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Kratom: A Life-Saving Plant Mistaken for Drugs

March 23, 2021 by Speciosa Guide Leave a Comment

Kratom has attracted quite a lot of attention in the media. Some praise it for its healing properties and call it a miracle herb. Others label it as a life-threatening kratom drug and advocate for its ban. Each of the sides claims that the other one spreads false claims.

These contradicting statements can easily confuse one. Especially because kratom is illegal in several countries as well as in specific locations within the USA. Both the FDA and DEA warn against using the kratom drug claiming that it’s an opiate and can cause death.

So, whom should you side with in this debate?

Is kratom an opiate or not?

How does kratom work?

Is kratom safe? Or should we side with the ban arguments?

Is it a truly dangerous fatal drug or simply a life-saving yet misunderstood miracle herb?

Let’s delve deeper into the topic and find out.

What Is Kratom?

Kratom, or Mitragyna Speciosa, is a plant from the coffee plant family that’s native to Southeast Asia. It’s rich in alkaloids and has numerous health benefits. Some of the most popular ones include relaxation, increased energy, pain relief, and reduced anxiety and stress. But, the nature of the effect differs depending on the dosage and the type of kratom taken.

There are generally four types of kratom:

red vein,
green vein,
white vein, and
yellow kratom.

Each of the types its own unique set of benefits. Kratom comes in the form of powder, capsules, tea, and extracts.

Popular Arguments Against Kratom (and What’s Wrong About Them)

1. Kratom Drug Is Causing an Increasing Number of Deaths

Some of the FDA’s most arduous arguments against the use of kratom are that it causes addiction, seizures, kidney failure, liver damage, and even death.

In 2016, it wanted to ban kratom and include it in the Schedule I list. One where you can find the most dangerous drugs such as heroin, LSD, and cannabis. This would have not only made kratom illegal but also would have drastically limited the possibility to perform studies on it.

In a press release in early 2018, an FDA representative stated that the kratom drug had claimed 44 lives at that point.

However, the cases presented were rather inconclusive. In most of them, kratom wasn’t the only substance present in the blood of the deceased.

The same occurred in 2019 when the CDC released a report on nearly 100 deaths by kratom. According to postmortem toxicology results, just 7 of the victims had only kratom present in their blood and, even in those cases, the CDC admitted the possible presence of other drugs.

When it comes to drug tests, such as those needed for employment, most standard tests do not test for kratom.

Incomplete and Inaccurate Interpretation of Kratom Death Reports

Instead, these people took kratom together with drugs, alcohol, and prescription medications with clearly stated fatal risks.

Some of the deaths also included homicide, suicide, and falling out of the window after which the person refused medical treatment. Neither one of which had been directly caused by kratom itself. One death was even counted as two because it had been reported twice.

Yet, since kratom was in their blood, the FDA stated it as the main cause of death. (A more detailed report on these deaths and their cause can be found here.)

The FDA also refers to and sometimes includes in the number of kratom drug fatalities nine deaths that occurred in Sweden in 2010. Interestingly though, these deaths weren’t the result of pure kratom. Instead, the deceased took pills that contained kratom laced with synthetic opioids.

So, was kratom the actual cause of these deaths? Or was it something else? Or perhaps kratom was simply a supplement that these people were taking to deal with something very serious and life-threatening, such as clinical depression?

Also, compared to the death toll caused by alcohol and opioid (both heroin and painkiller) overdose every year, which is 88,000 and 28,000 respectively, the danger of kratom seems rather…

…exaggerated.

2. Kratom Is an Opioid that Must Be Scheduled

Is kratom an opioid or not is a question that puzzles many. Both kratom and opioids bind with opioid receptors. But, the way each of them interacts with these receptors is different.

When opioids bind with the receptors, they recruit certain proteins in the process. These proteins then regulate signal transduction in the body. Because of this, they are the ones causing respiratory depression and death, the most dangerous opioid side effects.

Is kratom an opioid then?

In 2018, the FDA made a bold statement that kratom indeed was an opioid posing deadly health risks. They said that after investigations they had concluded that, if kratom acted like an opioid, that it indeed was one. Moreover, their statements were partially based on a computational model called PHASE that the FDA had developed in-house to simulate the interaction of kratom alkaloids with the human brain (more on that below).

Much controversy arose due to that, and the FDA later changed its statements. Since then, it no longer refers to kratom as an opioid but rather a herbal product with opioid-like effects.

So, is kratom an opioid?

The answer is no. Kratom does not belong to the opioid plant family and does not engage the proteins mentioned above in the same way that opioids do.

As a result, even though the alkaloids in kratom do target the same receptors as opioids do, they themselves are not opioids and do not produce the same dangerous effect. As a result, kratom can provide relief from opioid withdrawal without the risks that opioids cause.

Therefore, referring to kratom as a plant with opioid-like properties as the FDA does now is a more accurate approach.

Schedule I Requirements

Drugs or other substances can be scheduled based on their risks and abuse potential. Schedule I substances have the highest abuse potential whereas Schedule V has the lowest. According to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) , for a substance to be listed in Schedule I, it needs to have:

high abuse potential,
no accepted medical use within the United States,
a lack of accepted use or safety under medical supervision.

When a proposal to add or remove a substance from the Controlled Substances List is made, the following factors must be considered:

the substance’s actual or relative abuse potential,
scientific evidence of the substance’s pharmacological effects,
current scientific knowledge such as research on the substance,
abuse history and current pattern,
the duration, scope, and severity of abuse,
risk to the public health,
psychological or psychic dependence liability, and
relatability or connection to another scheduled substance.

The CSA also requires a scientific and medical evaluation as well as a recommendation from the HHS on whether a substance should be added to or removed from the Controlled Substances List. Without this recommendation, changes cannot occur.

HHS’s Recommendations Were Rescinded, but the Fact Wasn’t Made Public

In 2017, nearly a year after the DEA announced its intent to Schedule mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragnine, the person who at the time was the Acting Assistant Secretary of Health of the Department of Health and Human Services wrote to the DEA that the HHS recommends both primary kratom alkaloids to be classified as Schedule I substances.

The recommendation was made based on the scientific and medical evaluation prepared by the FDA.

However, a year later, in August 2018, the new Acting Assitant Secretary reviewed the recommendation and the scientific evidence on kratom.

Citing animal studies, he concluded that despite having opioid-like properties mitragynine does not have abuse potential and can reduce the intake of morphine. Due to this, it did not meet the requirements needed to be listed as a Schedule I substance.

While he had some concerns about 7-hydroxymitragynine, he indicated that neither the FDA’s data nor the research he came across were enough for the alkaloid to be classified as a Schedule I substance. He also pointed out that multiple reputable scientists were questioning the instances of fatal kratom overdoses.

To conclude, he stated that scheduling kratom alkaloids without further research would be premature and could potentially harm the public.

While this letter definitely speaks in favor of kratom, its content was never made publicly known thus keeping the public unaware of the misinformation on kratom.

In fact, this was only discovered in early 2021, two and a half years later, meaning that the FDA had chosen to not notify the public about it. The letter has since been archived by the American Kratom Association and can be found here.

3. Kratom Can Cause Salmonella

In April 2018, there was a kratom-related salmonella outbreak in the United States. According to the FDA data, 199 people in 41 states fell ill with salmonella after consuming contaminated kratom.

There is no denial of the fact that salmonella can be present in kratom. But, that’s not a strong enough reason for a complete kratom ban.

Salmonella can also be present in poultry, raw meats, eggs, as well as in unpasteurized milk and other products such as romaine lettuce. It causes regular outbreaks. Yet, none of the contaminated products are getting banned. Just the infected batches.

The bigger problem does not lie in the fact that kratom can contain contaminants. But rather in the fact that the US doesn’t properly regulate it. It’s up to each individual seller to ensure that they test their product properly. That they offer high-quality, contaminant-free kratom to its buyers.

It’s easy for the governing institutions to place the blame on kratom. When, in actuality, there would be fewer instances of contaminated and otherwise unsafe kratom if it was regulated just like other herbal supplements available.

Due to instances like this, the American Kratom Association (AKA) has pushed the Kratom Consumer Protection Act, legislation that is being lobbied in individual states. It aims to regulate kratom sales, manufacturing, and processing as well as punishing incompliance with it with fines or jail time.

4. Kratom is Unsafe and Ineffective

The Mayo Clinic has an article that states just that. And there are many other sources in the media claiming the same. According to them, studies on kratom brought up many safety concerns and no clear benefits. Governmental agencies also warn about the dangers that kratom poses to mental health.

Nonetheless, in late 2017, the University of Rochester published a review on kratom studies. It compiled the data from 57 years of international studies. The researchers focused on 13 different studies that collectively examined nearly 30,000 individuals.

Contrary to the claims of the FDA, DEA, and others, this review proves that kratom can indeed be a safer alternative to opioids. It also confirms that kratom can improve the mood and help with anxiety and other issues.

Studies and research on kratom are limited at this time. Because of that, we are not yet fully aware of the full potential of kratom and the alkaloids present in it. Nor do we know the full scope of the potential risks to properly advise users.

Yet, this may change in the future. A team led by Dr. Cristopher McCurdy at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy has been awarded two grants from NIDA to study kratom alkaloids. While the team has 7 years total to study the herb, they have already come forward with positive results that kratom could indeed be a viable alternative in managing opioid dependence.

The research also contradicts the claim that kratom is unsafe. Kratom has such minimal respiratory depression that it is unable to affect a human when taken in pure and raw form.

So, this research may completely void the claim that kratom is ineffective and has no medicinal uses.

5. Kratom Is Addictive

Another popular statement about kratom is that it is addictive. More specifically, according to statements by the FDA data keeps showing that kratom has a strong potential for abuse and attention. Instead of being a cure for opioids, kratom is a gateway to continue opioid addiction.

A solid reason to list it among the Schedule I drugs, isn’t it?

Yet, in 2016, a group of scientists and doctors conducted an 8-factor study according to the CSA (Controlled Substance Act). They concluded that kratom is not only safe, but also not nearly as potent in terms of abuse, tolerance, and dependence as claimed by the FDA.

As a matter of fact, it is even less addictive than many Schedule IV and V drugs and is also within the range of many non-scheduled substances. Such as coffee and nasal nicotine spray.

The group has submitted their study to the FDA but is yet to receive a response.

Are the FDA’s Studies on the Dangers of Kratom Reliable?

The FDA had conducted its own studies which lead to the conclusion that kratom was an opioid, a statement that since then has been reworded. Why such a stark difference? How can two sides come up with radically different results using studies?

The answer lies in the way the FDA conducted these studies. While the studies included real people, the FDA has developed a computer program, called PHASE, that predicts the effects of kratom based on an algorithm.

There is a lack of transparency around PHASE. It has been developed in-house and very few details have been released about how it works.

Is it a reliable program or simply a means to confirm a bias?

Andrew Kruegel, a Columbia University chemist who has authored several studies on kratom, points out that the studies conducted by this algorithm are a lot less rigorous than many other studies on kratom.

The FDA also seems to be lumping all substances with opioid properties under the same category. When that isn’t a reliable practice.

Algorithms can be used in medicine, yet they need to be used in combination with other methods to yield accurate results. Because the effects of a substance on the human body depend on many more factors than simply a prediction of patterns.

Ignoring that would mean that the FDA isn’t actually conducting valid studies, but instead finding a way of proving its bias.

What Causes This Debate?

We recently came upon an interesting article. It told about how big pharma is trying to extract the alkaloids found in kratom for medicinal use.

While we can’t claim the validity of this source, this is definitely some food for thought. It is also absolutely plausible.

Think about it. Morphine and codeine are two common pain relief drugs in medicine. Both derive from raw opium and can be further processed into heroin. Which, by the way, is a Schedule I drug.

So, morphine is an actual opioid and so is codeine. Yet, we use them in medicine.

This leads us to think about one thing.

If kratom is truly effective in helping people to feel better yet easily available for purchase from individual vendors, then the pharmaceutical industry is losing out on lots and lots of money.

Wouldn’t that make sense if they’d like to take credit for the benefits of kratom and pocket all that income?

What’s Our Stance on All This?

As you already know, we are fully for people having easy and affordable access to kratom. No one should be denied the right to freely purchase a herbal supplement that is helping them.

Sadly though, we still do not know everything about kratom. There is a need for a greater number of controlled studies on the benefits and risks of kratom use.

That would provide users with the necessary information to make fully informed decisions.

Until then, it all comes down to personal responsibility. Buying kratom from a reputable and trustworthy source, taking adequate doses of kratom, and not mixing it with incompatible substances. Learning about different aspects of kratom, as well as purchasing it from trustworthy and credible vendors to avoid salmonella and other contaminants is also necessary.

Which is what our blog aims to help you with. Empower you with the knowledge you need to stay safe, get the most out of kratom, and make informed decisions.

If you like our content and find it useful, don’t hesitate to join our mailing list so that you get regular updates on similar content.

What is your stance on this topic? Is kratom dangerous? Are you for the kratom ban? Or, should it be studied in greater detail and be easily accessible in natural form? Feel free to share your thoughts with us.

Kratom Drug Interactions: What to Avoid?

November 5, 2019 by Speciosa Guide 2 Comments

While kratom is safe if taken in its pure natural form and adequate doses, like any substance, natural or not, it can negatively interact with others.

Most governmental institutions and medical sites claim that kratom intake is dangerous. However, their reports tend to be misleading. Almost all of the so-called kratom deaths are not actually due to kratom but other substances taken alongside it. The rest usually lack valid data.

Sadly, due to the lack of regulations, studies, and trusted, unbiased information on kratom, individuals taking it need to be particularly cautious and informed. Therefore, it is essential to know what drugs and substances can potentially interact with kratom to avoid potential adverse side effects and consequences.

Common Kratom Drug Interactions

Kratom and Prescription Opioids

Kratom and prescription opioids target the same areas in the brain. As a result, the effects of both are similar.

While many label kratom as an opioid because of that, it isn’t actually the case. Despite similar effects, kratom is a plant that belongs to be coffee family. It also does not engage opioid receptors in the brain in the same way that opioids do. Therefore, kratom provides strong pain relief, yet does not cause life-threatening respiratory depression and is about as addictive as coffee.

Because of this, many use kratom to overcome opioid addiction, which is currently plaguing America.

Unfortunately, many take kratom in addition to opioid medication to enhance the pain-relieving effects or avoid opioid withdrawal symptoms. This can be potentially dangerous, especially if one has developed a high tolerance to opioids and is taking low-quality, contaminated, or adulterated kratom.

While taken independently from other substances, kratom causes low respiratory depression that is not nearly enough to be fatal. However, taken with opioids, especially in large uncontrolled dosages, it can add on to the respiratory depression caused by opioids, and that can be dangerous, even if kratom itself wouldn’t be causing it.

To prevent this from happening, we advise not taking prescription or other opioids together with kratom. If you are willing to quit opioids and use kratom to manage your pain, it’s best if you give your body some time to clean itself first and only then start using kratom. Make sure that you only take pure, lab-tested, high-quality kratom from trusted vendors.

Kratom and Stimulants

Generally, we advise not taking kratom together with stimulants such as amphetamines or cocaine as well as herbal stimulants like guarana.

In small doses, kratom can have stimulant effects. Green strains are moderately stimulating, while whites have strong stimulant effects.

Taken with other stimulants, kratom can result in negative side effects such as agitation, anxiety, sweating, and heart palpitations.

When it comes to coffee, it can act as a kratom potentiator. Yet, those new to kratom shouldn’t mix it with caffeine. It’s best to get used to kratom first before experimenting. Moreover, if you take kratom and coffee, you should lower both your dose of kratom and coffee.

More about kratom and caffeine here.

Kratom and Depressants

Common depressants are anti-anxiety drugs, alcohol, and tranquilizers, such as central nervous system depressants. It’s best to avoid such combination as depressant drugs can have a similar effect to those of opioids.

Combining depressants and kratom can result in severe sedative effects and can potentially be dangerous if these doses are excessive, and one takes low-quality kratom.

Combining kratom with alcohol can also result in nausea, vomiting, headaches, and hangover. Therefore, it is not wise mixing them even if you’re trying to quit alcohol.

Kratom and SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors)

SSRIs are a type of mediation used to alleviate depression symptoms. They are most commonly known as anti-depressants.

Kratom interacts with the mu-receptors in the human brain, whereas anti-depressants interact with serotonin receptors. Serotonin receptors and mu-receptors can work together in certain processes; therefore, there may be potential negative consequences when taking both.

While currently, no studies are elaborating on the effects of kratom and anti-depressants taken together and these are only speculations, it’s best to approach this with caution.

Kratom and Medication Changed by the Liver

Our liver breaks down and changes the chemical composition of some medications. Kratom can potentially interfere with the process and slow down the rate at which our liver does that. This can alter the intensity of the effects or side effects of these medications.

This category includes a variety of Cytochrome p450 substrates such as Codeine, amitriptyline (Elavil), desipramine (Norpramin), flecainide (Tambocor), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), ondansetron (Zofran), risperidone (Risperdal), tramadol (Ultram), indinavir (Crixivan), sildenafil (Viagra),and other.

Since there are many medications in this category, it’s best to consult a physician before taking any prescription medication with kratom.

Kratom and Modafinil (Provigil)

There has been a reported case of a person experiencing seizures and going into a coma after taking kratom and modafinil (Provigil), a drug used to manage sleepiness due to narcolepsy.

It is currently unclear what is causing this to occur; however, other people also have experienced seizures after combining the two, especially after high doses of kratom. Therefore, it is generally advisable to avoid taking kratom and modafinil (Provigil) together.

Final Thoughts

On many occasions, kratom gets the blame when any negative effects occur after mixing it with other substances or drugs. However, that is not to say that kratom would cause any of those by itself.

Therefore, we urge you to make sure that you buy your kratom from a trustworthy and reputable kratom vendor who tests their products in an independent third-party laboratory. This way, you have the highest chance of getting a quality product that’s free of pollutants, adulterants, and other risky substances that may cause negative consequences.

Keep in mind that buying questionable kratom and mixing it with potentially dangerous substances does not only put your health and life at risk, but negatively affects the reputation of the herb.

Are there kratom drug interactions that have we not mentioned, but you believe that the kratom community should know? Let us and our readers know! This can not only help people avoid negative consequences and side effects but also help us keep kratom legal!

5 Most Popular Kratom News Stories from 2018

1. Kratom Salmonella Outbreak in Early 2018.

We most commonly associate salmonella with food items such as raw chicken. Yet, it’s absolutely not uncommon for animals with salmonella to contaminate the environment around them, including plants.

Salmonella tends to frequently occur in Southeast Asian countries. As a result, even products such as raw frozen tuna and frozen shredded coconut have been contaminated in the past.

The first reported cases of salmonella-contaminated kratom in 2018 happened in February. By the end of May, a total of 199 people across 41 states were affected. According to the FDA data, slightly more than a third or the affected people were hospitalized, but luckily there were no fatalities.

The FDA and CDC led an investigation that linked this outbreak to kratom. There was no common source and people were infected with different types of Salmonella. The FDA urged several retailers and distributors to recall their products.

Some rather popular vendors such as Kratoma and Kraken Kratom were among the companies selling contaminated kratom.

While this outbreak did not affect the legality of kratom, it did raise the question about the quality and integrity of kratom vendors. As a result, many kratom vendors started displaying their lab test results on their websites.

This is definitely a step toward making the kratom market safer for consumers. Yet, it’s not exempt from fraud and fake vendors. It’s important to carefully choose a kratom vendor and not simply buy it from anyone simply because it’s cheap.

2. High Levels of Lead and Other Heavy Metals Detected in Kratom in November 2018

Another not so positive incident occurred in November 2018. The FDA found high levels of heavy metals like lead and nickel in kratom products that could possibly lead to poisoning.

The FDA emphasized its arguments against kratom insisting that it is an unsafe opioid substance.

What slightly softened the severity of this incident was the fact that another outbreak occurred around the same time. And it had nothing to do with kratom. An E. coli outbreak was caused by contaminated Romaine lettuce and possibly also cauliflower. 59 people in 15 states were affected and an additional 27 were infected by the same strain in Canada as well.

While kratom can be contaminated, that does not mean that kratom in itself is unsafe. The E. coli outbreak showed that any food item can potentially be contaminated and make us sick.

It once again emphasized a need for more regulations when importing kratom to ensure that it not contaminated, adulterated, or otherwise unsafe for consumption.

It is also becoming increasingly more important to make sure that you purchase kratom from a vendor that you can genuinely trust.

3. The FDA Fails to Provide a Valid 8-Factor Study on Kratom

In late 2017, a group of scientists presented an 8-factor study on kratom. It basically proved that kratom is safe for consumption and no more addictive than kratom. These arguments were a direct contradiction to the FDA’s claims that kratom is an opioid.

To prove their argument, the FDA devised a computer algorithm to analyze kratom. And it did indeed conclude that kratom was an opioid. However, it also received backlash.

Scientists and kratom supporters pointed out that a computer algorithm can be programmed to say anything. They also indicated that algorithms cannot be as thorough as people and may not go in equally as much detail when needed.

So, when the FDA presented its own 8-factor study, prominent scientists pointed out that it wasn’t thorough enough and missed lots of critical information.

As a result, on November 28, 2018, they openly published a 33-page letter that they had sent to the FDA, DEA, NIDA, and HHC regarding this. They also urged the DEA and other authorities to reexamine their data against kratom and critically assess the FDA’s stance on the topic.

In a way, this is actually news in favor of kratom as it indicates the need for more objective 3^rd-party research. It would not only provide valid information on kratom, but will also help us better understand its properties.

4. US College of Pharmacy Granted $3.5M for Kratom Research

Another positive event occurred about 2 weeks after publishing the letter mentioned above. NIDA (The National Institute for Drug Abuse) awarded the scientists from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy with a 2-year grant to study kratom.

Chriss McCurdy, a professor of medicinal chemistry is one of the principal investigators. He was also one of the first scientists who began kratom research about 10 years ago.

The grant has made it possible to expand the team that researches kratom as well as use better infrastructure.

The team will focus on researching kratom alkaloids and their properties. It will also identify the potential of kratom to help overcome opioid addiction.

5. Thailand Legalizes Kratom

The last piece of news that revolved around kratom in 2018 was its legal status in Thailand.

Kratom is native to Southeast Asian countries including Thailand. Yet, in 1943, Thailand passed an act after which planting kratom trees became illegal. While some may use it as an argument against kratom, the ban did not happen because the Thai government considered kratom dangerous to use.

Rather, it was a competition to opium.

In 1942, the East Asian war broke out. It was not favorable to the Thai economy as such, so Thailand needed to make sure that it could make profits. The answer was – through opium trade. That’s because the international demand for opium had increased.

And kratom posed danger. Many used it and, unlike opium, it caused no adverse side effects or hospital visits. The government taxed opium, but not kratom. This meant that they would not be getting any additional profits from kratom trade. So, the decision was to outlaw it.

Later, in 1979, Thailand identified kratom as a Schedule V drug and labeled it as a narcotic. Import, export, possession, and distribution of kratom were punishable by law.

Thai Kratom was still available long after that. However, it did not actually come from Thailand. Instead, other Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia grew it from seeds brought from Thailand after passing the Kratom Act.

But, over Christmas in 2018, the Thai government decided to legalize the use of kratom and medical marijuana for medicinal use.

This is positive news considering the fact that Thailand was one of the first countries to ban kratom.

Have you heard any other interesting kratom news stories? We’d love to read them in the comments below!

Kratom Side Effects: Is Kratom Safe?

October 2, 2018 by Speciosa Guide Leave a Comment

Kratom side effects is definitely a topic you’ve come across doing a simple online search. You may even feel hesitant about taking kratom after reading some of the highest-ranking articles on the topic.

There’s lots of misinformation about kratom and how dangerous (or not) it actually is. Many of the claims against kratom aren’t actually accurate. Instead, they are a way of scaring the public into believing that kratom is a dangerous drug.

When in actuality it is absolutely safe.

Why Are There Kratom Side Effects?

So, if kratom is safe, why does it have side effects?

We hear your concerns. However, kratom is a natural substance and each of our bodies has its unique chemical composition. It is impossible to tell exactly how each and every single body will respond to it.

That doesn’t just apply to kratom, but any natural product out there.

For instance, you can experience side effects from taking too much coffee. And if you intake too much vitamin A, you may suffer from vitamin A toxicity that is harmful to your liver.

Most Common Kratom Side Effects

Despite much attention being focused on the risks and dangers of kratom use, the majority of users report experiencing none or minimal kratom side effects.

The most common ones are the following:

Dizziness
Constipation
Increased urination
Dry mouth
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Kratom hangover
Blurry vision
Kratom headache
Upset stomach
Drowsiness
Difficulty concentrating
Disrupted sleep cycles

Some people may feel sweaty and feverish for a short time after taking a larger dose of kratom; however, that’s not an actual fever. Kratom does not cause fever.

As you can see, none of them are life-threatening and can be experienced when taking other herbal supplements. They can also be easily prevented. However, before we get into that, let’s tackle a question that you are likely interested in.

Can Kratom Kill You?

There’s lots of information about the overuse and abuse of kratom out there. Yet, there are no solid investigations proving what amount exactly could cause an overdose.

You’ll sometimes see information referring to 200mg being a lethal dose.

Let’s clarify the details on it a bit.

A study in 2013 proved that 200 mg of pure mitragynine extract can kill a rat.

However, kratom leaves do not contain pure mitragynine, but rather they have about 0.5-1.5% alkaloid content. Mitragynine accounts for about 60-70% of all kratom alkaloids.

If we calculate that accordingly then a 200 lb person should consume an average of 3.5 kg of kratom leaf to achieve a similar dose.

While toxicity in rats and humans is not necessarily the same, it’s still a huge amount of kratom that you’d need to intake.

Obviously, we do not advise you to try any of that. No studies on humans have been done and there is no data that would indicate what amount would be lethal for a human.

However, don’t be deterred by that alone. Any substance has a toxicity level. Do you consume coffee? It has a lethal dose as well. 90 cups of coffee taken at once can kill a 200 lbs person if you’re interested.

How to Avoid Kratom Side Effects and Other Dangers?

Kratom has numerous benefits that considerably outweigh its side effects. Yet, it’s best to take kratom properly and avoid them altogether.

Below are a few of our tips on how you can avoid kratom side effects:

Purchase kratom from a trusted and reputable seller. Don’t save up a few dollars for a questionable product from a shady seller. Check buyer reviews and make sure you’re purchasing a quality product. If you are looking for a more competitive price, look for a vendor who has direct connections with kratom suppliers. Many stores selling kratom act as middlemen which results in a higher price.
Make sure the kratom you purchase is tested for contaminants. Chances are you may get side effects not from kratom itself, but from any substances that it may contain. To avoid that, check if the kratom vendor tests its product and acknowledges that on their site. After the April 2018 kratom salmonella breakout, it’s a common practice to make such information available. If you can’t find it, that’s likely not the vendor you should go for.
Chose the right vein type and strain. Each can have varying effects. For instance, reds are usually sedating, but there are exceptions such as Red Sumatra and Red Borneo. Do proper research before purchasing kratom, and read user reviews. Order some samples first and see how kratom affects you.
Take proper doses of kratom. It’s best to start with a smaller dose and build up until you discover what works best for you. You can also interact with other users or read user reviews to discover what dose they take. Do not go over the suggested limits. While there is no solid data on the lethal amount of kratom, that doesn’t mean there is none.
Drink plenty of water. Several users have reported feeling constipated after taking kratom. So, make sure you hydrate yourself properly to avoid it. Consume plenty of fiber in your diet, which means eating lots of fruit, vegetables, and whole-grain products.
Measure your dosage accurately. In order, to experience optimal results, use a scale to accurately measure your dose. Be especially careful if you take kratom extracts.
Take a proper dosage of kratom at proper times. Depending on the strain as well as the dosage that you take, you may either feel more alert or sleepy. Make sure you take adequate doses at the right times to ensure you get the results you are looking for. Otherwise, you may end up feeling sleepy at work if you take a larger dose. Or you may have trouble falling asleep if you take stimulant kratom in the late hours of the day.
Keep a log of kratom usage. You can take notes about the dose you take, times you take it and other factors. Such as your diet, water intake, and more. In case you start experiencing side effects, this log can help you determine what is causing it. Perhaps, you can easily adjust your lifestyle to eliminate the side effects.
Don’t use any other substances alongside kratom. By that, we mean alcohol, drugs, and similar. The FDA has reported multiple cases of “kratom toxicity” that haven’t been actually caused by kratom. Most of the victims actually died from using another substance together with kratom. Also, keep in mind that there are minimal reliable studies on kratom. Therefore, we may not know about all the substances that are not compatible with kratom.
If you are taking prescription medicine it may be a good idea to talk to your physician and find out about a possible incompatibility. For instance, taking the prescription painkiller Tramadol and mitragynine simultaneously can be dangerous.
Avoid using kratom if you have liver or kidney issues.
Don’t take kratom during pregnancy. While no studies on pregnant women have been done, it’s best to stay safe than sorry in this case.
Avoid driving while you take kratom. Depending on the dose, kratom can have a sedating effect and you may fall asleep while driving.

Have you ever experienced kratom side effects? What are your tips on dealing with them?