I've tried Chameleon and Valyrian root tea blends before thinking they might make good sleep aids, but I've never had any luck with them. A lot people say they find those very relaxing, but I wasn't even catching a placebo effect.

So for a while I just assumed all this herbal tea bullshit I see in stores and pharmacies must be just a step above homeopathic products. They're probably pretty good if you like the taste of the herbal blends and find sipping a warm beverage relaxing in itself, but otherwise a waste of time. Clearly if they really worked they wouldn't be sold in large supermarket chains. Instead they'd be relegated to the weird, near grey market status that Kratom seems to exist in, right?

Today at the store I just happened to notice something very alarming. A box of Kava blend tea was the absolute one and only herbal tea variety on the shelf to include a warning asking you to consult your doctor before use, and stating that minors and pregnant women should not consume this product.

Well, that warning instantaneously lit up the junkie addict center of my brain like a Christmas tree, and I impulse bought two boxes. This might have major negative health consequences? Wow, must be the fucking good stuff. I got home and brewed six of them into a single mug of tea, and yep, this shit is psychoactive all right. Subtle, but definitely not placebo subtle. It quite honestly feels similar to a moderate dose of Gabapentin, and it's making me sleepy.

I sure wish I knew this before I most likely took 15 years off the lifespan of my kidneys by using 200mg of Diphenhydramine every night for years just to have a fighting chance at falling asleep more often than every two days.

  • LanyrdSkynrd [comrade/them, any]
    ·
    10 months ago

    Kratom helped me a ton when I was in a debilitating depression. I was finally able to start doing something besides sleeping, watching TV and eating. I was able to start exercising, taking care of myself again.

    I took the same dose twice a day, and got less effect from it over time, but it happened gradually while my depression got better. After 9 months I stopped taking it and had withdrawals. I had to go back on it and taper down. I did it super slow, 10% reduction per week just because I was scared of falling back into depression.

    I didn't feel like it was addictive, but it does cause withdrawals if you stop taking it abruptly. The same thing can happen with most psych meds too, though. I lost 6 months to terrible withdrawal from a prescribed psych med even though I tapered it.