New user with a few questions. Confused on a few things

[Chocula]

I tied Kratom several years from a head shop and felt nothing. I read up on a popular forum and found a poster who sold me some and again I felt nothing. I forget the dose I took, but it was probably 2-3 capsules.

I ordered the starter pack from Happy Hippo and received my shipment today. I used my scale and poured out 1 gram and tried to put it in the pills. I ended up with 6 partially filled pils and probably half of my gram in the sink and washed it down the drain. I found a few devices on Amazon I can use to put the stuff in a pill, so I definitely did it the hard way today.

I only used the gram I poured out and at least half is lost, so I am not worried about not knowing exactly how much I am talking since it is definitely less than the 1 gram.

My goal is to have more energy (I feel like I am 95 years old and when I am not on testosterone treatment, my testosterone is that of a 90 year old) and to help with stress/frustration at work. I work in a very stressful job, our company is new and our top executives are a bit clueless. That makes my job harder and I always treat my team as family, so when things are tough on them, I feel it.

I decided to give Kratom another chance, but want to make sure no one at work can tell I used something. I assume it does not make you all loopy like a drug does, but can you act professional work while taking this?
Will it give me energy? I am using the medium speed from Hippo. How long does it last? I would like for it to last from about 8 in the morning until about 8 or 9 that night to get me through work.

I guess if I could order my perfect strain, it would give me all day energy, dramatically reduce stress and basically keep me happy all day. Am I asking for too much?

I plan to take my dose tomorrow and planned on taking two pills every 2-3 hours tomorrow. Is that the way to make it last longer?

Thank you for the help and great site.

[baglicker]

Hi, welcome! I am really glad you decided to give kratom a go again.

WHen you say you feel like a 90-year-old man, what do you mean? Like stiff and in pain? Tired, listless, unmotivated? The first thing I recommend for people starting kratom is to get some bloodwork done. Make a check-up appt with your family doctor, or get into a clinic somewhere to get things tested. You may have another issue that kratom will not help, but other things can, such as vitamins or changing your diet.

I also see you made the second step which is ordering some quality kratom. Happy Hippo are one of my favorites, and one of my first.

In my experience, (and please do understand this is mine, and everyone is different) one gram is not enough for pain relief. If you are looking for a boost of energy closer to 3-4 may be a better option to start with. I would try 3 and wait 30-40 minutes and see if you notice a difference and go up another gram or two from there. If you are looking for pain relief, you may even need a bit more to start. This is where you have to be very careful, as a lot of ppl are very sensitive to kratom powder and it can make you vomit. But once you do, you feel normal again, and you have the knowledge of your current limit.

As far as the capsules, I learned to make them by placing my powder in a Tupperware container with lower edges, grabbed my capsules, separated them and scooped each one into the other and repeated that movement until the caps are full, then put them together. You can get them full this way without a $100 machine. Wear rubber gloves.

Also in my experience, a dose of kratom lasts me around 3 hours. I dose every 4-5 however, and I use 6-7 grams at a time, but I have been using it every day for 4 months now, and a couple inconsistently before that.
Your results may vary. I am also gaining tolerance with the same brand for over 3 years now, so changing up my brand and the strain is helping that.

Take your time, try different strains, read up on it. Come here and ask questions, and add your experiences as you go, this is an invaluable resource for all kratom users and kratom-interested people. DOn't give up until you know for sure this just isn't for you. Let us know your experience ok? Keep us updated, I promise everyone here is interested in your experience.

[Transformato]

Hope you find value / perspective in this. I do tend to ramble when tired so apologies for that or any redundancy. It happens...
These guidelines have worked weil for me and can help you get off on the right foot. Right foot is the only worthwhile option.

1st goal is finding your dose and it's important to get effectiveness at the lowest dose threshold. I'd strongly suggest figuring that out on days off if you can.
- so you can dose at work with confidence without risk of regret.

.Dosing is everything. Take your time to get it right and don't rush in is my advice. It'd be a shame to quit because your portion didn't fit.

Just a note on my 1st experience using the "typical" recommended dose (not ideal for me)
(3 grams of Happy Hippo - MaengDa- any variety but especially the "fast" ones... was much too high a dose for me so I quit because the Hippo came after the "Hyper"- and he's slow. That pain med brand of sedation that I didn't want. Avoidable had I used my current dose of 1.75, (lower than most ppl but not all) though I found that fast Maeng Das in general are only fast for a short duration. Maeng Das are typically good for short duration strong relief / stimulation in some cases / euphoric in some cases but almost always sedating at the end if using more than you needed and you need to find out what that need is. It's not what anyone elses is. Just you. And finding it is your gig.

Excellent way to find your target dose (may vary based on batch , strain, etc )
The arguably best method of determining dose accurately also needs your attention and that might be hard while managing time at work.

Start with 1gm (probably not enough but for some it's plenty) before adding a another half (or .75)gm +. the next hour (hour 2- now 1.5+ gm).
If at 3rd hour you still aren't getting what's needed, add another half or so but keep track! 1st journal entry perhaps.

Goal is to find MINIMUM EFFECTIVE dose without going far over.
You don't want to do a 4th step because by this time the 1st partial dose is already metabolizing. You also need breaks between doses (sorry to break it to you) or else your body adapts - tolerance develops when blood levels are sustained.
You must "come down" before reaching higher again or the sky will fall and your arms will get shorter (analogy on the fly- sorry)
You may only have to do this tedious method once before finding a system of your own. It gets you started on the right foot.

This touches on your expectations which will need some adjustment. Longevity.
12 hours- You can fit 2 doses in this time frame and protect your tolerance. (accd. to the rules I follow which have proven effective at least for me)
But that will not be sustained benefits. If you overlap and multi dose during your 12hrs you soon will lose control of your tolerance & optimizing benefits / minimizing drawbacks.
Every case may vary but to prevent problems, waiting 6+ hours to dose since last dose (with strain rotations starting after first month) is a powerful compromise that can hold tolerance back rather effectively (nothing is foolproof). Yes I've cheated this a few times when needed (5hr between is a cheat, 4 isn't necessary) but generally I hold to 6hrs and I don't have many if any of the problems that were so dramatically broadcast every week on Reddit last year.

Yes, a journal would be a nice touch. What , when , how much and under what conditions. (wait unti you start blending- new horizons!)
Regular journaling will lend you mastery over the herb with access to an entire tool chest that quitters and inattentive users will never know about.

[Azrael]

Pills are not capsules and capsules are not pills

[Chocula]

Thank you both for the replies. I feel like a 90 year old because I am tired and was off my testoterone injections. My test dropped to 70, which is probably less than a 90 year old man. I also have sleep apnea and I wear CPAP, but get very little relieve I took the 4 pills today and felt ok.. not a huge improvement, but definitely something.
I see the hippo sells them in capsules now so I will switch to that for convenience.

My goal is to increase energy, be happy and not be so sluggish and to hopefully clear up my brain fog. It was hard to tell if Teh little bit today helped me or it was a placebo due to the very low amount I took.

My other question is about when and how often to take it. I would like to take it on days where I wake up and can tell I need some like when I am sluggish. The perfect scenario is I dose in the morning, then dose at lunch time and feel great all day. I will keep it on a lower dose so people don’t see or recognize anything different. I know most days will feel like I need it, but I have dozed other stuff and always did what I was comfortable with and did not push those limits.

If I take it fro a day or two in a row, do I take a day or two off? Or do I take it for the week, then don’t do it on the weekends?

I used my scale and eventually just poured it over my hand and scraped it out with the pills. Lol.. a big mess and a bunch of waste.

Thanks for the help

[e_poison]

Hey Chocula, welcome to the forum!

What color strains do you take? It seems you want energy and focus, so I'd definitely recommend a fast white strain or blend.

My other question is about when and how often to take it.

It's different for everyone. Some people take it once a day, some twice, and others take it every few hours. Depends on your metabolism and how long the effects last. Personally, I take it when I wake up at 8am, then again around 3-4pm, and sometimes another dose around 10-11pm. However, I have to be careful with night time doses since kratom tends to give me horrible insomnia. So during the work week, I keep it to the 8am and 3-4pm dose.

If I take it fro a day or two in a row, do I take a day or two off? Or do I take it for the week, then don’t do it on the weekends?

Some people take it every few days so they don't build up a tolerance. I take it for pain, so taking it every 3 days wouldn't work for me. I take it every day, and then maybe like once a month I will do a quick 24-48 hour tolerance break. I find this works for me.

Have you considered taking the powder straight without putting it into a capsule?

[Chocula]

Thanks again for the great information.

I have looked into other ways to take it instead of the capsules and the other ways seem easier. It seems as if mixing it with OJ would be the easiest way. I saw the toss and wash but so many people say it made them ill.
If I use a different method, do I just measure out how much I want then take it however? I received the sampler pack and I guess I would just divide it into smaller packs. Would I be able to put it in OJ to take in the morning then put it in a different or bottle to take the second dose later that day? I need to be discrete. I realize it is legal, but I don’t want someone to see me tossing and washing and end up reporting me for doing something wrong. Lol

For the timing, I was hoping to do it mon-fri and take the weekends off. I typically take meds in the morning and evening and for anything at mid-Day, I often forget. Depending on how I take it, I may not even do it every day. The best for me would be to take it as needed. If I was sluggish in the morning or become sluggish in the afternoon, I want to take some to get my energy back.

I took the moderate strain, but have only tried that one time. If I find a better method to take it, I will be able to try it all

[Psilocyberdemon]

I don’t how reliable it is but I went to “kratomaton” to help me decide what strains would work best for me. Like you I’m not looking for pain relief or sedation, but I have anxiety and depression that I’ve found relief from using Kratom.

Batches can differ in effects vendor to vendor so a lot of trial and error. white Borneo and white Bali from Herbal RVA have worked well for me lately. If anybody suspects something you can just tell them your coffee had some extra punch this morning.

[Chocula]

It is funny you mention coffee. I was wondering if I could stir it in my coffee

[BallzDeep9]

Many or most people take kratom daily "like coffee", and compare it to coffee, it's a plant related to coffee....

BUT you don't wanna mix it IN your coffee -- no way.

Mix it in a Green Smoothie, with OJ, and liquid vitamins and magnesium and stuff. Pour the mix in 1 of those Blender Bottles, or I use a plastic kids bottle, not sure how to describe it but the lid has a ring and it seals really tight and it's not fat like a blender bottle. I can shake it without it leaking anyway I think there's two basic flavors: "Citrus" and chocolate. Any kind of OJ, lemon, Tang, citrus-y mix works good, (get those little water flavor squirts like Tang etc.) -OR- a chocolate smoothie w/ extra syrup & chocolate protein. Both of those cover the kratom taste pretty well.

[whiffypants]

If I use a different method, do I just measure out how much I want then take it however? I received the sampler pack and I guess I would just divide it into smaller packs. Would I be able to put it in OJ to take in the morning then put it in a different or bottle to take the second dose later that day? I need to be discrete. I realize it is legal, but I don’t want someone to see me tossing and washing and end up reporting me for doing something wrong. Lol

For the timing, I was hoping to do it mon-fri and take the weekends off. I typically take meds in the morning and evening and for anything at mid-Day, I often forget. Depending on how I take it, I may not even do it every day. The best for me would be to take it as needed. If I was sluggish in the morning or become sluggish in the afternoon, I want to take some to get my energy back.

I took the moderate strain, but have only tried that one time. If I find a better method to take it, I will be able to try it all

Yes to all the above. You can take it as often as you need it, regularly, or just whenever you feel like it. Not taking it every day is even better, because then you don't develop tolerance easily.

The only thing I'd say to the contrary is that because you're a new user, I'd strongly suggest not pre-measuring a whole lot of "dose packs" until you're more familiar with how it affects you: you want to be flexible in your doses from day to day as your body gets used to it. If you think you're gonna stick with kratom, I would also -strongly- suggest a scale -- scales REALLY help you keep track of doses and help you dial in your optimal dose for the strains you like. Because the density and weight of kratom powder varies so much from bag to bag, it's hard to keep track of when you're guesstimating with measuring spoons. I have a few but this is the one I love and use the most, and it's under $10 on Amazon.

Have you been over to the FAQ section? I think you'll find a lot of helpful information there, including various ways of taking your dose. You -don't- have to toss & wash; even mixing it in a little warm water is enough to get it down. I don't mix mine in beverages because I don't want to taste the kratom that long -- instead I mix it into 2 oz of water and use the beverage as a chaser. It's really just whatever works for you.

There are a lot of people who take it at work where visibility could be an issue, but just calling it your "herbal supplement" tends to take care of the nosey parkers. But if you're truly concerned, capsules aren't your only option. A number of folks use those orange prescription bottles or little 4 oz tupperware containers to take their dry dose to work and then add water (or t&w) as desired -- or as you were saying, mix it into their beverage bottle for discreet consumption. Lots of options there, and no real limits except what just doesn't work for you personally.

Go read the FAQ, I think it will help. And feel free to keep asking whatever you like. Good luck!

BUT you don't wanna mix it IN your coffee -- no way.

Agreed. I know some folks do, but... uggggh.

[Chocula]

Everyone has been extremely helpful. I really appreciate it.

I looked at how much a gram is, then imagined the people taking 5 grams or more. How do they get all that down?

[Chocula]

Forgot to mention... I do have a scale and will always measure the dose as I know how hard it is to get a true estimate.

[BlendsAreMyFriends]

I usually don't have the patience for making tea or smoothies. I just toss and wash although in my case it's really more wash and toss.

I have done as much as 9 - 10 g at a time and barely taste it most times. I usually use orange juice. Here's how I do it.

1. I measure out and blend the strains for each dose into a shot glass.
2. Take a good sip of your drink. (2-3 oz.)
3. Take a big breath and hold it.
4. Tilt head all the way back.
5. Toss powder on top of liquid and swallow.
6. Take another swig of liquid and swish it around to collect any powder not swallowed the first time and swallow.
7. Now you can exhale.

The only time I've had this go bad are because I didn't tilt my head back far enough or because I exhaled and inhaled before finishing
step 6.

On the road I put my dose in a pill case and toss just like I do at home with the shot glass. I don' attract any attention. Just an old man dumping his pill case into his mouth. Airports, trains and stations or driving my car (stopped at a light or in traffic). I've even done it at a stop light next to a police car. I don't act like it's a big deal and nobody notices and nobody cares.

I split my dose and do each half 30-45 minutes apart so this means that dosing twice a day I perform this "ritual" 4 times a day and on bad pain days maybe 5 or even 6 times a day but usually 4 times daily. I barely taste it any more but I actually like the taste because my body recognizes it as relief is on the way.

[pickaxis]

I just wanted to say that I've bought from the hippo in the past and when I tossed and washed it made me feel absolutely terrible. It gave me a weird pain in my upper left arm and I haven't bought from that vendor since. I've also found they are way overpriced compared to other vendors. Just my opinion.

[Chocula]

I put some in a health shake I have and it wasn’t too bad.

I tried toss and wash and ended up blowing half of it out of my mouth somehow. Lol

Can I blend this in a blender?

[whiffypants]

You can, absolutely, but it's kind of overkill, and it seems like you'd lose a lot of your kratom to the walls of the blender.

On the other hand...

You could use a blender bottle like this -- LOTS of them on Amazon -- to mix your dose and even take it to work that way. Blender balls are sold separately as well and they're cheap; if you don't like the shaker bottles they come in, you can just buy a blender ball on its own OR find something similar around the house and shake it up in your own container. Much easier than hauling out the blender for a single dose, unless you already use your blender daily.

But that involves expense, and the truth is that if you warm your water a bit, you can simply throw the kratom on top and it will self-dissolve in a minute or so, seconds if the water is really hot. Cold or tap water you can do the same, but it takes anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. Either way, nothing more than your patience and maybe a spoon is required.

Me, I can't be bothered with any of that most of the time, and blender bottles are way too big for my doses, so I use a battery powered matcha tea whisk (aka "milk frother", less than $7 on Amazon) and a small recycled pesto jar to do my mixing: it is always incorporated in less than 5 seconds, no matter how much powder or water is involved.

I have plenty of jars and containers to choose from, but I go with this small pesto jar: it is shallow and has a relatively narrow neck, so if I close my hand around the whisk while it's going, there is zero powder lost to blowback. Then it's easy to drink, or to pop the cap on for fridge storage. We eat pesto frequently, so the jars are free: bonus. And there are lines in the glass at the 2 and 4 ounce mark: even better.

That jar may look big in the pic, but it's maybe 3" tall, and the neck is maybe 2" in diameter: not big at all. But it holds 8 ounces, just in case I want to make up multiple doses: since I always use 2 ounces of water for a single dose, all I have to do to get even doses out of the same jar is to add the additional grams, multiply that 2 oz of fluid accordingly, and use the ounce lines on the jar to drink the right amount for each successive dose. Stir well and drink. It's handy as hell.

The whisk requires no cleaning, either; just rinse and done.

Put it this way: I just spent a great deal more time typing this out than I EVER did whizzing together my daily doses and cleaning up. Hope this helps.

Note: All the above Amazon links are non-affiliate.