01/22/2026
There is a lot of information about kratom regulation going around in Montana. We wanted to share one individual’s recent experience with you.
“I wanted to share a personal experience that might be relevant to what you’re seeing at the clinic with the recent spike in kratom cases.
I had used kratom occasionally for about a year — never daily, maybe once or twice a week. This was after I had gotten sober from alcohol. I didn’t want to drink anymore, but I definitely noticed I started leaning harder on caffeine and stimulants.
One day I grabbed a kratom drink from the gas station (those $7 ones). The effects honestly felt great at first — motivated, focused, productive. That quickly turned into buying one every morning, and then two a day so I could have one later in the afternoon. Before I really noticed it, it had become a daily routine.
While I was drinking it, I wasn’t eating much at all — it completely killed my appetite — and I wasn’t drinking water because it didn’t sound appealing. I was basically just consuming kratom. This went on for about 3–4 months, at least 5 days a week, spending around $14 a day.
That works out to roughly $910 over 3 months, or about $1,200 if closer to 4 months — which is wild looking back.
During that time, my mood was noticeably off. High stress, short fuse, irritable. Then one morning I woke up super early with intense restless, painful arms — like an unbearable, unsatisfying stretch that wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t figure it out at first. Hot baths barely helped. That sensation kept happening for weeks.
Eventually I noticed something alarming: within about 30 minutes of drinking kratom, the arm pain completely went away. That’s when it clicked that something wasn’t right. Then it started happening at night before bed too. That’s when I realized I had developed a dependency — both routine-wise and physically.
I called a friend who’s in recovery (former he**in addict), and he immediately knew what I was describing. He told me the withdrawals felt identical to opioid withdrawal for him and that it scared the hell out of him when he experienced it with kratom. That conversation was a big wake-up call.
The withdrawals sent me into a pretty ugly headspace — extreme anger, isolation, pushing people away who were trying to help. The physical withdrawals lasted about 7 days, but it took a full 30 days before I felt mentally and emotionally normal again — like life without it.
I’m totally aware I was overconsuming, but I also didn’t realize how easily it crept in or how real the withdrawals could be.
I wanted to share this in case it helps you understand what some of your patients might be experiencing or struggling to articulate.”
