Thoughts on Kratom?

It's incredibly valuable for people with chronic pain (e.g. military veterans) who want a safer and less habit-forming alternative to synthetic opiates -- as well as for people who are fighting opiate addiction.

There've been a couple pushes to get Kratom designated as Schedule 1 by the DEA over the past decade, and -- in a rare episode of democratic counter-pressure actually succeeding -- these efforts have, so far, been thwarted [ref: https://www.mintpressnews.com/dea-delays-unprecedented-ban-o...]

Despite having a very minor risk-profile -- as well as having significant public health utility as a means to alleviate the opiate epidemic -- a number of states have criminalized it.

The campaign against Kratom is very clearly distorted by pharmaceutical interests, who view Kratom as a low-cost competitor to their products.

There've been many reports over the years which illustrate this dynamic, but one of the most damning was unearthed recently through FOIA requests, revealing that the FDA was deliberately misrepresenting data on death/injury [Ref: https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/foia-docs-show-fdas-...]

It is worth noting that, while not technically an opiate, it does bind with the opioid receptors in the brain. So there is a risk of physical dependency and if withdrawal is induced with something like Naltrexone the symptoms are severe enough to register on the COWS scale.

Overall Kratom is very benign, and has been used in south asian cultures for thousands of years.

I've taken it at times as a focus-aid, usually paired with coding, and found it generally agreeable. However I wouldn't suggest making a habit of it, without compelling medical reason.

Like most of the psychoactive substances - a nice thing if you use it wisely (simply saying rarely and in sane doses). But heavy over-using (which, sadly, is nothing rare) can really make you regret you ever discovered it though (nothing serious will probably happen but you will feel really bad once you develop serious tolerance and try to quit).

Given it hardly does any serious harm hard to undo and doesn't seem too popular (I seriously doubt it will ever reach anything comparable to e.g. marijuana, let alone alcohol or tobacco in popularity) I stand against scheduling it.

Personally I have never taken Kratom but people I know who have taken it have said that the effects were minimal at best. From my own research into it, there is little to support it being both safe and effective. In fact, from a quick search just now, I found a lot of information questioning its effectiveness and safety. The CDC has concerns about it and they believe it has been the cause of a number of salmonella cases. [Ref: https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20180220/opio...]

Further information about its safety: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health...

It’s nice if you have drug problems because it takes away urge to do basically every other drug, however it’s very addictive, very voluminous (you gotta carry a lot of Messy powder around) and you’ll be addicted for years

Also check the lab tests for the powders, it’s a lot of weird things in the soil most grows in.

A close friend has been taking 4-7 grams of it daily for 7 years. She originally got on it to quit opioids, which worked, but yes she’s now “highly” (heh) dependent on it. Although there are likely much worse things to be hooked on, she says the withdrawals of attempting to get off were unbearable. On the bright side, her career growth in tech has gone through the roof since she started taking it as she claims it helps with her social anxiety, though causal or correlated is anybody’s guess. Would proceed w caution.

I view it as a more inconvenient, less effective(but still effective), but more obtainable(in many states) form of Suboxone.

It can stave off withdrawal, cravings, etc. And it can get you high and be it's own addiction. It's still an opiate, and can still be very potent(in high enough doses). The main limiting factor is the pure volume you'd need to ingest to get the potency of a fraction of a gram of other opiates

Not a user. But I know someone who got addicted and his testosterone are too low now.

Got bald and can't grow facial hairs now.

Better to take precipitation meds than self medication for ADHD

I tried it a while back and the only effect I noticed was a headache. I wouldn't let that dissuade you if you are using it to bridge out of an addiction.

I tried it for a few months and didn't feel much different one way or the other—maybe a slight "up" but that's it. I stopped using it.

I did not find it to be addictive, but reactions to substances like this are highly variable across the population. I'm curious if there have been any controlled studies on its usage and effects.

It seems mostly attractive for people who are addicted to opioids to quit opioids, but it can addictive itself.