Can you overdose on kratom?

Let’s compare kratom to something that has become a true crisis in drinking age map the world today, opiates. Although uncommon, it’s possible to overdose from taking too much kratom. Any herb or substances that cause strong pharmacological effects have the potential to cause some degree of dependency or harm. Depending on the amount of active ingredient in the product and the health of the user, taking kratom can be harmful.

When a pregnant person uses kratom, the baby may be born with symptoms of withdrawal and need treatment. People who use kratom to relax or to be more social most likely think that kratom is natural and safe because it comes from a plant. But the amount of the active part in kratom leaves can vary greatly. Among kratom’s many chemically active compounds is mitragynine, which targets the same pain-reducing receptors that are stimulated by opioids like heroin, morphine, and fentanyl. Underlying this uncertainty is a lack of peer-reviewed research.

Is Kratom Powder an Opioid?

Many of the problems linked to pain medicines happen when people take them at high doses or for a long time. Experts don’t know what level of kratom can cause those problems. Poison control centers in the United States received more than 3,400 reports about use of kratom from 2014 through 2019. Side effects reported included high blood pressure, confusion and seizures. 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 mirtazapine interactions with alcohol doses has sedating effects.

Long-Term Effects of Using Kratom

The study also showed limited physical dependence, constipation, and respiratory depression. 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.

1. There are also other health risks and adverse effects that people may experience when using the drug.
2. The kratom strain you choose plays a role in both the beneficial properties and potential side effects you should expect.
3. “We just don’t understand exactly how they are playing together,” he says.
4. Evidence-based therapies help you understand the emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that led to the addiction in the first place.

Opioid-like effects include relaxation, pain relief, and confusion. Researchers are studying what kratom does in the brain, what interactions it has with medications, and whether it’s helpful for medicinal uses. Less physical dependence and respiratory depression mark a major difference between kratom and traditional opiates. Opioids are commonly prescribed to individuals with chronic, acute, and terminal pain. However, abuse of these medications is incredibly common and presents an overdose risk to these patients 2. While it was pointed out that kratom was involved in 91 deaths, they also admitted that kratom was involved in less than 1% of the more than 27,000 fatal overdoses that were documented.

We know that struggling with a substance use disorder can be overwhelming. This is why we have treatment support specialists available 24/7 to help you find treatment. Please give AAC a call today free at to speak with a member of our support team so that you can move one step closer to overcoming addiction. Methadone is another prescription drug used to treat opioid addiction. Doscher has found that kratom addiction is easier to treat than an opioid addiction. “I’ve never had to treat someone with a kratom dependence with methadone,” she said.

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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. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) say low doses of kratom have stimulating effects and higher doses of kratom have more sedating effects. “I would never suggest someone use kratom as a pain reliever because the benefits are not established, there are many other options, and there are real risks,” White says. Kratom is a stimulant at lower doses but, paradoxically, at higher doses it induces drowsiness or sedative reactions more akin to those produced by opiates. Kratom also binds to serotonin receptors, which regulate mood and anxiety, and it impacts dopamine release.

A healthcare professional may prescribe pain-relieving medication or drugs that maverick house sober living address different symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 91 fatalities resulting from kratom overdose in 2016–2017 throughout 27 states in the United States. However, it is important to note that in 84 of these 91 cases, other substances were also involved.

To learn more about kratom, visit nccih.nih.gov/health/kratom and nida.nih.gov/research-topics/kratom. Kratom has traditionally served as a method of increasing energy and improving work productivity as well as fighting fatigue among farming populations in Southeast Asia. C. Michael White, a distinguished professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut, agrees.