If you think of street drugs as the most dangerous and legalized drugs as potentially dangerous, you’d probably rank an herbal supplement as the safest option. And that’s exactly what many people think when they seek out kratom.
Whether people use it to get high, chill out or feel more energetic, there’s a misconception that kratom must be safe. After all, you can find it on the shelves at convenience shops, gas stations and vape shops as well as through online supplement websites.
“Just because it’s sold legally, doesn’t mean there is any regulation guiding how it’s marketed,” says Corey Telin, LMSW, MHSA, CAADC, manager of behavioral health at Henry Ford Brighton Center for Recovery. “And even though it’s sold as a supplement, it can have serious—and sometimes dangerous—drug-like effects.”
What Is Kratom?
Kratom is an herbal supplement derived from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia. The leaves are dried and ground into powder sold in pills or capsules or sometimes brewed into tea. You can also find kratom in a liquid extract form.
At low doses, kratom has a stimulant effect. That’s why you’ll often find it at a gas station store right next to things like energy drinks. “People use it to improve focus and concentration and give them more energy,” says Telin. And since there are no age restrictions to purchase it, teens as well as adults are using it.
Even at low levels, kratom isn’t risk-free. “It’s a gamble because it’s not regulated,” he says. “You could be getting more or less of the active ingredient than you think, or the product could contain contaminants like heavy metals.”
The Dangers of Kratom Use
As with most substances, the higher the dosage of kratom, the higher the risk of negative effects. “At high doses, kratom can have an opioid-like effect,” says Telin. “So people use it to self-treat things like chronic pain, anxiety and depression.”
Kratom binds to opioid receptors in the brain and throughout the body in the same way as opioids. “For that reason, people sometimes take it to help them cut down on opioid use or to treat withdrawal,” says Telin.
While that might sound like a good thing, kratom can be just as dangerous as the opioids it’s replacing. High doses can lead to nausea, seizures, overdose and even death.
While kratom may be less dangerous than fentanyl, it’s certainly not guaranteed to be a safe replacement. “Because it’s unregulated, it’s unpredictable at best,” says Telin. “It is too easily accessible for something with that high a risk profile.”
See An Addiction Specialist
Is Kratom Addictive?
“You can definitely become physically dependent on kratom, and experience withdrawal symptoms similar to when trying to discontinue opioid use,” says Telin. “We also see people fall into addictive behaviors, such as continuing to use despite negative consequences.”
People using kratom regularly often experience the same issues you might with other drugs. And the same need to seek help for recovery.
How Get Help for Kratom Use
If using kratom is becoming an issue for you or a loved one, it’s important to get help. A qualified addiction counselor or substance abuse program is a good place to start.
“There are lots of treatment options that can help people recover from kratom abuse,” says Telin. Treatment might include outpatient therapy, inpatient monitoring for withdrawal or opioid-replacement therapy.
Telin also warns people who’ve been through recovery for other drugs or alcohol to avoid kratom. “I’ve seen people in recovery start to use kratom, thinking it’s safer, but they can end up relapsing to their prior drug of choice or developing a kratom use disorder,” he says. “It may be marketed as an herbal supplement, but it acts very much like a drug.”
Reviewed by Corey Telin, LMSW, MHSA, manager of behavioral health at Henry Ford Brighton Center for Recovery.
