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Kratom is Killing People: Here’s What You Need to Know
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By: Steve Williams
April 18, 2019
The CDC has reinforced warnings about the herbal supplement kratom after dozens of deaths over the past few years have concerned healthcare officials.
The herbal supplement kratom is derived from the Southeast Asian kratom tree. People can purchase it over the counter throughout the US in powder-capsule form, as a tea and as a mixed capsule with caffeine. It is a popular drug for its pain relief properties and is often sold as a supposedly safer and “natural” alternative to opioids.
While this ”atypical opioid” certainly does have pain relief applications, it also carries substantial risks.
In a report published Friday, April 12, the Centers for Disease Control updates figures on kratom-linked fatalities in the United States for the years 2016 to 2017, putting the number of overdose deaths at 91. Previous figures indicated around 44 deaths since 2011, so this is a significant uptick.
Out of some 27,338 overdose cases, 152 people tested positive for kratom—even when it was not the direct cause of death. Health experts say that even where kratom is not the actual cause of death it may still be a contributing factor because, when taken with other medications, it can lead to overdoses which are more complex to treat.
the report reads. “Kratom was determined to be a cause of death by a medical examiner or coroner for 91 of the 152 kratom-positive decedents, including seven for whom kratom was the only substance to test positive on postmortem toxicology, although the presence of additional substances cannot be ruled out.”
“In approximately 80 percent of kratom-positive and kratom-involved deaths in this analysis,” the report adds, “the decedents had a history of substance misuse, and approximately 90 percent had no evidence that they were currently receiving medically supervised treatment for pain.
As a national drug problem, the wider opioid overdose issue still massively dwarfs kratom. Opioids were responsible for 47,600 fatalities in 2017 alone. While it is important not to overstate the current role kratom plays in drug deaths, health experts are concerned because kratom’s popularity seems to be growing.
Kratom is particularly popular among people with a history of substance abuse, not just pain medication addiction. This may indicate that its opioid-like effects are something that people may seek out if they have prior drug dependence.
There is also some misinformation regarding kratom as a means of ending opioid addiction “naturally”. For this purpose it is often sold in tea form and is said to ease withdrawal-related symptoms like cramps and nausea. However, kratom is not a scheduled or restricted drug. It is not regulated, and research hasn’t fully verified its effects or explored it in the same way as regulated pharmaceuticals.
As an herbal supplement, its dosage and the exact makeup of the product may differ between brands. Even giving the benefit of the doubt that most brands are trying to deliver top quality for consumers, this gap in regulation can lead to serious issues.
Time notes a link between salmonella-infected kratom and an outbreak that impacted over 41 states in 2018, leading to 50 hospitalizations.
Kratom has also been linked to heavy metal exposure. A recent FDA report evaluated 30 different kratom products available to the public and found that the majority had ”significant levels of lead and nickel” that were past the safety levels set for oral drug ingestion. Heavy metal exposure over a long period of time can lead to nervous system damage and increased cancer risk, among other health issues.
Previously, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has warned that the use of kratom appears to be gaining popularity as a means of treating opioid problems, but that this is risky.
“At a time when we have hit a critical point in the opioid epidemic, the increasing use of kratom as an alternative or adjunct to opioid use is extremely concerning,” Gottlieb explained in a press release. “It’s very troubling to the FDA that patients believe they can use kratom to treat opioid withdrawal symptoms. …. There is no reliable evidence to support the use of kratom as a treatment for opioid use disorder.”
The main thrust of the CDC and FDA warnings is that beneath the idea of kratom as a “natural” pain relief supplement hides a darker reality: it is an unregulated and potentially lethal substance which, because it is not carefully monitored poses a real risk to users, particularly if they take opioids.
Related at Care2
Alcohol Kills More Americans Than Opioids
Bipartisan Bill to Limit Opioid Prescriptions Won’t Fix the Overdose Crisis
Marijuana Legalization Reduces Opioid Use, Studies Show
Photo credit: Getty Images.
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43 comments
Bryce Aveyabout an hour ago
Yeah the Kratom like anything comes with a risk. That risk however, is no where near the risk of opiate meds and heroin. Kratom got me off of that stuff and gave me my life back. I wouldn’t be back in school and working if I was still on opiates. Kratom has never put me in the ER. Opiates almost killed me a few times from OD. You take kratom from people using it to stay off opiates and you’d be giving them a death sentence.
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Irene Sabout an hour ago
Never heard of it, but it´s legal here.
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Herman A2 hours ago
Aspirin kills more people than kratom. Don't lap up the nonsense, people; do your own research.
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Daniel B2 hours ago
I meant that I take it daily I wasn't trying to tell others to take it daily just wanted to make that clear. Have a wonderful day! 🙂
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Daniel B2 hours ago
haha so many gullible people out there... Kratum is safer than riding a bicycle as long as u don't mix it with meds or drugs simple as that. Take it daily it helps with fatigue and pain.
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Alea C2 hours ago
I thought about trying this for pain relief, but I'd rather have pain than death. Making marijuana legal would probably affect kratom sales too.
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HEIKKI R3 hours ago
thank you
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Loredana V5 hours ago
Never heard of it, it's not sold here. Thanks for the info.
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Shelley P5 hours ago
One logical reason that naturally occurring substances such as herbal and plant products (such as kratom), which have been used for thousands of years, are now demonized by allopathic medicine is that they can't be patented. If a big company (i.e. usually pharmaceutical) can't patent a substance and make it their own, and subsequently make a ton of money on it, they have no use for it. But, if that plant works well for health conditions (such as kratom and cannabis etc.), then it is possible or likely that less prescription drugs for the same condition will be sold. You can do the math there.
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Maureen welch5 hours ago
Care2, you got this one way wrong. The CDC is against Kratom because it is helping people get off opiates. Of course you should get herbs from a reputable dealer but no one has died exclusively from Kratom. This is big pharma not wanting you to stop taking the opiates just like they dont want you to be able to buy marijuana. Kratom helped my loved one kick a very intense heroin addiction. Please educate yourself. Maybe start here. http://www.americankratom.org/images/Reply_to_CDC_-_Unintentional_Drug_Overdose_Deaths_with_Kratom_Detected.pdf And/or here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGle_FSiOKA
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