TABLE 2.

A sample of quotes from Reddit posts (N = 370) made between July 2020 to January 2022 detailing kratom dependence, addiction, quitting, extract use, and kratom potentiation and optimization methods.

Kratom dependence, addiction, and quitting	Extract use	Kratom potentiation and optimization
“An important lesson I’m trying to teach myself, and the crux of the message of this post, is that for some of us quitting kratom isn't a miracle cure either. Quitting kratom isn't going to cure/fix whatever ailment you were experiencing before addiction. Quitting alone isn't going to get some of us to the “100%" that other users claim. Yes, quitting even for a few days is a HUGE accomplishment and you should be super proud! And sure, we may start to feel better, and things will improve but my thought is that for those of us who used K to fill a void, that void will likely still exist after we quit.”	“Started using kratom leaf, and over time, built a tolerance. I found extract capsules and loved it (a little too much). Worked up to 5 capsules a day over a period of 6 months. I’ve been on the same dosage for roughly 1 year. Today I found out that it’s a 50:1 extract ratio (blew my fucking mind when I heard that), meaning that theoretically each capsule (0.5 grams) is equal to 25 grams of kratom leaf. I did the math after I heard this information, which would mean I’ve been taking the equivalent of 125 grams of kratom leaf per day.”	“Coffee is the most common add-on stim[ulant] wise that I see added onto kratom and I wish to enlighten some of you on a better, less jittery alternative known as Yerba Mate (and it’s cousin, Guayusa). Yerba mate contains high levels of caffeine $\dots$ but ZERO jitters, it actually even relaxes me (likely due to a combination of high levels of theobromine and theophylline in Yerba, Guayusa contains the theobromine too, but it instead of phylline it contains l-theanine) and is MUCH more euphoric than coffee.”
“I normally always take several days off kratom per week to make sure I am not becoming dependent or relying on the plant to heavily. That said, I have never found kratom to be particularly addictive.”	“Overall, the [extract] high feels like taking prescription pills or illicit opiates. Nice and pleasant euphoria with rushes of body orgasms, feels very relaxing and comfy. Better handled carefully.”	“I also take kratom daily and this extract potentiates the effects substantially. I purchased this extract after reading a paper about gotu kola antagonizing CCK receptors. CCK antagonism can lower tolerance to opioids, and I was curious to see if this extract could lower kratom tolerance.”
“Kratom came into my life and seemed to be the miracle supplement I was looking for. Such calm focus and good energy $\dots$ That’s how I viewed it, as a supplement not a drug. First mistake! Kratom quickly led me down the addiction road. After 5 months of steadily increasing usage, I was sooo hooked. I loved what it did for me. However, the growing sexual dysfunction and ever-increasing insomnia and other side effects were taking a toll and screaming WARNING!! $\dots$ I woke up and said: ‘no kratom today.’ Since my usage had gotten heavy including extracts, I went into withdrawal immediately.”	I had been taking Kratom daily for a few years and never had an issue. However, about a year ago I walked into my local smoke shop and finally decided to splurge a bit and bought the two [extract shots] for twenty. It all went downhill after that. Started out as a once a week deal then quickly turned into a $20 dollar a day habit. Here I am a year later, and I finally kicked it. I’ve been off Kratom completely for over 3 months. However, I did get some regular white Bali caps last week and it seems like the concentrates took all the joy out of regular Kratom. I’d highly recommend staying away from any of those products. Less really is more in the Kratom world.”	“ $\dots$ I have to take some words for precaution, because the result is more powerful than the usual kratom experience. Also, it requires chemicals that are not beneficial for your health to say the least, if handling them without any kind of protection.”
		“It has been 20 days since I created a mixture of kratom red vein leaf powder, white vinegar, and isopropyl alcohol; shaking daily as the mixtures separate upon resting. The white vinegar takes the mitragynine + 7-hydroxymitragynine, then upon shaking, the isopropyl alcohol takes mitragynine + 7-hydroxymitragynine from the vinegar.”
“I just wanted to let everyone know that kratom, if abused, is not always harmless.”		“After taking various powders, capsules and extracts for years, I finally switched it up and traveled down the potentiation path. All I can say is wow, I am feeling top nine right now.”
“I mostly wanted to put this together because right now I’m 2 weeks sober [from kratom] with 1 relapse 5 days ago and all I can think about is kratom. I am craving for hours every day but reading these posts makes my sober brain convince me I really shouldn't because I really wanna quit.”	“Well, I can’t digest the capsules, what about these liquid shots? Oooooh they don’t hurt my stomach. Great buzz. Well, I’m hooked. Started with one every other day. Then once a day $\dots .$ then almost 2 years later it was FIVE SHOTS a day. Soon as I open my eyes in the morning, first thing comes to mind, shot of kratom. My whole life revolves around the 2.5-hour intervals between taking kratom.”	“Kanna and weed/alcohol will potentiate each other. Other good synergies include coffee, kratom, Phenibut, damiana or blue lotus.”
		“Fuel-efficient kratom. Ingredients for full technique: black pepper, vinegar OR lemon juice, lime juice, turmeric, cayenne pepper, grapefruit juice, Greek yogurt, Vitamin C.”
“I feel like me again. Kratom numbed me, but the real me was there all along. There are things I like about me and things I don't. There are things I can change and things I can’t. I’ve been working on myself for 40 days. Progress is slow and sometimes it feels like I take a step back. For the first time in a long time, I feel good. Not the kratom dragon we were all chasing good, but the real good.”	“I’m at my local kratom bar, and I see a new extract on the shelf. I’ve been dabbling in extracts here recently $\dots$ know, I know, they’ll skyrocket my tolerance, they’re addicting, they’re pricey. I use them maybe 3 times a week, no more.”	“So, I’ve been experimenting with kratom for years and have only recently learned that freezing a mixture of powdered kratom leaf, water, and citric acid (with a Ph of 4 or below) creates a stronger extraction.”
“I’ve quit kratom a few times before. My experiences had ranged from no withdrawal, slightly uncomfortable, to the traditional insomnia/flu like symptoms with mild PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome) after. Normally I could sleep it off and recover with time. Looking back, I usually relapsed either because I made no life alterations, or I experienced some form of PAWS (before I knew what it was) and didn't know how to handle myself.”	“Very long-term user (7+ years $\dots$ holy moly). Just quit extracts on a whim about 5 days ago, using powder for now and going to taper from there but holy shit I was not expecting the extract switch to be so horrible.”	“I just discovered something interesting about raw honey. When honey is diluted, it begins to produce hydrogen peroxide and the enzymes become activated. Does anybody know if there could be potential to convert mitragynine into 7-hydroxymitragynine if you were to let Kratom sit in a honey water mixture over time?”
	“Getting hooked on the extracts was expensive and made my tolerance sky high.”
“I need to thank Kratom for allowing me to hit bottom. Because it drove me to the ground. I’d been flirting with it for a few years, then went full on, eventually becoming a heavy extract user. It stole everything from me.”	“Sadly, I didn't turn to powder, capsules, or tea. I turned to a kratom extract shot. (Big mistake). I remember the first experience was getting some after work and then preparing to take it at work first thing in the morning. So, I did this. I had no idea how the euphoria and pain relief was going to be so intense. It felt wonderful at that time. I considered myself lucky to find this herbal supplement that I thought would not be addicting like pain killers. Boy was I absolutely freaking wrong!”	“I have been experimenting with many different kratom strains for a long time and their effects with other stimulants and I have found a godly combination $\dots$ I was able to sit down for multiple hours a day and get shit done. Productive as never before. You’re relaxed, chilled but at the same time focused and energetic $\dots$ blend lemons, ginger, honey and optionally some turmeric. Drink it together with good $..$ kratom And finally take some high concentrated ginseng extract. It doesn’t matter if you drink it or chew it as candies although liquid usually have higher concentration. All these different stimulants have amazing reciprocal effects and last for many hours.”
“After 3 years of heavy kratom use (3-6 extract shots per day + capsules) and not being able to stay off it for even 1 day at a time, my habit sent me straight to rehab. I’m on day 28 [sobriety] now.”
“I was severely addicted to kratom. I stayed at home all the time, used whenever I wanted for any negative emotion, for any mundane task, for anything/anywhere. I was hopeless. I thought I would never be the same again and never be able to change $\dots$ but I did, and you can too. There’s so much more to this life.”	“I put the needle down 4 years ago and was completely sober for a couple years, no kratom, nothing! It has been a year since I’ve been abusing kratom and sneaking around like a fucking junkie. I started with kratom tea then that eventually led me to kratom [liquid extract] shots.”
“[Kratom] initially saved my life from heroin, but after around a year, the negative side effects really became apparent. I isolated. Kratom initially made me very social, but then I felt dumb, uninterested in human contact, became a hermit. And the loss of sex drive? Holy shit! I’m used to that side effect, having been a horrible heroin addict, but somehow, kratom was worse. And the withdrawals! I will admit, I often find some of the quitting kratom posts to be a little alarmist, or deeming a plant evil, simply because one had negative interactions with it. But after years of heavy use, I was amazed at how bad the withdrawals were.”	“I’ve been taking kratom $\dots$ capsules and lately liquid extract, for about 5-1/2 to 6 years. Really helped me with getting off the Roxys back then, but I’m now struggling to get away from it. Kratom has cost me untold thousands of dollars, a decent job and is now threatening to rip away my girlfriend of 4 years.”
	“Almost all of that time I was using [kratom] powder only, $\dots$ Until COVID happened and somehow I turned that into an excuse to start buying these little headshop extracts (not the very common ones in the tiny curvy bottle but some other weird brand I can’t find a goddamn thing about online). They were so much cheaper than the other shots that I would buy multiples, and over time that turned into a fucking $40/day habit (sometimes more).”