Yes and thank you I took myself off hospice last year and will not go back if that will be would be possible I really need something for pain but on disability can't afford a lot need info on what to take and how much

Hey @Comma welcome to Kratom Watchdog!!!!

@pete2000 @patrickc @Laurie This was the gentlemen I messaged you about. Would you be able to assist him with his questions?

I’m more than happy to answer any general questions about Kratom and can discuss how and why I use it.

@pete2000 Hi I'm Tommy and I'm 66 in June and I'm done with the doctors I'm on disability and don't have a lot of money to spend is there anything that can make me somewhat comfortable in the time I have left

@comma I can tell you that I learned less is more. I tried several different doses with fresh leaves and (3) leaves was too much for me. I started off with (1) leaf and never went above (3) for the entire day.
I found that you can adjust your dosage by chewing it longer or shorter time periods. Also how much you grind it up. I don't recommend swallowing the fresh leaves, but if you do the most that will happen is constipation.

I prefer tea. I make my in the pressure cooker in large doses. I then store it in the freezer or in the back of the fridge. I had a gallon of it which lasted me for a month with out spoiling. The difference is that the fresher tea is stronger than tea that was sitting in the frig. Over time it loses potency.

I have never used the pill form, but I did use powder to mix with hot cocoa which worked really well for me. It helped take away the bitterness.

I never use sugar but found honey works best to take out the bitterness of the tea. I believe that each person will need to make adjustments to the tea and the amount of honey.

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Thank you for helping!!! @patrickc

@peteypyro Is everything ok? I'm sorry to hear that.

@peteypyro She looks fantastic! I'll have to snap you a pic when it is light out. Looks a lot like yours there. Not fully back but still some solid new growth.

@comma I’ll be 59 next month and have had chronic issues with my lower back for most of my life. For the last few years I’ve been using Kratom to replace the Aleve I used to take daily. As a pure pain reliever I find it slightly less effective than most NSAIDs. But Kratom provides a little mood boost for me and some of its alkaloids also have muscle relaxing properties, so overall it brings me more relief than NSAIDs alone.

With that said, occasionally my back takes a turn for the worse and I need to see my doctor. Usually I end up doing a prednisone taper, taking prescription pain meds, and a doing a few visits to a physical therapist. For me Kratom isn’t a cure all, but one of many tools I employ for pain relief.

It’s impossible for me to say how much relief, if any, Kratom will bring you. But if you want to give it a try I would suggest starting with powdered Kratom and making a strained tea. Straining will remove a large part of the leaf material that some people have trouble digesting. Heating the powder in liquid will kill any biological nasties (salmonella, molds, H. Pylori, etc.) that you definitely don’t want to ingest if you have other serious medical issues. As far as quantity, it would be helpful to have a scale and start with a low dose, perhaps a gram. If you don’t feel any effects after 30 minutes or so then take a little more and continue until you feel effects. Note that taking too much can make you nauseous. There’s a bit of trial and error when you first start, it took me a few tries to find my sweet spot.

Please feel free to ask questions. Lots of knowledgeable people here with different perspectives and experiences.

Thanks guys and I'm ready to try anything would the power from overseas be better and the cost difference is there a big difference there to

@comma there is cost and risk from ordering over seas. For one you certainly can get scammed or get bunk product. It happens and will continue to happen. It's not everyone and every time but it does happen.

Also It is cheaper but you don't know what your going to get without testing it. I never trust labs from over seas. Only labs from the US. A lot of powder will transfer between vendors over seas 4-5 times before it comes to the US. So it is best to find a vendor that is working with a farmer for consistency and look for batches as that will be your closest way to finding concistency. You want vendors with gmp facilities as many smaller vendors in the US are working out of their house. It's not unsafe, but it's not preferred and should be avoided if possible.

@comma Hi Comma Tommy! I’m Laurie. 56 and found kratom following opiate detox for 12 days. I couldn’t afford the habit once I couldn’t get prescriptions. I have several health issues that my Dr has validated, but the diagnostic name doesn’t exist, so I don’t qualify for disability. Chronic physical pain includes mostly severe muscle spasms on my butt and down into the pirafomis muscles in my legs.

I have been using kratom since 2015. I’ve never wanted a pill or a drink of alcohol since.

The main thing I cannot stress enough is what @patrickc said about LESS IS MORE. That includes the “stocking up”. While nobody wants to have to pay more for less leaf (powder), it’s important to NOT buy a kilo to ‘just be done’ with the hassles of shopping when you are just getting started. Having a great price on a kilo of leaf that does not work well for you is NOT a savings. Only after you have tried a sample package from a couple of vendors would it THEN be recommended for bulk buying. Even then, I have to rotate my kratom supplier/vendor as well as strain type fairly frequently, so I have hardly ever shopped by kilo. Once during the great BanMania scare of 2016 when everyone was stocking up as a precaution - and I have bought ONLY 2 since. I still have some of ALL OF THEM. And it’s ALL good product still!

Anyway, I have not been measuring on a scale like I should. I’ve been using 1.5 level teaspoons per use, repeated as necessary, all of these years. More is not helpful (!!!!) and less is not as helpful as it CAN be. But it took a lot of mistakes over the years.
My recommendation matches what is already posted here. I do not recommend shopping directly with Indonesian sources. Lot’s of product gets confiscated at the border for no reason and you can’t get it released, along with the other reasons already given. While nobody wants to pay retail, paying a fair price is well worth it. Kratom only gets so good, so buying expensive kratom doesn’t assure strength or anything, either. Word of mouth recommendations are the best I have found for vendor choosing and I’m not sure of the policy about vendor naming on this app/website. I’ll refrain from making suggestions for now…

I use red strains almost exclusively. They are known for pain relieving and relaxing properties. They usually do not relax my mind, so I don’t use kratom near bedtime or I will lie there thinking for hours. White vein is popular for the energetic buzz often associated with the color. White also has more mitragynine alkaloids, but I still don’t get more relief because of it! Green strains are a happy medium between the white and red. Don’t bother with golds, yellow, pink, black, brown, etc for now. That is for LATER in the kratom journey.




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@laurie thanks guys I've got to talk to the plant man now can or is there a site with all venders

@guywithtrees Thanks for your help and can I get samples of your different products so I can try it to see if it works for me

@comma Of course, let me see what I can do for you. Can you pm me or email me your address.

@comma here’s an overwhelming sized reference guide : https://www.ilk.co/approved-vendors.html
But @guywithtrees will be hooking you up to start (being the sponsor / supplier of this website).
I hope y’all don’t mind a “yellow pages” post for reference here. Lemme know if that’s not cool please.@I hope y’all don’t mind a “yellow pages” post for reference here. Lemme know if that’s not cool please.@Comma I’m so glad you took this route. You very well may find more reason to live longer! And gain the strength to give it a good try! I sure hope so. I’m not far and neither are the guys here if you should get stuck starting your kratom journey. LESS IS MORE. MORE IS NAUSEA. Can’t stress that enough.
Cannot wait to hear when you’ve got your starter package from @guywithtrees. He has some wonderfully helpful products, I assure you.
@Laurie

@laurie Thanks again for your time and help I hope the person you talked to will send prices too

@laurie One more question what are the yellow pages ( phone book???)

@patrickc I would love to hear your recipe and methods in your pressure cooker. Such as how much powder leaf with how much water and how long do you cook. I really want to start drinking more tea than the way I'm doing it now