Is Kratom Safe?: Dangers, Side Effects & Kratom Overdose

They may need treatments given for opioid addiction, such as buprenorphine (Brixadi, Sublocade, others) and buprenorphine-naloxone (Suboxone, Zubsolv). Researchers salvia dosage chart say most people who use kratom report using it for more than one reason. Supplements and unregulated drugs do not have set standards or government-issued monitoring of their safety, and concerns over kratom’s purity and toxicity in the U.S. triggered the 2022 FDA alert. Four years earlier, the FDA had issued a mandatory recall of kratom products after a salmonella outbreak was linked to kratom sold by Triangle Pharmanaturals, LLC.

1. Here, we’ll explore the signs and symptoms of kratom overdose, how much kratom is needed to reach toxic levels, and why mixing kratom with other drugs is so dangerous.
2. Kratom is legal in the U.S. but is not regulated and is a drug of concern due to its potential for abuse and addiction.
3. Supporters of kratom use have been fighting to keep it legal for years.
4. Experts don’t know what level of kratom can cause those problems.
5. Kaitlin Sullivan is a contributor for NBCNews.com who has worked with NBC News Investigations.

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Kratom is legal in the U.S. but is not regulated and is a drug of concern due to its potential for abuse and addiction. Kratom is an herbal substance with stimulant- and opioid-like properties. Although not FDA-approved, it is present in many products. It has been used to treat a variety of conditions, including pain and fatigue.

However, it can lead to an overdose, physical dependence, and unpleasant side effects. Physical dependence and respiratory depression are very common side effects of using traditional opiates. Respiratory depression is one of the leading causes of death in relation to opioid overdose.

Side effects and safety concerns

This may lead to severe effects, such as liver damage and death. But how to know if you got roofied kratom hasn’t been shown to be safe or to treat any medical conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned people not to use kratom because of possible harm it can cause. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration calls kratom a drug of concern.

Kratom users can chew the tree’s leaves, swallow or brew dry kratom, or add the extract to a liquid. In some states, kratom is banned as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, while it is regulated in others. As of August 2023, it was banned or regulated in 22 states. Legislation to regulate it is being considered in others. It’s best how to smoke moon rock to check with your local laws because restrictions, regulations, and bans can be updated at any time.

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This evidence suggests that mitragynine, one of the main alkaloids found in kratom, may pave the way to new potential pain relievers in the future. As we mentioned earlier, the numbers of kratom-related deaths were just 91 people in a period of 18 months. Also, you should keep in mind that kratom was considered a “contributing factor,” not the cause of death in the majority of these cases. The problem with this report is that kratom was not the primary reason for most of these fatalities. Kratom was found in the system at the time of death — but it doesn’t mean it was the reason they died. When a pregnant person uses kratom, the baby may be born with symptoms of withdrawal and need treatment.

Can You Overdose on Kratom?

Conversely, prescription opiates are extremely easy to overdose on because all you need to reach this point is a few extra milligrams or pills. By the time your body realizes you’ve taken too much, it’s too late. So now that we know that fatal overdosing on kratom is possible (but rare) let’s go over some of the symptoms you might experience if you were to take too high of a dose.

More recently, people around the world are using it to treat pain or manage opioid withdrawal symptoms. But kratom’s safety and effectiveness haven’t been well studied. In a study testing kratom as a treatment for symptoms of quitting opioids, called withdrawal, people who took kratom for more than six months reported withdrawal symptoms like those from opioid use.

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Depending on the amount of active ingredient in the product and the health of the user, taking kratom can be harmful. There are too few studies to be able to rate the claims about the benefits of kratom. Users swear by kratom for lifting mood and boosting energy, but there are many safety issues and questions about whether kratom works. Kaitlin Sullivan is a contributor for NBCNews.com who has worked with NBC News Investigations. She reports on health, science and the environment and is a graduate of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York. “If it is ever studied to a point that the FDA puts its thumb of approval on it, it will be in a purified form and there will be data that shows its safety,” Kaye said.

In recent years, research has also linked kratom to liver damage and death, but has also recognized the plant as a safer option for pain management than opioids. “Importantly, evidence shows that kratom has similar effects to narcotics like opioids, and carries similar risks of abuse, addiction and in some cases, death,” Gottlieb added. Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is an evergreen tree in the coffee family. Some people use it for its stimulant, sedative, or pain-relieving effects.

However, one survey found that 12.3% of people who use kratom would qualify as having a use disorder, the authors said. A 2016 Addiction Biology study done in rodents also suggests that mitragynine, the main psychoactive substance in kratom, may have addictive properties. In Tennessee, the ban on kratom extends only to synthetic versions of the drug, not to the plant itself. Rates of kratom use were highest among young adults ages 18 to 25, followed by adults 26 or older, and adolescents aged 12 to 17, SAMHSA reports. Kratom is an herbal leaf from Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical evergreen tree in the coffee family. The tree is native to Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian countries.

Some studies have found that some kratom sellers add more of the active ingredient than kratom naturally has. And because kratom products lack clear labels, it’s not possible to know how much kratom people who use it take. Supporters say they use kratom to treat aches and pains, anxiety and to boost focus.