We parents have quite the challenge on our hands these days. When it comes to drug use, no longer can we concern ourselves with simply teaching kids about the dangers of illicit substances and how to avoid them.
Now we have to dive headfirst down the rabbit hole to pro-actively inform them about legal drugs that they (and ourselves) may benignly encounter under legitimate, seemingly safe, scenarios. Kratom is one such substance that is proliferating like wildfire, threatening unsuspecting consumers – and children – with its little known addictive effects in the process.
What is Kratom?
Kratom is a plant native to Southeast Asia. It contains the substance mitragynine, which is a powerful psychoactive alkaloid.
Not surprisingly, in this part of the world, kratom is popular as a recreational drug.
Kratom Tea
Prepared as a dried and ground herb, kratom tea is a deep green powder that looks strikingly similar to matcha. It is promoted as helpful for anxiety and pain, making those seeking a lifestyle boost particularly vulnerable.
Fans of kratom say it is safe because it has been used in Asia as natural medicine for centuries. Further, they claim that dangerous side effects only potentially occur when mixed with alcohol or drugs.
Here in the North America, this herb is unregulated with dried and crushed versions commonly taken in pill form or brewed into tea.
Even more worrisome, many places that serve kratom tea spike it with CBD oil, increasing the synergistic dangers for a psychotic episode.
One of the first to address the problem, New York City recently banned edibles and drinks containing CBD in bars and restaurants. As of this writing, however, it has taken no action on kratom. (1, 2)
Popular at tea bars where young people like to hang out, kratom is popular for triggering an opioid-like effect. Depending on the dose, those who consume it may experience stimulant like effects or even mild euphoria. Hence the aggressive marketing to “naturally” treat anxiety and pain.
Kratom is Unregulated
Currently, there are no age restrictions on kratom use. This means a minor can order it on their own, and it is frequently available in places where no alcohol is served giving the false impression of safety.
This substance is already the subject of at least one lawsuit, by the parent of a teenager in my local area.
Kratom is suspected of causing brain damage in a 19 year old who drank it frequently starting at age 15 at several tea cafes near her home.
Then, out of the blue, the young woman began to suffer from “psychotic episodes and hallucinations so severe that she was confined” to a nursing home. Her physician made the connection between kratom and her brain injury. The suit alleges that the tea bars failed to warn about its dangerous side effects, making them liable for damages. (3)
Disability from kratom seems to be the tip of the iceberg.
The Food and Drug Administration has linked kratom to dozens of deaths in the United States over a nine-year period. To date, however, the agency has taken no action on prohibiting or regulating its use, saying only that:
There are no FDA-approved uses for kratom, and the agency has received concerning reports about the safety of kratom. FDA is actively evaluating all available scientific information on this issue and continues to warn consumers not to use any products labeled as containing the botanical substance kratom or its psychoactive compounds, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. FDA encourages more research to better understand kratom’s safety profile, including the use of kratom combined with other drugs. (4)
Kratom Effects
Fans of kratom claim that its effects are beneficial and can help wean people off deadly opioid abuse. While potentially true (more research is needed though – see below), it doesn’t justify easy kratom availability to minors.
What about people who don’t or have never even used opioids?
According to the FDA, kratom “affects the same opioid brain receptors as morphine, [and] appears to have properties that expose users to the risks of addiction, abuse, and dependence.” (5)
Does this seem like a substance that a 15 year old girl as described above should be able to freely consume at a local tea bar?
Short Term Symptoms
One or more symptoms typically appear within 5-10 minutes of consuming kratom. They usually last between 2-5 hours. The complete list of short term side effects from consuming kratom in tea or capsule form include: (6)
- Skin: Itching, sweating, dry mouth
- Excretory: Constipation, diarrhea, increased urination
- Cardiovascular: Fast or fluttering heartbeat, panic attacks
- Neurological: Feelings of agitation, irritability, or uneasiness, drowsiness, loss of muscle coordination in arms or legs, hallucinations, seizures
- Gastrointestinal: Loss of appetite, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, liver damage
Long Term Dangers
Kratom dependency is documented in the scientific literature in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependency. More than half of users who consumed kratom for six months or longer develop severe dependency problems. The other half show moderate addiction.
Did you get that?
Nearly 100% of people using kratom for 6 months or longer were addicted – either moderately or severely.
Those who consumed 3 or more glasses per day had a higher risk of developing severe addiction. These individuals were also likely to experience uncontrollable kratom cravings and withdrawal symptoms which included: (7)
Physical
- Muscle spasms
- Pain
- Insomnia
- Watery eyes/nose
- Hot flashes
- Fever
- Decreased appetite
- Diarrhea
Psychological
- Restlessness
- Tension
- Anger
- Sadness
- Nervousness
The journal Addiction Biology also warns of the “evidence for an addiction potential with cognitive impairments for mitragynine [kratom], which suggest its classification as a harmful drug”. (8)
The Effects of Kratom – Bottom Line
The current scientific literature on kratom summarized above is certainly ominous.
However, much more research needs to be done on the effects of kratom.
The best information we have at present is what doctors have observed about dependence in a clinical setting from individual patients experiencing addiction and/or withdrawal symptoms.
In the meantime, savvy parents will take the initiative to warn their children to avoid this herb when frequenting cafes and restaurants with their friends.
I certainly love a good natural remedy as much as anyone, but just because something is natural does not make it safe!
Just Say No … to Kratom!
References
(1) New York City bans CBD in bars and restaurants
(2) Legality of Kratom in New York
(3) Lawsuit says Kratom Tea Caused Teen’s Brain Damage
(4, 5) FDA and Kratom
(6) Kratom Side Effects
(7) Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) dependence, withdrawal symptoms and craving in regular users
(8) Abuse potential and adverse cognitive effects of mitragynine
Kratom is a gift from God and when taken at proper dosage it helps in many ways. Natural not pharmaceutical that’s why they’re so insistent on baining it. I’ve taken it for five years now and have had no issues with it, it’s helped me with my endometriosis, back pain, shoulder, knee and hip. I was taking percacet 10 for eleven years and now all I take is Kratom given to us by God not made it lab somewhere with more side effects that can kill you than it’s worth. Pharmaceutical Companies Pay lobbyist and spread false information because Kratom is a threat to they’re trillion dollar industry. They’ve been pushing drugs that can kill us since day one. Kratom is Safe when used responsibly.
I agree that Kratom is not safe for continual use or use by those who do not have opioid addiction issues. And its use by minors is also problematic. HOWEVER, let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. I was hopelessly addicted to Oxycodone for over ten years after a serious back injury, that became chronic over time. During that period, I attempted suicide 5 times, wound up in a locked psych ward 3 times, and I was tortured every single day. I tried rehab several times, Methadone, Suboxone therapy, retreats, being counseled by clergy, going “cold turkey”, and most of those therapies left me more wounded and traumatized. Then, as a last ditch effort (when I was AGAIN, contemplating suicide, I tried Kratom. And it was a miracle. I titrated down from 180 mg. A DAY tto ZERO in under a month. MAKE NO MISTAKE… KRATOM SAVED MY LIFE. And I’m not alone. I now take medical cannibis for my pain, and am almost pain-free, happy, productive and the depression has VANISHED. And while visiting my local dispensary and chatting with other cannabis users, I’ve heard my story told OVER AND OVER.
I simply resent the fact that ignorance breeds misunderstanding. We as a people have FINALLY begun to respect cannabis as a viable alternative to treating medical conditions, but it took WAY TOO LONG! I just don’t want that to happen with Kratom. There are legitimate reasons to utilize Kratom, and we need to be careful we don’t schedule it incorrectly which will force people who need it the most to have to break the law to obtain it… Does that sound familiar?????
Just like anything, moderation is key. As a chronic pain patient (cpp) have used for 5 years. It’s great as a tea. Many recipes on internet. If pharma interest in using its analogues for IVF use , claiming low dependence, no respiratory depression, etc, in trials, must be useful and safer than lot of opioids. Check out kratom and patents, lots info. I have many med issues and was told no cure just pain relief, which the Gov now has decided for us is bad. Cance= ? No opioids. Post surgery, tylenol. But, according to kolodny , prop leader, suboxone , which btw , is an opioid worse than heroin, scary.and promoted as the gold standard by sub makers , gets paid to get drs to rx it. But again, u can find this info. Sorry, lost track, kratom like any substance if used moderately can be helpful , without making you dopey. Research!
I have been using Kratom daily for over a year. I use it to help with anxiety but have found it useful for many other ailments all the way down to simply recreation because I like the calming effects it has on me. I experimented with dosage until I found whats right for me. After a year of regular use I am yet to experience any of the above symptoms other than a couple times which I did become nauseous and I attributed that to a bit of a high dosage. The above listed “side effects” are common for literally almost any drug weather it’s a prescription or a recreational drug and I have stopped use for periods of time and never experienced “withdrawals” considering I know this drug to help many people withmany diffrent ailments especially those with opiate addictions I believe there are definitely medicinal uses here. Until it’s officially studied by the FDA or unless miss pope can personally attest to the effects of Kratom from her own use this seems like a dangerous wielding of unverified facts and infornmation which can be skewed by either side to promote their own agenda. All I can say Is I have personally used it for an extended period of time and so has my girlfriend and neither one of us have expiernced any serious issues other than mild nausea on extremely rare occasions. Either we are an anomaly oor that’s pretty common based on infornmation I’ve gathered not only from my own personal use but from others these “side effects” are very rare or simply false. Until the FDA publishes a report all of this is reckless speculation. I am in support of regulation and safe use combined with informative advice from medical professionals but to criminalize this drug would be ridiculous. Have we learned nothing from our past criminalization of essentially safe drugs? You create a black market and create an misconception that the drug must be “good” because it’s illegal. We need simple regulation and medical information for safe and responsible use.
From a cpp since 1998 , was given high doses opioids ,well over 600mme, which abruptly withdrawn, found kratom. I had heard all the media , but, since still in pain, needed help, decided to give it a go. At first nothing, then after slowly titrating dose , found it almost better than opioids. Like coffee , a bit of energy, no bad side effects , except took a lot of pain away, which btw, in my opinion, is a good side effect! After 5 years, still enjoying my tea and not having to jump thru hoops and pharma controlling what substance I should take if any. It’s not what the media and Scott are trying to portray it as. As far as deaths, you would have to use large quantities , and then before anything you would at worst throw it back up. No, cant shoot it up as someone said as its impossible because of texture , . Smoke it, lol, uh no. No effect unless u smoke a pound or more. The Gov has been researching how to make a pharma product from it, being fast tracked by FDA. Sooo. Tell you anything? They hawk it as the best thing yet, no response depression, small dependence, perfect. So, research the truth about kratom, look up patents pharma (smithglasko) since 60s. Each person will affected differently, as we are all different. When it started helping me, I thought no wonder why Scott doesn’t want competition from nature. Do your homework! Kratom is not a killer/heroin type substance as the competition would have u believe.
I’ve been responsibly using Kratom for 3 years after an injury that left me with 4 herniated disks & a Lumbar root entrapment on top of my severe Degenerative Disk Disease. I git tired of the opiate merry-go-round. I used Kratom to get off opiates and it was a very smooth transition. I have never had any withdrawals. I can take it several times a day and stop for a week or more without issue. Millions of people take this without any issues. Can you hurt yourself with Kratom? It would take a LOT of work. Kratom has a built in feature that provents overdose: It makes you vomit if you take too much. Please join the group “Kratom Science” on FB if you want to really understand the tea leaf and stop fear-mongering. Kratom gives people their life back. I couldn’t walk to the mail box at one point…opiods did nothing. I am able to do so much more with Kratom!
Now the most important issue is to buy it from a better seller who lab tests every batch for purity and STOP BUYING CRAP AT GAS STATIONS & SMOKE SHOPS! It’s way overpriced! And who knows what your ingesting???
More than that, it interesting that these governing bodies refuse to except 1000s of years of use and antidotal evidence of the benefit of kratom simply saying well more studies need to be done. Yet they have no issue screaming from the mountain tops how dangerous it is….. Let me guess those studies have been done? Ridiculous, oh and don’t forget the children the generic standard argument to knock out just one more freedom
I use kratom for relief from inflammatory symptoms and pain from RA.
Unfortunately, negativity and lack of knowledge are tarnishing the positive benefits gained for some of us. I don’t require “proof” from the FDA as to kratoms positive affects. I live it.
Problem with kratom is that it is helping some of us in constant chronic pain. The government and large pharmaceutical companies don’t like the general public being able to afford something that helps them without someone making a huge profit. That’s the problem they have.
Not everyone uses kratom to get “high”. That is a highly inaccurate statement. I have never been “high” on kratom but it certainly helps to relieve my RA symptoms.
My advice is to stock up on it if it works for you….. before the government and greedy pharmaceutical companies make it into another ridiculously priced drug that people who are benefitting cannot afford.
This is the rest of my questions and opinions. I find it interesting that much of what the FDA has published about kratom and it’s involvement in several deaths. It is a well-known fact by this time that the FDA had published falsified information. Each of these situations where Kratom was the alleged culprit, the subject had several other intoxicants in their system including Fentanyl a very dangerous drug and other opiates as well as alcohol. Another point I would like to bring out is that doctors are prescribing extremely dangerous medications for chronic pain. Many people are becoming opiate dependent. We need to learn the difference between the word opiate and opioid. Opioid is not chemically related other than it targets receptors in a similar way to opiates. I have fibromyalgia and my doctor put me on fentanyl patches. Fentanyl! I could have been using kratom being much less intoxicated and have no respiratory dangers. this plant needs to be studied. I am grateful to the National program that donated a large sum of money to the University of Florida I think it was for the study of Kratom. The addiction is much easier to deal with then that of an opiate. I know I became addicted to the Fentanyl. Let me tell you three days in bed is nothing compared to what I went through getting off of Fentanyl. I for one am very grateful for kratom. Intoxication does not last very long and I have no problem controlling my next dose after a year of daily use. I no longer have the same troubles walking up and down the stairs of my house. I am very involved in my church. I have a leadership position as a matter of fact which is voluntary I might add. It’s not a vocation. But I can do these things now. And I would say probably at least 75% of the people who are using Kratom that I know AR either middle-aged or the early years of being a senior citizen. For myself I am 60 years old. It’s not for everyone. There is no medicine whether natural or chemical that is good for everyone. But there have been so many emotionally based articles like this one that I have read. On the other hand thankfully I have read several written by doctors and scientists that have been professing the safety of Kratom. Safe I say as long as it is clean or untainted. It should not be allowed to be sold in gas stations. In closing I would like to point out how addictive dangerously addictive alcohol is which is unregulated and legal. There have been more medical problems caused by caffeine then have truly been caused by Kratom alone. Thank you for reading my lengthy message. Please do not allow hearsay and fear Drive our decision-making.
I fully agree with what you have said. The FDA should be working with the American Kratom Association who wants to establish correction who are at this time establishing a voluntary program to establish a clean product. Why is it that the FDA is not doing their job? Instead they are trying to control the market. See my comment for more information