Posts made in April, 2022

Kratom is a tropical evergreen tree found mostly in Southeast Asia. A kratom herb like elephant kratom has been predominant for hundreds of years of the countries’ traditional medicine, often taken as a treatment for anxiety and pain. In the past years, some individuals have found kratom plants therapeutic for the treatment of symptoms for opioid and some other certain drug withdrawals. Despite these apparent advantages, the FDA or Food and Drug Administration of the US identified kratom as acquiring opioid-like characteristics as well as a high potential for addiction and abuse.  

Dangers of Kratom  

The Food and Drug Administration has associated rapid increase of mortality rate during the past years. It has a very significant increase however, only 7 percent of the cases were for severe adverse effects. The AKA or American Kratom Association, an advocacy group, merely focused on improving public understanding of kratom and acclaiming the potential of the substance in medical treatment, reported recently that millions of people have already tried taking in kratom. The nonprofit advocacy group claims that any severe adverse effects linked with this substance use are greatly because of the altered kratom additives, prior drug use or supplies.  

Reports to poison control centers regarding kratom includes that overdosage or abuse of this substance can lead to irritability, nausea, vomiting, disorientation and vomiting. Because kratom is a non-regulated substance, extra dose of these substances is a major concern for abusers. The DEA or Drug Enforcement Agency has recognized kratom substances laced with tramadol as well as some opioid-based substances. As a matter of fact, the DEA also claims some businesses can dangerously attempt to increase the potency of the kratom substances by incorporating these substances. The analysis of these products by the FDA has showed that kratom contains different active compounds which are functionally similar to those present in prescription opioid drugs. Regardless of these results, some researchers lead to the existence of Mitragynine as a valid reason to investigate more applications for kratom substance. Mitragynine lessens the pain without even suppressing respiratory functions unlike some opioid drugs do. One very dangerous aspect of prescription opioid medications is the high-risk for causing depression of respiratory functions which is the major cause of accidental opioid mortality. 

Kratom and Other Substance Abuse 

The followers of kratom substances like AKA believe that these substances are valuable medical assets, particularly the treatment for chronic pain, anxiety and some opioid withdrawal symptoms. Nonetheless, some recent users were being reported that they basically traded one substance addiction for another. Following the recovery from using kratom and opioid addiction to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms, the person usually becomes dependent or addicted to kratom. It is important for anyone in recovery or treatment for substance abuse to understand and realize that kratom can actually be habit-forming. 

Furthermore, there are several cities where in kratom use is significantly prohibited while other states such as Wisconsin, Vermont, Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Alabama have legalized the consumption of this substance.  

Lastly, more research studies are needed before we can fully conclude the benefits and dangers of kratom use.