Kratom and Lamictal/Lithium

[Neurotica]

Hello BL'ers,
I have a harm reduction question associated with Kratom. I have Bipolar I disorder and thus am prescribed Lamictal and Lithium to stabilize my moods. Off and on, I have used Kratom to manage back pain, with success, however I am by no means an expert on the drug itself. With the winter cold, these past 3 days have been harsh on my back, so for the first time I have dosed Kratom for 3 subsequent days in a row. I've noticed that while the come up and plateau are not a problem (however when I first started experimenting with Kratom, I felt sick and nauseated, but pre-dosing with tagamet took care of that), when I start to come down I feel very lethargic, dysphoric, and anxious, along with a headache.

Now, I'm not sure if I'm playing Russian roulette with potentially dangerous drug interactions, or if my psych meds contribute to my negative comedown experience, but I want nothing more than to be able to tolerate Kratom. It has definitely been life-changing for me. The reason I'm a little uneasy is because while doing a google search for my exact topic title, I found an article that stated there had been a confirmed death associated with the use of Kratom, Lamictal, and Paxil. If my pharmacology is correct, Kratom is a serotogenic drug, along with Paxil. Therefore it's possible to conclude this person died due to SS, which wouldn't be an issue with me. Though, it's hard to say with such a vague article to go on.

All I'm really looking for is either: Someone that takes the drugs I'm prescribed and has used Kratom long term with success, or someone that is familiar with the chemistry of these drugs and can make an assumption based on that.

I currently take about 5g of Bali powder once or twice daily, so I don't believe I'm over doing it at all. I purchase from a very reputable vendor.

Thank you all for your time.

 

[ericjak258]

Hey there, I hope someone else can give you a more firm answer but I figured i'd tell you what I know and my experience.

From my personal experience, I have been on lamictal in the past and while on it, I used Kratom for 3 weeks straight to help with abdominal pain. I felt nauseous as well on my doses between 5 and 9grams. It seems to make me more nauseous than any other drug that works on opioid receptors. This is normal and easy fix with nausea meds. I too feel dysphoric and anxious with a headache when the effects are wearing off. Ive also have these side effects when I haven't been on any meds so I don't believe these are related to your meds. Unfortunately, these might just be the side effects you experience from kratom. I often found if I took a second dose, I would feel a lot worse after the effects wore off. Now, your medications could be affecting the kratom and you might possibly have no side effects and tolerate better w/o lithium and lamictal, but I doubt it. As helpful as kratom was for me, I had to stop using it due to the side effects you explained. However, It's hard to say if your meds are safe to take w/ kratom because different strains have different alkaloid profiles and lithium tends to interact w/ other opioids. Usually only moderate interactions so I wouldn't think it was too dangerous or be that worried. At the same time I can't say for sure, so I have to say I wouldn't recommended this mixture. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. I hope someone comes along that knows for sure for you. Good luck.

-E

 

[Neurotica]

Thanks man, I really appreciate your reply. I figured this was such a niche topic that I wouldn't get an answer at all. But every little bit of information helps.

 

[d1nach]

I take lithium and they have to check my liver to make sure I don't get elevated liver enzymes or fatty liver like once I year I am not sure exactly what they look for. But I think kratom might also raise liver enzymes. So that's the only thing I'd make sure they can test your liver enzymes with a blood test idk if kratom even effects the same enzymes.