Posted by Incorporating wellness botanicals means fitting them into your daily life. If you’re about to start taking 7-OH, Pseudo, or Oxonol, at some point you’ll want to figure out a scheduling protocol. Pseudo and Oxonol are 7-OH alternatives that have greater legality and fewer side effects.
Also, each has unique effects to serve different needs. While neither is better than another, Pseudo is the most powerful for pain relief, followed by 7-OH and then Oxonol.
Regardless of the kratom-derived botanical you end up taking, there’s a scheduling protocol that’s right for you and your botanical of choice. Read about timing, spacing, managing side effects, and more.
See also: Switching Between 7-OH, Oxonol, and Pseudo? Here’s What You Should Know
Can You Switch from Kratom to 7-OH and Vice-Versa?
You Could Start with Kratom (and Probably Should)
It often happens that people who use 7-OH, Pseudo, or Oxonol also use kratom. Many people start off by taking kratom before moving on to the more potent alkaloid derivatives. That’s because it’s weaker at the mu-opioid receptors, the main ones that deal with pain and euphoria.
If you decide to start off by taking kratom to transition to 7-OH, Pseudo, or Oxonol, you’ll just take up to a few weeks of taking kratom no more than 3 days straight or 3 to 4 days a week. You should wait at least 24 hours after your last kratom use to take 7-OH, Pseudo, or Oxonol.
The Pharmacology Behind 7-OH, Pseudo, and Oxonol
The three botanicals have many things in common, but let’s start with their differences:
- 7-OH: Both an alkaloid present in full-spectrum kratom and the most potent natural metabolite of mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine or 7-OH quickly leads to tolerance after about a week of use. It takes effect within 30-45 minutes and lasts 4-6 hours.
- Pseudo: Pseudoindoxyl mitragynine or Pseudo is the final oxidative metabolite of mitragynine and binds more strongly to mu-opioid receptors than both 7-OH and morphine. Expect heavy, grounding, long-lasting effects for 6-8 hours that keep dosing to a minimum.
- Oxonol: An enhanced kratom alkaloid blend by Real Botanicals, Oxonol is another 7-OH alternative that also boasts fewer side effects and greater legality. It’s light, smooth, with mental clarity that lasts 4-6 hours and may need redosing.
Principles for Scheduling 7-OH, Pseudo, or Oxonol
All of the following apply to the three botanicals when you’re integrating them into your schedule:
- Microdosing wins, every time. When I say that it’s better to be safe than sorry, and you might only need a fraction of a chewable tablet of 7-OH, Pseudo, or Oxonol, believe me. You’ll often find suggestions for half a tablet, but I stick with a quarter-tablet or even an eighth to get effects without overkill (I’m talking about overwhelming effects from onset at a high dose like dizziness, nausea, and sleepiness).
- Keep to at least the “four-hour rule” before redosing. Depending on how long the botanical lasts with the formulation, your metabolism, and other factors, you’ll want to avoid redosing until you’re familiar with spacing. Do so only after at least four hours or however long the botanical lasts – sometimes even 6 to 8 hours.
- Limit daily exposure. It’s better to do just one or two doses that are spaced apart than several scattered mini-doses throughout the day, so your opioid receptors don’t get continuously activated. Frequency over dose is key here.
- Cycle every week. Avoid desensitizing your opioid receptors and lowering key neurotransmitters (like dopamine and serotonin) by having at least two non-use days for every 5-7 days.
Side Effects
- Tolerance
- Physical dependence
- Accidental overdose
- Withdrawal symptoms and cravings
- Respiratory depression
- Insomnia
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Unstable mood between doses
- Reduced natural endorphins with extended use
- Hormonal disruption with extended use
Early Signs of Tolerance
If you’re increasing the amount in your doses from week to week, you’re starting to develop a tolerance. The same if you automatically take 7-OH, Pseudo, or Oxonol every day and rely on them, redose often, experience anxiety between doses, or the botanical replaces other coping strategies. But noticing these early signs is easier to correct than when you’re already dependent.
Although Pseudo and Oxonol don’t have the same risk or severity of adverse effects like 7-OH, that doesn’t mean users can’t develop a tolerance. It’s just harder or would take longer to do so.
Tapering Off As Opposed to Going Cold Turkey
Other than weekly cycling where you take two days off, you don’t want to suddenly stop taking either botanical cold turkey, unless you’re still new. Once you’re no longer a beginner and are taking either botanical for longer than a week, you’ll likely feel withdrawal effects like irritability, anxiety, mood swings, or insomnia. So when you want to stop completely, you should decrease the dose by 10-20% each time.
Scheduling Protocols by Botanical
7-OH
Can be used for pain and focus. Morning use at 8 am to last 5 hours, peak, and gradually taper off. Afternoon use at 1 pm only if the effects from the morning dose fully wore off. Use in the evening for severe pain only, to avoid disrupting your sleep cycle by overstimulating opioid receptors.
Pseudo
One dose in the morning or occasionally for a physically demanding task where you want to feel steady. Limit use to twice a week or for severe pain.
Oxonol
Often for daytime use for calm and moderate pain relief. Good for evening use for relaxation and sleep, but never overlap with morning use right afterwards.
7-OH, Pseudo, and Oxonol All Under One Roof
If you’re looking for 7-OH and 7-OH alternatives, you deserve to have a good variety of options. There are many vendors that sell both 7-OH and Pseudo, but only Real Botanicals makes Oxonol. They also offer kratom if you want to start with that first. What makes them stand out is their no-nonsense approach with precise formulation and dosing for maximum effectiveness.