This article will explain what kratom is, how kratom is used to treat various conditions, and why it is not scientifically supported as a proven form of trusted medicine. It will explore the effects and withdrawal symptoms associated with kratom use, and it will provide useful information on how what to do in the event of kratom addiction and where to seek treatment for it.
What Is Kratom?
Kratom (also known as Mitragyna Speciosa) is a type of tree found in Southeast Asia. The leaves from the trees contain the chemical known as mitragynine, which creates a similar effect to other forms of opioids, such as morphine. Kratom produces pain relief in a similar manner to other types of opioids, and it also presents the same sorts of health risks for people who abuse the drug.
Kratom is typically used as a form of a withdrawal replacement drug for people trying to overcome an addiction to drugs such as morphine, heroin, and other forms of opioid drugs. In addition, it has been known to be used to treat the symptoms of hard coughs, anxiety, depression, and other conditions.
Is Kratom Safe?
However, these use cases are not medically backed by science or any official medical associations. In fact, the drug is completely banned in some states within the US. Moreover, kratom is found in various products, and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration within the US) has warned that people should not consume products containing kratom.
Who Uses Kratom?
Commercially speaking, kratom is sold in a liquidized form and sold as a form of pain relief supplement for people suffering from muscle pains, diarrhea, and cramps, and it’s also used to decrease an individual’s appetite. Kratom is also occasionally sold to people who are suffering from panic attacks.
The drug is often regarded as a safe herbal drug or supplement used to treat chronic pain or other ailments, but as mentioned earlier, there is no clear proof that proves or disproves the potential effectiveness of the drug in this regard.
How Is Kratom Taken?
Oral ingestion is possible with kratom, as dry kratom leaves can be eaten or brewed and made into tea, while some users opt to chew the raw leaves. Moreover, kratom can be extracted and made into a consumable liquid.
What Are the Effects Of Kratom?
In addition to the drug producing a pain relief effect, higher doses of the drug may make people experience feelings of euphoria, and it can also produce a sedative effect on users, thereby making them feel tired. Some users have also been reported as being much quieter after having taken the drug.
The Side Effects of Kratom
There are many side effects associated with kratom abuse, including muscle pains, nausea, vomiting, constipation, vomiting, dry mouth, chills, hallucinations, drowsiness, problems with urinating, damage to the liver, depression, seizures, breathing problems, a coma, and death.
How Long Do the Effects of Kratom Last For?
Once kratom has been consumed or taken, the effects will kick in after five to ten minutes, after which they might last anywhere from two to five hours (depending on if the user took a high dose or a low dose, as well as the condition of the user). Moreover, the effects of the drug are significantly more potent if the user has an empty stomach.
How Long Does Kratom Stay in Your System?
The amount of time that kratom remains in a person’s system depends on a variety of factors. For instance, individuals with a high body fat percentage may find that their bodies contain higher amounts of kratom metabolites, and they may retain kratom metabolites for a longer period of time in comparison to people with less body fat.
Research shows that the shortest half-life for kratom remaining in the system can be just 2 hours, but the alkaloid mitragynine can be identified for up to 24 hours after initial usage. Therefore, it could potentially take at least one whole day before a person’s body can remove at least 50% of the kratom contained in the system.
Factors That Affect How Long Kratom Remains in The Body
Age may also be a determining factor in how long alkaloids remain in the system. Research suggests that older people’s bodies take longer to eliminate alkaloids (meaning that the alkaloids will have a longer half-life within their bodies).
In addition, a younger person’s metabolism is likely to be higher in comparison to an older person, and this will often have an impact on how quickly the body reacts to the toxins contained within the body, and how quickly it will seek to destroy and remove them from the body.
Genetics can also play a role, as research has found that there are markers for genetics and enzymes that can influence how quickly or slowly kratom is eliminated within the body. Finally, the amount of food and drink that a person consumes in relation to their kratom intake can play a factor.
For instance, if the user opts to eat ingest kratom with a meal that is high in fat, this could mean that the body may in fact absorb the kratom much faster. Moreover, the extent to which a person is hydrated or not could also affect how quickly the kratom is passed through an individual’s urine.
Does Kratom Show Up in a Drug Test?
In short, yes, kratom can show up in a drug test. However, most forms of standard drug tests are not designed to test for kratom within the body. However, kratom metabolites can be identified in these drug tests in association with other forms of drugs.
Blood tests can identify whether or not there is any kratom contained within the blood. Moreover, blood tests can help to determine how much the user took, and whether or not they are a heavy user of the drug. It’s important to note that a blood test also has a smaller detection window for picking up traces of kratom.
Some forms of kratom alkaloids will be present on specialist urine tests designed to detect such alkaloids, and in general, kratom may appear in a urine test for up to a week, or even over a week after initial usage.
Kratom Withdrawal Symptoms
Withdrawal symptoms for kratom will occur as quickly as two hours after the user has taken the drug. According to how large the kratom dose was, as well as the factors that affect how long kratom will stay in the system, the user can expect the symptoms to last anywhere between three to ten days, and will vary in terms of severity.
The withdrawal symptoms may include intense sweating, blurred vision, dilated pupils, a loss of appetite, a runny nose, watery eyes, muscle aches, diarrhea, mood changes, irritability, anxiety, agitation, nausea, vomiting, problems with movement, a fever, insomnia, depression, changes in the heart rate, increased blood pressure, and seizures.
Treatment Options For Kratom Addiction
For people struggling with kratom addiction, another form of opioid addiction, or drug abuse in general, there are various addiction treatment services available that can help people to overcome drug addiction.
Detoxification
The best starting point would be to find a treatment center where the kratom user can undergo a detoxification program. A detox program can either be in the form of a medically assisted program or a non-medical program.
This means that people can either use prescription drugs during the course of their detox, or they can opt to go ‘cold turkey’ and not use drugs during the process. It is much harder to achieve it this way, but the benefit of doing it this way is that the process will be quicker.
This is because the user does not need to wean themselves off of the prescription drugs they have been given that are used to keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay. Moreover, they only need to deal with the physical dependence they have on one drug, and not several.
Residential Treatment Centers
Once the detox program is complete, the patient can then choose to participate in inpatient or outpatient treatment programs, depending on the severity of their addiction, what their schedules will allow, and what their health insurance can cover.
Some patients might benefit from being able to reside in a rehab center for the duration of their treatment, while others might prefer to go for partial hospitalization or to attend regular sessions within a local medical facility.
Residential treatment centers offer patients the ability to complete their addiction treatment in a luxury, state-of-the-art medical facility that provides access to 24/7 medical supervision, access to prescription medication when necessary, and also access to resources that will help patients to overcome their addiction in the long term.
Therapy, Counseling, and Other Forms Of Treatment
These resources may include 12-step recovery programs, 4-step recovery programs, general therapy, and counseling sessions that will help patients to understand the root causes of their addiction. They can also learn how to recognize addiction patterns, and what to avoid and be aware of. Medical professionals can help them to build the confidence and coping mechanisms that will enable them to avoid relapse in the future, and take back control of their lives.
If you’re seeking addiction treatment options from a qualified healthcare provider, check out NP Addiction clinic, and learn how they can put you back in control of your life.
