However, there has been little documentation of this in the literature other than anecdotal reports (e.g., in Axelrod and Windell 2012, p.56). Broader commercial marketing of kratom products in the US by internet and in various health and natural food stores apparently began to increase in the early 2000s. A kratom industry survey estimated that by 2016, there were approximately 10,000 vendors selling kratom products in the US (Botanical Education Alliance 2016). Frequency of consumption of kratom, whether by consumption of home brewed liquids or commercial products, appears largely determined by individual preferences and reasons for consumption. In a study testing kratom as a treatment for symptoms of opioid withdrawal, people who took kratom for more than six months reported withdrawal symptoms similar to those that occur after opioid use. Too, people who use kratom may begin craving it and require treatments given for opioid addiction, such as naloxone (Narcan) and buprenorphine (Buprenex).
Kratom: Symptoms, Addiction and Treatment
Kratom is promoted as a treatment to ease withdrawal symptoms from opioid medicines. The DEA notes that some people have suffered from periods of psychosis, including hallucinations, aggression, hostility, and confusion. dealing with an alcoholic: how to cope The Drug Enforcement Administration has seen enough of the drug to issue an official drug data sheet to educate law enforcement personnel. Some of the side effects of kratom withdrawal can include diarrhea and vomiting.
Psychological Dependence & Withdrawal Symptoms
Boca Recovery Center is here to provide the best quality care in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. Taking too much kratom can overwhelm the central nervous system, leading to very slow breathing and heart rates. Since kratom has stimulant properties, people who are hallucinating are at risk of harming themselves or others. They may feel compelled to act on the things they see or hear, and their choices could haunt them. People often believe drugs they buy over the counter are inherently safe.
Factors That Affect Kratom Addiction
One of the main ways that it does this is through a process known as downregulation — your body’s attempt to remain in a state of balance. When it detects that a certain system is overstimulated, it tries to counteract the perceived imbalance. There is some speculation that rotating kratom strains can offset the development of addiction, although there’s not much scientific basis for this. This stage of addiction is harder to treat because it can feel pretty uncomfortable when you stop taking kratom. Physical dependence is more than just psychologically craving the experience. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) added kratom to the list of Schedule 1 Drugs (the most serious) in 2016, but strong public backlash was a force that overturned the DEA’s ruling.
Kratom Dependence & Withdrawal Symptoms
These endorphins may help reduce the severity of the withdrawal symptoms. The third and final phase lasts from days 5 through 14 and will begin with the symptoms becoming milder. As the days pass, you’ll have more energy, and the cravings will become less intense. At this point, the dependence is so bad that you feel physically sick when you don’t get a dose. This stage happens after several months of kratom abuse, and the body has assumed kratom is necessary for normal functioning — the so-called homeostasis.
In the US, it appears that most kratom use is not for abuse related purposes described by the FDA in its abuse potential assessment guidance (FDA 2017, p.4) such as “euphoria, hallucinations and other perceptual distortions, alterations in cognition, and changes in mood”. As discussed in Section 2.5, although a nationally representative survey of the reasons for kratom use had not been done at the time of this writing, four independent addiction relapse surveys found that the vast majority of the respondents reported using kratom to improve health and well-being. According to many of the respondents, their kratom use was meant to address symptoms including pain, low energy, depressed or anxious mood. Kratom, commonly referred to as an herbal substance derived from the Mitragyna speciosa tree in Southeast Asia, is recognized for its ability to produce opioid- and stimulant-like effects.
- Kratom use has been increasing and is actually a scheduled substance in some countries because of its stimulant- and opioid-like effects.
- A 2021 animal study involving morphine-dependent mice found kratom compounds may have some clinical value in opioid withdrawal treatment.
- Researchers have studied kratom as a potential treatment to ease withdrawal symptoms.
- Most cases are linked to other substances (fentanyl was found in 62% of the cases) and cannot be attributed solely to kratom [3].
- Many factors can contribute to the symptoms of PAWS, but they’re generally the result of changes in brain chemistry caused by long-term substance abuse.
But kratom can cause brain chemistry changes that lead to compulsive use. People with kratom addiction may want to quit drugs, but they may feel unable to do so. The naturally occurring chemical compounds in kratom also bind to receptors affecting various aspects of mental health, including serotonin receptors and dopamine receptors.
A 2022 review reported Suboxone (buprenorphine-naloxone) as a promising detox treatment in people who were dependent on kratom. The review found alternative treatments for in-patient detoxification, which include Catapres (intravenous clonidine) and a combination of Panlor (oral dihydrocodeine) and Lucemyra (lofexidine). Detoxification depends on factors like duration and frequency of kratom use, granada house review with the FDA saying those who use several times per day experienced greater withdrawal symptoms. Reports of supervised detox from kratom are insufficient to draw conclusions. Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth.) is an herbal opioid-like drug that comes from the coffee plant family native to Southeast Asia. People consume kratom by oral ingestion in the form of a tablet, capsule, or extract.
Kratom is a herbal substance from Southeast Asia that acts on the body in ways similar to those of opioids. Kratom in smaller doses has stimulating effects and in larger doses has sedating effects. It has been traditionally used for increasing energy and worker productivity in farming communities in Southeast Asia but it is now also used in the United States for several reasons. Dosing for kratom can be hard to determine because dosing and effects for kratom have not been well documented.
Different people will have different experiences regarding developing a kratom addiction. Some people find that they develop an addiction and tolerance relatively quickly. Others can build a tolerance and use kratom on a regular basis for months without actually experiencing withdrawal symptoms at all. Instead, you’re going to crave the experience or benefits kratom offers you. This is the same for addictions to other substances or activities (like sex or gambling). You don’t physically need the substance, but you seek it out because of how it makes you feel.