Is kratom the answer to the opioid crisis?

March 23, 2018|Psychiatry

Diagnosed with depression, the patient was introduced to kratom by a colleague who told her about kratom’s nonaddictive qualities and who had been using it to treat pain. Over 2 years, the patient became addicted to a liquid extract version of kratom and, during her rehabilitation experienced severe withdrawal symptoms, said Dr. Galbis-Reig, who was not surprised by the patient’s reaction.

“The mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine very clearly have partial opioid agonist activity with kappa antagonist activity, which is very similar to buprenorphine,” said Dr. Galbis-Reig, who is also with American Society of Addiction Medicine.

A major concern that Dr. Galbis-Reig’s case brings up is the use of liquid kratom extract.

“My biggest concern is we just don’t know what the stimulant properties of the drug are,” Dr. Galbis-Reig said. “If it turns out the properties are more in line with an amphetamine, I’m not sure that’s a great drug to use in a clinical setting for many conditions.”