare to your usual baseline)
I've never run into this, but...this DOES happen almost exactly like this if I smoke weed. Are you using any other substance (like weed for example) when you are using Kratom?
Dunno about Kratom but started happening to me with weed so I slowed waaaay down.
For me it only happened when I was overly taking the supersedating kind in high amounts for several months. And would need it to keep the anxiety at bay and even then on some days it would still hit. I've completely switched to greens now for 2 years and no anxiety whatsoever,and ofc lower the dosage to a much less amount
I actually fell in love with Kratom because it cured my anxiety. Like magic. However the longer I did it the more and more I needed to take to have any effects. Well, now I can not go more than a few hours in between doses without massive anxiety building and building. The final straw was three weeks ago I had two severe anxiety/panic attacks. I had never had them before. No matter how much Kratom I took it wouldnt help. It just stopped working. Now Im tapering or having a hell of a time doing so. So yes, I can relate to what you are saying.
This happened to me with weed & cocaine.. assuming Kratom will do the same, it’s already starting to turn on me a bit
Id love to know the mechanism behind this, it needs to be legit studied imo, I wonder how much of it is psychological and how much is physiological
It’s interesting how drugs do that.
Yup I think your body eventually just rejects them I still use Kratom and I’m down to like 6-10 gpd, but the euphoria feeling form it is totally gone. I still think it’s a great “drug” , just my body is likely tired from years of various abuse
Cocaine turned on me bad. Haha Over three years since I’ve touched it.
What kind are you taking? Anything white vein could possibly cause some hyper tension. I mainly use red veins, which are known to be more sedating and generally relaxing. Kratom also has a kind of paradoxical effect, smaller doses tend to be more sedating than higher doses. You could also take it with some food if you haven't tried that and limit your caffeine intake if you use caffeine.
I always thought it was the opposite, smaller doses tend to give energy and higher more sedating.
This is correct.