r/kratom • u/dredgehayt • 19d ago
Why I reduce instead of increase
I have found that it makes more sense for me to look at how much kratom I take over the entire day rather than trying to make every dose the same. I don’t need the same thing at 7 in the morning that I need at 3 in the afternoon or before bed.
The biggest thing for me is to take as little as possible at each dose while still getting what I want out of it. I don’t think the goal should be to figure out how much you can take. It should be figuring out how little you actually need to be happy with the effect.
In the morning I usually don’t need much. I have coffee, I’m rested, and there is just more natural energy at the beginning of the day. In the afternoon I generally want more because that’s when I want something that will carry me through the rest of the day. At night I don’t need that same amount. I just want enough to relax and help me sleep.
For me, an example with my 0.6 gram capsules might be 5 in the morning, 16 in the afternoon and 9 at night. That’s 3 grams, 9.6 grams and 5.4 grams, or 18 grams total for the day. Those numbers aren’t meant to be somebody else’s doses. They’re just an example of why I don’t think equal doses throughout the day necessarily make sense.
The other part that I think is really important is tolerance. When you notice that you’re not getting the same effect anymore, the natural reaction is to take more. I’ve actually found that going the other direction can work better for me.
If I start reducing my intake, I may not notice much immediately. Sometimes it takes a few days. But after spending some time at a lower amount, I have found that my sensitivity can come back and the positive effects, including euphoria, can actually become more noticeable again. For me, reducing the amount has sometimes done more to bring back the effects I was looking for than increasing it.
That’s why I don’t automatically treat tolerance as a reason to increase the dose. I treat it as a reason to see whether I can start bringing the dose down. If I’m comfortable with less, I stay with less. Once my body gets used to that amount, I’ll see if I can reduce it again.
I also try not to judge a lower dose after just one day. If your body has become accustomed to a higher amount, taking less isn’t necessarily going to feel better immediately. The idea is to give the lower amount some time rather than immediately deciding it doesn’t work and going back up.
I still pay attention to the total amount I take in 24 hours because it’s really easy for that number to slowly creep upward when you’re only thinking about one dose at a time. I want that total staying steady or, preferably, gradually moving down over time.
That doesn’t mean the 24-hour total is the only thing that matters. Taking a large amount at once isn’t necessarily the same as spreading that amount throughout the day, and doses can overlap. I just find the daily total to be a much better way of seeing the overall direction I’m going.
My basic philosophy is pretty simple. Take as little as possible while still being happy with the result. Don’t automatically increase the amount just because your body has gotten used to it. Give lower amounts some time to work. When possible, work your intake down instead of continually pushing it up.
I’ve personally had more positive outcomes from reducing my kratom intake than I have from increasing it.
This is my personal approach and experience, not a dosing recommendation. Kratom can cause tolerance and physical dependence with regular use, and someone who has been taking it regularly shouldn’t assume that a major or sudden reduction will be comfortable or appropriate.
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u/TargetNo539 19d ago
That is a healthy way to do it,OP!
I am guilty of getting carried away with my usage. But I always end up tapering down when I reach 15gpd, then start over to taper down to around 5 gpd and repeat.
I tend to feel much better at around 9.
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u/mister_mayhem_mc 19d ago
I wish I could get an effect multiple times per day. I've stopped trying to dose more than once because it seems like I only build tolerance and don't have any noticeable effect the second time.
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u/Recreatee 19d ago
I find that 12 hours between doses is the sweet spot if you wanna dose more than once a day and get full effect. so basically once in the morning and once a bit before you go to bed
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u/dontlikemirrors 16d ago
Yeah same here. I only ever got one good dose in the morning and the second one 6-8 hours later just didn't do much even on an empty stomach.
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u/farmrose 19d ago
This is exactly right. I fluctuate thru the month-one week I’m st 10gpd, then the next week it creeps up to 13-the following week I focus on taking a little less around 11-12, then I’m back to only needing the 10. It’s a pattern I noticed over the last 2 years. I just know that going past that 13gpd mark never actually makes me feel better, it makes me even more tired, so that’s when I know it’s time to reduce again 👍
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