If you’ve tried to quit kratom and felt anxious, restless, sick, or unable to sleep, you’re not weak, and you’re not alone. You can become dependent on kratom, and withdrawal symptoms can be physical. Over time, your body gets used to having kratom in its system. When you stop, your nervous system has to readjust.
Kratom use has spiked in recent years as it—and substances similar to it—become more readily available in convenience stores and gas stations. Data from the National Poison Data System showed an increase of nearly 1200% in kratom-related exposure reports between 2015 and 2025.1
This guide explains how tapering and cold turkey compare, what kratom withdrawal symptoms can look like, and when outpatient support may be the safer next step. If you’re in Asheville, Western North Carolina, or nearby communities and kratom has become hard to stop, Insight Recovery Center Asheville can help you talk through your options.
Kratom use can be harder to stop than you might think.
- Even though it’s often advertised as legal, safe, and even an alternative to opioids, it can become habit-forming.
- In low doses, kratom is described as energizing like a stimulant. Higher doses may temporarily relieve pain and promote relaxation. These feelings drive more frequent and heavier use.
- Withdrawal symptoms can make you feel bad and crave kratom more. Experiencing these doesn’t mean you’re weak.
- You may be able to buy kratom at the gas station, but you may not be equipped to handle withdrawal on your own. Reaching out for help is okay and a sign of strength.
- Support that doesn’t require you to put your life on hold is available in Western North Carolina at Insight Recovery Center.
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Why quitting kratom is harder than it looks
Kratom is often sold as a plant-based supplement, but that does not mean quitting is simple.2 Kratom contains alkaloids, including mitragynine, that interact with opioid-related receptor systems in the brain. This is one reason kratom can produce pain relief, euphoria, and withdrawal symptoms that feel similar to opioid withdrawal for some people.2
With regular use, the brain and body can begin to adapt to and expect kratom. This is kratom dependence.3 When the dose drops suddenly, the nervous system has to rebalance. That can lead to kratom withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, sweating, nausea, diarrhea, muscle aches, insomnia, cravings, and low mood.
Withdrawal is a normal, expected process, even if it’s not advertised. Kratom withdrawal treatment can help by providing clinical support, structure, and a plan for managing symptoms instead of forcing you to fight through them alone.
Cold turkey vs. tapering: What is the difference?
Most people think about stopping kratom in one of two ways: quitting cold turkey or tapering down over time. Both approaches are common. The right path depends on your health history, current dose, length of use, withdrawal history, mental health, and support system.
You don’t have to suffer through withdrawal to prove you can quit using kratom. Your goal should be to stop kratom in a way that gives you the best chance of staying safe and continuing recovery.
There are withdrawal risks when quitting kratom. Talk to your doctor or another medical professional to discuss a safe, effective way to quit.
Quitting kratom cold turkey
Quitting cold turkey means stopping all kratom use at once without lowering the dose first. Some people choose this because it feels simple: pick a day, stop, and push through. Others try to quit cold turkey because they don’t think there are many risks associated with stopping.
But withdrawal symptoms can start quickly, feel intense, and may last for an extended period.4 Anxiety, stomach upset, chills, sweating, body aches, cravings, and kratom withdrawal insomnia can make it difficult to work, care for family, or stay committed to the plan.
While kratom withdrawal is usually not considered medically dangerous in the same way that alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal can be, the discomfort can still be severe and may lead to relapse.
For many people, unmanaged symptoms are the reason they return to kratom. Kratom withdrawal remedies found online may offer comfort. Many people turn to kratom because it was a withdrawal remedy for opioids they found out about online. But withdrawal remedies are not substitutes for professional care if symptoms keep pulling you back into use.
Tapering off of kratom
Tapering off of kratom means slowly reducing the total amount used over a scheduled period. The goal is to give the brain and body more time to adjust instead of forcing a sudden change.
Many general tapering approaches reduce the total daily dose by a small amount every few days, then pause long enough for symptoms to settle before reducing again.
Tapering can lower withdrawal intensity for some people, but it requires consistency and honest tracking. Clinical literature on treating kratom dependence is still developing, but published reports reference tapering as a viable strategy for kratom addiction treatment.4
When to seek professional kratom treatment
A lot of people wait to ask for kratom addiction help because they’re unsure whether their use is serious enough. A better question is: Is kratom starting to control your choices, your mood, or your ability to function?
Outpatient kratom treatment may be appropriate if any of these feel familiar:
- You have tried to quit more than once and keep returning to kratom.
- You use kratom daily or several times per day.
- You use kratom to manage withdrawal from opioids or other substances.
- Anxiety, depression, trauma, or chronic stress feel harder to manage without kratom.
- Withdrawal symptoms are affecting work, school, relationships, or daily responsibilities.
- You feel like kratom is the only way to feel normal.
Mental health symptoms and substance use often overlap. SAMHSA notes that substance use problems occur more often with certain mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety disorders.5
If kratom has become a way to get through panic, sadness, trauma symptoms, pain, or opioid cravings, stopping the substance is only part of the work. Outpatient care can help you build a plan for both the withdrawal cycle and the co-occurring reasons kratom started to feel necessary.
What does outpatient treatment look like for kratom recovery?
Outpatient kratom treatment is effective for many people looking to stop using it. During outpatient treatment, you live at home or another supportive environment and go to sessions a few days per week. There are different levels of structure based on what you need.
A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is the most intensive level of outpatient care. It may be a fit for those who need frequent clinical support, more structure, and help managing cravings, withdrawal discomfort, emotional triggers, and co-occurring symptoms.
An intensive outpatient program (IOP) offers structured treatment with fewer weekly hours than PHP. It can work well for people who need flexible support while also balancing work, school, family, or other responsibilities.
An outpatient program (OP) involves fewer weekly hours and may be appropriate as a step-down level of care or for those who need less intensive support to begin with.
For some people, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) may be part of the care plan, especially when kratom use is connected to opioid-related concerns. Early research shows promise that medications that are already FDA-approved for treating opioid use disorder may be effective for kratom withdrawal.6
Outpatient treatment may help you manage kratom withdrawal symptoms, but it can also help you address the root causes of why you started using kratom in the first place. Professional outpatient programs often include therapy, relapse prevention planning, coping skills, family support, and care for anxiety, depression, trauma, or other concerns that may be tied to kratom use.
Begin your kratom recovery in Asheville, NC
If you are trying to figure out how to stop taking kratom, you don’t have to make the decision alone. Insight Recovery Center Asheville provides outpatient treatment for kratom dependence and co-occurring mental health concerns in Asheville.
Our program is clinician-owned and offers a boutique, structured setting for people who need more support than weekly therapy alone. Depending on your needs, care may include PHP, IOP, OP, therapy, relapse prevention, medication-assisted treatment when clinically appropriate, and support for co-occurring anxiety, depression, trauma, or opioid-related concerns.
Call Insight Recovery Center in Asheville or reach out through the contact page to speak with someone about your options.
Taking the first step is what matters most.
Sources:
- CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, March 26, 2026, Increases in Kratom-Related Reports to Poison Centers — National Poison Data System, United States, 2015–2025, Accessed July 2026.
- Public Health Reports, The Unregulated Rise of Kratom Drinks: Emerging Challenges and Policy Recommendations, Accessed July 2026.
- FDA, FDA and Kratom, Accessed July 2026.
- Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, Kratom withdrawal: Discussions and conclusions of a scientific expert forum, Accessed July 2026.
- SAMHSA, Mental Health and Substance Use Co-Occurring Disorders, Accessed July 2026.
- Journal of Addiction Medicine, Treatment of Kratom Withdrawal and Dependence With Buprenorphine/Naloxone: A Case Series and Systematic Literature Review, Accessed July 2026.