Today’s show is about kratom. This word has been floating around the fibromyalgia and chronic pain communities, and there’s a lot of buzz about it. It’s a taboo subject and can evoke strong emotions from people – negative and positive feelings. In fact – when I shared an article about it recently, and a reader decided it was best to not follow my website any more. What is kratom and is kratom for fibromyalgia patients?
{Scroll down for the video of this show.}
Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post, but these are products I recommend and have verified and/or used.
What is kratom?
Kratom is an evergreen tree that grows in the Southeast Asian countries of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It contains the stimulant mitragynine and narcotic 7-hydroxymitraginine, and is sold as a dietary supplement to help manage pain and boost energy.
It’s leaves can be used fresh or dried, and be used as tablets, capsules, powders, gums, or crushed leaves (for tea and chewing). You can find it to purchase online, vape shops, convenience stores, and tobacco shops.
Approximately, 3 – 5 million people use it in the US, and even more globally.
Why are people using kratom?
Many people are using it as a pain relief from various ailments such as fibromyalgia and chronic pain. Some are using it in response to the opioid crisis in hopes it will help with withdrawal and eventually replace their current opioid medications.
What are the side effects of kratom?
Like all supplements and medications – natural or not – kratom does have side effects. Reported side effects include:
- Nausea
- Itching
- Sweating
- dry mouth
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- increased urination
- Constipation
- loss of appetite
- Seizures (few cases)
- Low hormone levels
What is the controversy with kratom?
There are reported claims of kratom causing 44 reported deaths. Let’s be clear on these deaths – nearly all the deaths are results from combining kratom with other medications.
The DEA withdrawn its earlier intentions to ban kratom. The DEA says the plant is a hazard to a person’s health and can cause harmful side effects such as narcotic effects and addiction.
Some scientists disagree with these claims and state that the addiction and dependence claims are equal to, or lower, than that of unscheduled substances (antidepressants, caffeine, and other products available in stores).
Currently, kratom is in the news because of a recent salmonella outbreak and there is a mandatory recall by the FDA.
For more information regarding kratom, visit the Pain News Network.
Kratom for fibromyalgia?
My opinion of kratom for fibromyalgia is this: do your research before making a decision to use or not use it. I don’t support the use of kratom, but I’m also not against it. I’m neutral. It may not be the best place to be on a subject, but I’m not sure of it just yet. Here’s what Dr. Liptan says about kratom for fibromyalgia.
Before making a decision to put something into my body, I like to know what it is. This goes for medications, supplements, and even food. Recently, I put something into my body that I thought was okay because it was recommended as a healthy alternative to cheese – nutritional yeast. I consumed small amounts without doing research – not smart at all – and come to find out it has large amounts of monosodium glutamate (MSG). That resulted in me having MSG poisoning and it was horrible.
So, my decision is to wait for my research from the experts. Just as cannabis can be seen as both good and bad, I make my decision based on scientific research. All bodies are different and that means all bodies will react differently to whatever goes into the body. Try reading this Kratom Guide recommended by Donna.
Do you use kratom? If so, what is your experience? If not, why not?
Resources
Access Denied. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/articles/2018-04-06/whats-the-deal-with-kratom
DEA Delays Its Decision to Ban Kratom and its Derivatives. (2018, April 19). Retrieved from https://www.news-medical.net/whitepaper/20180419/DEA-Delays-Its-Decision-to-Ban-Kratom-and-its-Derivatives.aspx
The good, the bad, and the maybe, about kratom. (2018, April 16). Retrieved from https://www.healio.com/family-medicine/addiction/news/online/%7B5cc3a0f2-c2a5-482c-a8d1-a7aa1c63bbd8%7D/the-good-the-bad-and-the-maybe-about-kratom
The Kratom User’s Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sagewisdom.org/kratomguide.html
Opioid substitute kratom linked to Salmonella outbreak. (2018, February 20). Retrieved from https://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/gastrointestinal-infections/news/online/%7b2f8bc94c-7498-4dde-8ade-03a0f8ebc410%7d/opioid-substitute-kratom-linked-to-salmonella-outbreak
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Clearly you lack knowledge of Kratom in a huge way. Look up Dr Richard McCurdy in FL. Look on Google Scholar. Tons of studies finding it is not dangerous and the very few deaths are from mixing it by kids with LSD ecstasy and loads of other things. On FB there are tens of thousands who have first hand knowledge of this herb! Nor is it an opioid or opiate. It can work in some of those receptors but differently. How many drugs have non opioid drugs killed? There IS an oversight American Kratom Association on FB too who is not easy to be certified by because they test, visit farms, check on production methods and put out a small list of qualified safe sellers. This is big pharma who can’t make money on a herb!! Spoon feeding doctors etc who have not once tried it and know nothing about it! Caffeine is in same category. The clinical trials should be the millions using it and see all Kratom support groups on FB!! LEARN!!! Govt control due to so many thrill seeking kids is why so many must now suffer intractable pain! It will be ten times or more the price. READ. American Agony! You need serious real education because fibro sufferers are NOT being helped at all! Much of what u rattled off is BS! This is nothing at all like THC and I know no one who smokes it! Even a small amount too much will make you barf almost immediately. Takes 2 kilos to OD and u would never ever get it down. Research relentlessly. THEN speak on it!!!!!