The DEA notes several cases of psychosis or hallucinations have been reported after kratom consumption. Though possible, a research review suggests serious adverse effects from kratom are very rare. For many people, the answer to this is physical pain, but for others, it could be something much deeper. Visiting a mental health therapist is invaluable for learning to identify with this pain, bringing it to the surface, and integrating it.
Signs and Symptoms of Kratom Abuse
In 2016, it was estimated that in the US, there were several million consumers purchasing products from more than 10,000 retail outlets with an estimated annual market of 207 million US dollars (Botanical Education Alliance 2016). While kratom may have therapeutic potential, it also poses significant safety concerns and it is available for public use without a prescription. The effects of kratom can be unpredictable due to the variability in how it is processed and the presence of unregulated compounds in commercial products.
Does Kratom Work for Treating Opiate Withdrawal?
Mountainside addresses mind, body, and spirit to promote holistic healing. An online user’s guide describes the signs of kratom use and how much of the drug to use to obtain these different states. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the Creative Commons licensing terms apply. The “natural plants are always safe” narrative is inherently flawed — toxic chemicals can be present in botanical-derived products just as they can in those created in a lab.
- Less than half (43%) of that 21% said they suffered from withdrawal hours after using kratom.
- While kratom is sold as a dietary supplement in some states in the U.S., it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any medical use.
- While kratom isn’t a cure for depression and anxiety, it can be helpful to manage them.
- While there may be potential for kratom to alleviate a variety of ailments, there is currently mixed clinical evidence to support its effectiveness.
- Suwanlert (1975) reported that following the chronic exposure to M.
- Some products called kratom contain other substances, including fentanyl, that can cause overdose.
How Long Does Kratom Withdrawal Last?
People who abuse kratom can become dependent on it over time, though it takes several months of consistent and heavy kratom use to reach this point. Kratom can be addictive — most definitely — but it’s not even comparable with opioids. If you’ve heard about kratom, then you may have read a lot of conflicting information on the topic of kratom addiction. Both plants serve important roles in their native regions, offering benefits under traditional use scenarios.
How Does Kratom Cause Addiction?
Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. Kratom.org does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The best way to manage a kratom addiction is to taper down your use — regulate your dose size and avoid taking it every day — or avoid it altogether. Many factors can contribute marijuana statistics in the us: cannabis use and abuse 2024 data update to the symptoms of PAWS, but they’re generally the result of changes in brain chemistry caused by long-term substance abuse. Many people find that they are unable to get to sleep during kratom withdrawal. The dopaminergic imbalance causes a lack of energy, and yet they lack the ability to drift off to sleep.
Five of the seven infants who were reported to have been exposed to kratom went through withdrawal. At low doses, kratom acts as a stimulant, making users feel more energetic. At very high doses, it acts as a sedative, making users quiet and perhaps sleepy. Some people who practice Asian traditional medicine consider kratom to be a substitute for opium.
When you’re dependent on a dopamine-boosting supplement, you may find yourself unhappy, lethargic, and unmotivated when you’re not using it. It’s also important to note that some products, especially ‘enhanced’ strains compare different sober houses or extracts, can really speed up the process of addiction. For example, strains like Ultra Enhanced Indo contain a much higher alkaloid content than the average strain and can cause addiction much quicker.
Uneducated users, believing that kratom will never cause an addiction, may begin to use extremely high doses every day and develop a serious habit that’s hard to kick. In fact, kratom has helped many people wean themselves off these dangerous drugs over the years. It’s even starting to find its way into conventional medicine as an alternative to methadone or suboxone-replacement addiction therapy.
There are lots of support groups for people with kratom addiction, especially online. Websites like Reddit have entire communities of people dedicated specifically to helping people manage kratom addictions. april is alcohol awareness month national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism niaaa Many people experience the classic symptoms of an allergy when they are going through kratom withdrawal. This might mean having a runny nose, sneezing a lot, watery eyes, or excessive yawning.