Is Kratom Harmful?

[suckmedry]

So, i recently ordered some kratom from an online vendor to help with anxiety and sleep. My mother found out about it and did some research about the topic and now seems to think im going to wind up dead from this so called horrible plant.

I just want some relief a couple times a week i am in no way going to be taking the daily.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[lurching]

a couple of times weekly for "relief" will get you mildly physically dependent over time, especially if you'll be using it as a crutch to deal with anxiety and sleep.

although there is little serious research done on kratom, it has proven to be hepatotoxic over longer periods of usage (jaundice, sunken cheeks), see Suwanlert 1975.

since the main active alkaloid in kratom is the opioid 7-hydroxymitragynine, you'll experience the typical opioid negative side-effects such as constipation, itchyness and respiratory depression with short time usage, and the obvious withdrawals with prolonged use.

 

[Pegasus]

^Where in that link does it say that it is proven to be a hepatotoxin? (It doesn't...)

To the OP, I find that you have to use fairly regularly to become dependent. A couple times a week doesn't cause it for me, but YMMV. I recommend taking larger breaks than ones within the week occasionally as well.

 

[pallidamors]

I've heard that kava is a hepatotoxin, but not kratom.

A couple times a week won't leave you physically dependent though, but I was physically dependent from daily use, that's for sure. However since the dosages of kratom are so low this isn't much of a problem to maintain, but since kratom has multiple mechanisms of action, the closest I can compare the withdrawal to would be tramadol...which is pretty unpleasant.

Kratom actually has alot of positive, if not beneficial, aspects. Its difficult to OD on, the taste is rather nasty (to most) which discourages daily use, it has antioxidants, the dietary fiber (from the extract at least) helps keep your bowels regular, and I've heard that it helps to promote immune system health as well, although I'm not totally sure about that last one.

 

[Colmes]

I hope not - i'm drinking some right now

If you space your dosing 1 week + at a time, its actually pretty enjoyable for roughly an hour.

 

[Oxymorphone]

I found kratom to be too variable between batches/effects and overpriced. Plus it tastes nasty but you get used to that I guess. Sometimes brews would give me opiate like euphoria and ometimes it would just make me vomit with no positive effects. This was with weighed doses from a relatively reputable site. There are better options out there but when it comes to anything involving opioids or opiate like you risk dependence and WD.

 

[Jabberwocky]

over to BDD

 

[TouchN' Stuff Blvd]

Does anyone have a more definite answer as to if krantom is hepatoxic or not? The study on erowid seemed a little inconclusive, and the users seemed quite heavy; the main point seemed to be addiction is possible. I am curious as to how krantom compares to alcohol in terms of liver damage.

 

[Pegasus]

^There is no evidence that it is hepatotoxic. The only evidence that even relates to it is that long-term users (workers in Thailand) can have an appearance similar to a "hepatic face", which is not a strong statement at all...

 

[boodha]

there was a person who posted on bluelight, that was pretty sure that his liver issues(i think extreme issues, like liver failure, but was caught and now lives a limited lifestyle to maintain liver function) came from kratom.

so, there is no proof to say that it does, but there is really no proof to say it dosnt.

i guess the fact that a lot of people are taking it, and there are not really many stories of liver issue, is something to consider.

 

[love_sex_desire]

I just ordered kratom for my first time and am awaiting my package. I have been researching it, and it seems fairly harmless. If you take it on weekends you should be fine, but I wouldn't take it daily, or to treat anxiety, al though it is nowhere near as harmful as taking opium derivatives. Apparently a lot of people take it daily and have rather mild withdrawals, especially compared to heroin, and it is fairly impossible to OD. Seems pretty safe. People regularly take up to 20 grams with tolerance. Try out a few grams your first time and see how it goes. I think the regular dose is around 7-12 grams of quality kratom. This is all from reading online, haven't got to try it out yet but I'm excited!

 

[ColinGibs]

your mood and physical health are definitely affected by minor kratom use. If you took a bunch of lortabs on the weekend or a couple times a week your still fucking with your natural reward cycle. You mood will be affected a day or two after use. Hence using a couple times a week could throw you off over time.

As with most opiates, either don't do them, or be a junkie shut up lol

 

[librash420]

if your enjoy tryptamines and opiates. you might enjoy kratom too much
doing it everyday has caused me to have severe wds
im an avid mushroom user who got hooked on opiates with everything from norcos to heroin about 2 years ago.
i found kratom and ordered it and im hooked, and now i take about 50g bali a day or 12g resin
i feel as though the withdrawal is nothing compared to opiates.
physically its not as bad but mentally it can be worse. me ad my old lady have been fighting alot and our bickering started about a month after we began using kratom she takes it to feel normal i take it for kicks

 

[librash420]

wh=tih kratom the bubble guts hurt worse than with opiates

 

[trutexan]

http://www.livertox.nih.gov/Kratom.htm

 

[trutexan]

[h=3]Hepatotoxicity[/h][h=3]Chronic use of kratom recreationally has been associated with rare instances of acute liver injury. The onset of injury is usually within 2 to 8 weeks of starting regular use of kratom powder or tablets, with symptoms of fatigue, nausea, pruritus and dark urine followed by jaundice. The pattern of liver injury is typically cholestatic and can be severe with serum bilirubin levels rising above 20 mg/dL. The severe cholestasis can be accompanied by acute renal failure and bone marrow toxicity. Fever is common, but not rash or eosinophilia and autoantibodies are usually absent. The cholestasis can be prolonged, but usually resolves spontaneously. Corticosteroids have been used in cases of suspected kratom hepatotoxicity, but their efficacy is unproven.[/h]

 

[daytryptr]

[h=3]Hepatotoxicity[/h][h=3]Chronic use of kratom recreationally has been associated with rare instances of acute liver injury. The onset of injury is usually within 2 to 8 weeks of starting regular use of kratom powder or tablets, with symptoms of fatigue, nausea, pruritus and dark urine followed by jaundice. The pattern of liver injury is typically cholestatic and can be severe with serum bilirubin levels rising above 20 mg/dL. The severe cholestasis can be accompanied by acute renal failure and bone marrow toxicity. Fever is common, but not rash or eosinophilia and autoantibodies are usually absent. The cholestasis can be prolonged, but usually resolves spontaneously. Corticosteroids have been used in cases of suspected kratom hepatotoxicity, but their efficacy is unproven.[/h]

I think your way overestimating the risk here.

No, i know your way overestimating the risk and scaremongering.

There may be a few isolated cases of people predisposed to having liver issues from kratom, but its far from a trend.

Hell i've been taking 8-12g of kratom powder daily, for the last two years and have noticed no issues. Not to mention i drank prob 4-7 beers a day for at least half that time, and my liver was just fine. My alcoholic roommate that takes kratom almost every day doesn't have any issues with taking kratom and drinking a twelve pack a day.

I'm not saying certain people taking certain vendors kratom, can't have issues, but to make it seem like kratom is inherently bad for your liver is imho misleading. I have a really hard time believing that its the kratom causing the issue, rather than a genetic/biological/environmental factor that makes their hepatic system sensitive to kratom.

 

[Seattle_Stranger]

Just like with anything else, including WATER, there will be some people out there who simply cannot tolerate it. However, the extreme majority of people can process kratom no problem. As a matter of fact, I was hospitalized with GI issues a few years back (long before kratom) and have dealt with acid reflux and other similar issues, all of which have either completely disappeared or severely reduced once I began using kratom regularly. I used to get generally sick a lot more often, like strep throat, colds, the flu, and now, I pretty much never do. I also have never, EVER had anything resembling jaundice occur.

Regarding physical dependency, I can attest that it is minimal. I have been using kratom daily for many years, and have even been at points where I was ingesting over 30g a day of the strongest Meang Da I have ever had, and have stopped cold-turkey several times due to running out, or going out of town, or whatever, and aside from just seriously craving it, maybe being a tad irritable as a result, MAYBE some insomnia, there's no real withdrawal to speak of. I think it's mostly psychological, because when I stop thinking about how badly I want some kratom, any and all 'symptoms' disappear.

I know many people will argue with me, but all I can speak of is from personal experience. At this point in time, I'm using 15g a day, 7.5g in the morning and 7.5g after lunch and am on the steady decline in dosage too. I often find myself simply opting out and just not having any. It's a lot like cannabis where there is this natural 'ceiling', and after tolerance gets high enough, I find myself voluntarily decreasing my dose.

 

[trutexan]

i bought some bali and was excited to try it ,but i have hep c. and i am a little worried.

 

[《Plasticity》]

^ I would give it a pass just for the sake of caution. There's no telling what kratom would do to someone with a pre-existing liver condition like hepatitis.

I think your way overestimating the risk here.

No, i know your way overestimating the risk and scaremongering.

There may be a few isolated cases of people predisposed to having liver issues from kratom, but its far from a trend.

Hell i've been taking 8-12g of kratom powder daily, for the last two years and have noticed no issues. Not to mention i drank prob 4-7 beers a day for at least half that time, and my liver was just fine. My alcoholic roommate that takes kratom almost every day doesn't have any issues with taking kratom and drinking a twelve pack a day.

I'm not saying certain people taking certain vendors kratom, can't have issues, but to make it seem like kratom is inherently bad for your liver is imho misleading. I have a really hard time believing that its the kratom causing the issue, rather than a genetic/biological/environmental factor that makes their hepatic system sensitive to kratom.

I agree with you, especially the bolded part. I don't think this is an issue of adulteration by certain vendors though, nor at the fault of a "bad batch". All reports are too scattered and infrequent to suggest a batch issue and all reports list the same issues and side-effects so kratom itself sounds like the true culprit. I just think some people just don't metabolize kratom properly.

The majority of people can go their whole lives taking insane doses of kratom with no issue whereas a lot of these cases of hepatic cholestasis are coming from small amounts of kratom in susceptible individuals, typically after a small handful of doses. I've also had so many tests from blood/urine screens to CT scans and chest X rays and I've never had any issues whatsoever, I've been taking kratom daily for the good part of about 5 years.

To say that chronic exposure to kratom leads to any sort of liver issues is a gross overstatement. It's more or less something to look out for when starting kratom as opposed to something long term heavy users who have had no problems thus far will have to worry about in the future, IMO.