Stomach issues after Kratom/opioid use

[Action]

Hi All,

I was a daily Kratom user for 3 to 4 years and finally quit in December 2021. Kratom is essentially an opioid. Since I quit though I’ve had terrible stomach issues, consisting of the following:

-chronic diarrhea (8 to 10 trips to the toilet per day; most of the time it’s just liquid, like I’m peeing out of my butt)
-bloating and gas
-TERRIBLE heartburn, especially during the night, to the point of it waking me up and I have to pop a few Pepcid and chug a bunch of milk just to be able to get back to sleep
-And just all around super sensitive to all types of food that I was never sensitive to before

Lately though it seems to have gotten worse. I wake up in the middle of the night throwing up in my mouth (regurgitation, I think it’s called?). It’s terribly unpleasant and not to mention potentially dangerous. I recently tried anti-biotics; penicillin vk, erythromycin, tetracycline. I don’t think they helped much at all. In fact I think the regurgitation thing started to happen shortly after anti-biotic use. Could be a coincidence though.

Does anybody have experience with resolving these symptoms?

 

[ThinPicking]

I reckon...

Get a blood and urine sodium panel if you can. In the meantime lightly salt your food, balance your macros in them and moderate your portions. Meanwhile moderate any fluids you're consuming, add a small pinch of salt to them and try to consume any bulk of them away from your meals.

I've never touched Kratom but I read some of the wreckage of its use on Reddit some time ago. I was hoping to help a few people there but never got involved in the discussion. I'm pretty sure opioids generally can cause excessive natriuresis and volume contraction. They're nasty dude, a big societal problem. It sounds like you have some issue with the tone in your esophageal sphincter, some hypochlorhydria and some hypermotility. Your gastrointestinal tract is out of whack basically. Sodium chloride is your friend but not too much too quickly.

Please give a description below of your diet and sleep habits by TOD as they are now. The more detailed and honest the better.

Also generally don't worry, you'll get back. And from there address issues with hedonic tone that I'd guess led you to toy with it in the first place. You're in a good place here on RPF.

 

[Action]

I reckon...

Get a blood and urine sodium panel if you can. In the meantime lightly salt your food, balance your macros in them and moderate your portions. Meanwhile moderate any fluids you're consuming, add a small pinch of salt to them and try to consume any bulk of them away from your meals.

I've never touched Kratom but I read some of the wreckage of its use on Reddit some time ago. I was hoping to help a few people there but never got involved in the discussion. I'm pretty sure opioids generally can cause excessive natriuresis and volume contraction. They're nasty dude, a big societal problem. It sounds like you have some issue with the tone in your esophageal sphincter, some hypochlorhydria and some hypermotility. Your gastrointestinal tract is out of whack basically. Sodium chloride is your friend but not too much too quickly.

Please give a description below of your diet and sleep habits by TOD as they are now. The more detailed and honest the better.

Also generally don't worry, you'll get back. And from there address issues with hedonic tone that I'd guess led you to toy with it in the first place. You're in a good place here on RPF.

Thank you so much ThinPicking, appreciate you.

Diet:
-Breakfast, 8:30am-ish: 2 boiled eggs, a coke, milk (2%, 500ml) - usually adding 1 tbsp gelatin to milk
-Lunch, 1pm-ish: oat bran (1/3 cup, sometimes with 1 tbsp gelatin added), milk (2%, 500ml)
-Snack, 2-3pm: milk (2%, 500ml)
-Dinner, 7pm-ish: usually a protein (steak, liver, oysters, shrimp, cod) with a coke
-Snack: most days of the week i'll have a pint of haagen dasz ice cream before bed.

Sometimes I'll buy a rice meal; beef teriyaki with rice, sushi rolls, etc. because without starch I'm just not satiated. Although admittedly I know I don't do well with starch. I drink a lot of coke, up to 1 liter per day. Mostly drink the non-Mexican coke. I live in a city where quality fruit and fruit juices are not available, but I'll have fruit or OJ a couple times per week. I limit the OJ because the commercial stuff I have access too is not good for my stomach.

Sleep:
Weekdays: usually go to bed between 10-11pm, usually asleep before 12am. Wake up at 7:30 to 8am for work.
Weekends: pretty erratic, sleep anywhere from 11pm to 2am, waking up around 10am-ish.

 

[PeskyPeater]

kratum affects the opioid and dopamine system that is in the gut, changes in gut physiology affect the microbiota composition, constipation and SIBO.

Bacillus subtilis helps for SIBO bloating diarea and restoring microbiome diversity. gut wall, enzymes. restores serotonin / dopamine in the gut/ brain
Histological alterations of intestinal villi in chickens fed dried Bacillus subtilis var. natto - PubMed
Effects of three probiotic Bacillus on growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, antioxidative capacity, serum immunity, and biochemical parameters in broilers - PubMed

losartan from mexian pharmacy helps to repair gut

Changes to the gut microbiota induced by losartan contributes to its antihypertensive effects - PubMed

losartan treatment reduced gut dysbiosis and sympathetic drive in the gut, thus improving gut integrity. The changes induced by losartan in gut microbiota contributed, in part, to protecting the vasculature and reducing BP, possibly by modulating the immune system in the gut.

Losartan improves visceral sensation and gut barrier in a rat model of irritable bowel syndrome - PubMed

Losartan prevented visceral allodynia and colonic hyperpermeability in rat IBS models. These actions may be PPAR-γ-dependent and also mediated by the NO, opioid, and dopamine D2 pathways. Losartan may be useful for IBS treatment.

 

[Action]

kratum affects the opioid and dopamine system that is in the gut, changes in gut physiology affect the microbiota composition, constipation and SIBO.

Bacillus subtilis helps for SIBO bloating diarea and restoring microbiome diversity. gut wall, enzymes. restores serotonin / dopamine in the gut/ brain
Histological alterations of intestinal villi in chickens fed dried Bacillus subtilis var. natto - PubMed
Effects of three probiotic Bacillus on growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, antioxidative capacity, serum immunity, and biochemical parameters in broilers - PubMed

losartan from mexian pharmacy helps to repair gut

Changes to the gut microbiota induced by losartan contributes to its antihypertensive effects - PubMed

Losartan improves visceral sensation and gut barrier in a rat model of irritable bowel syndrome - PubMed

Thank you so much. That's very interesting about losartan. It's funny because I actually have high blood pressure too. So you might be onto something there...

 

[PeskyPeater]

high blood pressure is usually from high aldosterone which is like the antagonist to progesterone. making you lose sodium and need more salt.