Kratom Health Issues

[njr]

I've read that Kratom may cause hepatotoxicity. I understand this is when used in large quantities and very frequently. In my experience, Kratom affects my skin. Kratom gives me pimples, which I otherwise don't get. This is consistent with Kratom affecting liver functioning. However, after quitting for 1 week, the skin clears completely.

 

[《Plasticity》]

I've read that Kratom may cause hepatotoxicity. I understand this is when used in large quantities and very frequently.

Believe it or not the few cases of hepatoxicity seem to be acute in that they tend to happen within the first few uses of susceptible individuals as opposed to chronic use. What this means I don't really know but it seems to be a rare intolerance of the plant that occurs in a select few unlucky people. Perhaps an enzyme deficiency causing improper breakdown of one or many of the alkaloids in kratom? Haven't a clue unfortunately.

There are a couple things I've noticed when I was on kratom (been clean for at least 6 months and was dependant for ~4 or so years so I have a good idea on how my body was affected now). First thing was a change in skin tone, never had a problem with acne or dark cheeks and such but my skin wasn't as evenly peachy as it is when off kratom, however my diet was pretty shitty when on kratom and has been totally re-vamped since so who knows whether kratom was the cause. Another symptom I had was frequent urination, like annoyingly frequent at night. I've had my organs checked towards the end of my habit and when it was at it's worse so luckily this doesn't seem to indicate any kidney abnormalities and it went away as withdrawal ended but it sucked having to constantly pee every 30mins before achieving deep sleep. I kinda put this down to the fact that I would chase a cup of tea with more water but I'm drinking plenty more water nowadays and remembered having this problem when toss n washing so I'm not too sure about that anymore, seems to be VERY rare though as few ever have this complaint that can't be explained.

Hmm, struggling to think of any other symptoms really, besides withdrawal and dependancy issues there wasn't much negative health wise and I went to the doctors quite frequently. I did develop an ulcer a few years into kratom but I also tested positve for h.pylori which is a bacteria responsible for ulcers and several other digestive issues so again, can't blame it solely on kratom but I have a hunch that eating the raw powder in high amounts made things worse if it wasn't the sole cause. I also added quite a bit of lime to my teas at the time...

If anyone taking kratom is having any worrrying symptoms indicative of any sort of health problems it's just an overall wise thing to do to stop use immediately and if symptoms persist don't hesitate to get things checked out. One thing I noticed when being on kratom for long periods of time (this applies to any opiates/oids really) is that it becomes real hard to be in tune with your body as your always pretty much numb lol. This recent kick made me realize that my back pain was worse than I thought, something about L-2 to L-something curvature... no bueno, things are only gonna get worse I'm afraid. Pay attention to the positions you sit in when high on analgesics, looking back kratom made laying in awkward positions comfortable and after talking it over with the docs this could be a factor in my back problems.

 

[weekend addiction]

I've used it quite a bit over the past few months (not every day). So far I've noticed no side effects though my eyes seem more sensitive to light. If I remember correctly that is a common side effect. I did use daily for a short period and when I quit i didn't feel so good. I had headaches and got the shits....

Its funny looking back at your old post. This one is from over 4 years ago. Since then I abused opiates heavily for a couple years. I went back to kratom recently. I used to boil the shit out of the kratom and strain the plant matter out. Then boil the shit out of it again until I could dose 10 grams extracted into 30ml (2 tbsp) of liquid. I would do shots of the liquid. Now I consume capsules or stir the powder into water. Much more effective. However the addictive potential and side effects increase the more powerful the drug.

I hate to talk about how addictive kratom is because of 2 reasons:
1. Kratom is milder than most other drugs
2. I don't want it to be made illegal and I'm selfish

But I got to say it's more addictive to me these days. The withdrawals are nothing compared to hard drugs but they make it impossible to work a job. If I have a couple days off work I can run out no problem. But running out of kratom is not pleasant. I won't go into details. It's not a horror story. But for those of you with a regular habit keep that in mind. Kratom comes through the mail for most users so I feel its my duty to let everyone know. You don't want to be stuck at midnight paying overnight shipping like my friend from Philly. So be careful out there.

As far as health effects the only thing I had was constipation. I have experimented with laxatives. I recommend Metamucil or another fiber based laxative. Dulcolax and saline laxatives just give you the shits. Metamucil makes me take nice bulk-forming turds.

I have had my liver, kidneys, everything checked recently. So far I'm 100%. So anecdotal as it may be...kratom doesn't seem to be harmful even when used heavily. I think of it as a medicine more than a drug. So I try and use it responsibly. But I have abused it to block out painful emotions or to deal with things that I was unable to deal with. Even then it doesn't seem to cause any problems with my work, interpersonal relationships, health or physical appearance.

 

[KyleOpium]

I've always wondered if I've been buying bunk kratom, or if perhaps other sources are adulterating their kratom with something else. o-desmethyl-tramadol was found in Krypton Kratom and I always wonder if vendors are spiking their Kratom with low doses of mitraphylline or oDesmeth.

I've been a multiple times daily Kratom user for the past 3 years. I usually end up dosing at least twice in an 8-10 hour shift at work (I work very hard manual labor). I've run out a few times in those 3 years, and it hasn't been near as bad as what other people describe. I even go on 45mg per day oxycodone binges maybe 5 days at the beginning of the month when my friend has his pills to sell, and when it ends I just use kratom to counteract the withdrawals.

I've NEVER had withdrawls from kratom, or even when my opiate binge ends. I ran out of kratom over thanksgiving weekend last year due to poor planning. I had some derealization, a "weird" feeling in my head but not necessarily a headache (im sure other opiate users know what i mean), maybe head pressure is the best way to describe it, and I also had the depression/anxiety that I was self-medicating with opioids with come back.

I have a theory its because before Kratom I used 800-1000mg of tramadol per day, ocassionally using xanax to raise the seizure threshold to chase that non-existant tram high. Coming off trams was the worse experience of my life. It was 2 weeks of not knowing who I was, being tired all day but not being able to sleep, extreme nausea, no appetite, spinning head, vertigo ,just all around terrible. Since then small opiate binges (45mg of oxy for 3-5 days) especially when I taper and say take like a perc 10 at the end of my binge, have no affect on me. Maybe it's because my first run in with withdrawal was just SO bad that I always expect more than I get out of withdrawal.

Kratom withdrawal is like tramadols baby brother. I get all the same symptoms, but not nearly as severe, and honestly it's not bad at all. It's nothing that ephedra, and large dose of caffeine can't fix for lethargy in the day, and etizolam every other night for sleep really help. Even with I come off oxy I do feel "off" for about a week (mostly minor head pressure and some loose stools), but it's not too bad.

Also, I used to smoke that spice from japan that had AH-7921 which is a synthetic opioid. Believe it was called Tiger Dragon or something to that affect? The withdrawal from that was also terrible, as I smoked that stuff 20+ times per day not realizing it was an opioid. So my theory is if you've been through heroin, or bad tramadol or oxy withdrawals before the kratom withdrawals arent so bad because you've been through the ringer. However if you've never had any sort of withdrawal, it can take you by surprise.

 

[skyhighscifi]

I was taking suboxone for 3 years and had myself weened down to like a 10th a day but still I chose kratom to get thru the withdraws. It helps tremendously. I haven't noticed any side effects with going to the bathroom. However I keep reason about the discoloration of the face but I have yet to read about it actually happening to anyone. People seem to think that it happens over years of use or only to the people o Thailand. Well I've been taking 10-15 grams a day for one month and I'm here to say that my face is turning brown! Particularly my forehead with a few patches on my cheeks. It's not noticeable to other people unless I point it out but then they see it. It's freaking me out but I don't want to not take it bc I have a commission job that directly depends on me being in a good mood. Christmas is coming so I may just keep taking it. I wonder I there is something I can do to counter the discoloration

 

[tunesey]

If you want to grt really high on Krtatom you need to order the ultra enhanced indo. 2.5 grams will have you as high as a good smoke of heroin I am sure some have you tried it I usually get sick on absolutely nothing I took 5 grams in one go and it had me sick as a pig all day and very fucking high. It has put me off Kratom the U.E.I is not cheap. But after that you can keep your kratom. And it gave me a feeling in the area of my liver not any pain but a slight discomfort that lasted for hours. For a while I had thought I had O/Ded on the stuff

If any of you want to dabble or can even obtain this extremely potent stain dont dose with more than 2 grams of the stuff you have been warned

 

[mabzie55]

Sorry to be 'that guy' but DXM is not an opiate its a dissociative.

I really enjoy kratom its a lot easier to handle in the addiction department imo than codeine or dihydrocodeine ever was for me, my only real complaints after bout 50 odd doses ranging from 3g to 10g (7g being my preferred dose) are the reduction in sex drive it produces the day after.

Lol yeah, I wish DXM was an opiate.

 

[Uden]

That entire post is moronic pseudoscience.

There's nothing to indicate that kratom is hepatoxic or renotoxic. It may be, but there's no research proving that. It's more likely that there's some other mechanism.

regardless of how much you dislike what he has to say he makes a good point: pay the fuck attention.

 

[《Plasticity》]

I've gotta agree with Ham-milton, most of that post was pseudoscience... although he was very aggressive about it. Although I don't agree that kratom has no negative impact certain peoples liver, a lot of what ham broke down was valid... I sure wouldn't look to that post for any factual data, though I do think the poster meant well.

 

[pinpoint]

Just want to add that I have been using Kratom almost daily for two years with doses up to an ounce of powdered leaf daily - recently my organ function & blood tests all came back perfect. Other than the effects of overdosing like nystagmus, emesis, nausea, histamine-induced itching, etc the only negative effects I've ever had were psychological or withdrawal-induced.

 

[lollygolucky]

Pretty mild... I mean not efficaciously, but as far as side effects/health problems go. Just don't do lots of extract. That'll back you up. Anything green and leafy will not cause constipation. Really- I can't think of any ill effects. I know the extract I used for years stopped me up, so I never ate... lost a lot of weight. Now I'm a believer in the more affordable stuff- works even better for responsible use.

 

[finis]

Being a chronic pain patient due to severe arthritis (everywhere) and inoperable herniated disc with entrapped nerves and Sjogrens plus Raynauds autoimmune disease I needed to supplement my 40mg/day oxycodone Rx. Pain mgmt Doctor reduced oxy from 80mg to 40mg in Feb. the war on pain patients, the war on addicts needing help, the war on humanity.
I found Kratom 4 months ago. i started with 2 grams twice per day and was able function reducing oxy to two 10mg per day on the days I dosed Kratom, 3 out of 7 days.
1) urine retention from the beginning I ignored since it only happened on the days I dosed.
2) sudden significant hair loss. Researched. Definitely an effect of Kratom on the adrenal and thyroid glands. I'm guessing it is harmful to all glands since others mention dry mouth (salivary gland). I did not note dry mouth since I am already on an Rx to salivate, Sjogrens also kills glands.
Since I have an autoimmune disease I am most certainly more susceptible to Kratom's negative effect, however, there are many experiencing the two I mentioned, it just took higher doses for a longer period of time.
I am guessing the hyper pigmentation is just from consuming large amounts of leaf, not a sign of liver problems. There was a fad where people consumed carotine (sp?) from carrots to get a fake tan and ended up looking carrot colored.
One description of Thailand's Kratom addicts read that they had blotchy darkened dry skin. Their faces were small, shriveled. Teeth were lost. Without saliva to kill bacteria teeth decay rapidly. They had vision problems, which I am guessing was caused by tear glands being destroyed.
For me Kratom will be reserved to keep me out of the humiliation of the emergency room.