Last week, the U.S. Marshal seized An estimated $3 million worth of kratom sold as a supplement by an Oklahoma-based company.
it’s not the first time the authorities seized the kratom, is considered a “drug of concern” by the Food and Drug Administration. But the incident highlights the continued demand for the drug, despite continued warnings from the FDA about its potential dangers.
Kratom is a plant native to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and has a long history in Southeast Asia. Not approved for any purpose in the United States, millions of americans People take it for a myriad of reasons, including boosting energy, treating pain and anxiety, getting high, and relieving withdrawal symptoms from opioids.
But the FDA claims the drug is unsafe.
“There is, and never has been, an FDA-approved use for kratom. The FDA has received reports regarding the safety of kratom,” FDA spokeswoman Lauren-Jei McCarthy told NBC News in an email. I told you in
In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration moved to classify kratom as a Schedule 1 drug. This meant that kratom had no medical uses and a high potential for abuse, but it was turned around after public outcry. Kratom is not yet regulated at the federal level, but five states have banned the use of this substance. American Kratom Societya group advocating for kratom access in the United States
and statement Starting in April 2022, the FDA has warned the public against using kratom. Mitragina speciosa, This is the scientific name for the plant, and the substance “affects the same opioid brain receptors as morphine” and appears to have “properties that put users at risk for addiction, abuse, and dependence.”
In the same statement, the agency said it was “aggressively evaluating all available scientific information on this matter and recommends that consumers consider the plant substance kratom or its psychoactive compounds mitragynine and 7-hydroxy “We continue to warn against using products labeled as containing mitragynine.”
McCarthy said that in the year since that warning was issued, the FDA has come across no data to justify approval of kratom as a drug.
“The concerns are real,” says Dr. Alan Kay, professor of anesthesiology and pharmacology at LSU in Shreveport, Louisiana.
“Kratom has many pharmacological effects, one of which is by activating opioid receptors,” said Kaye. “It provides an analgesic effect, but it can also lead to addiction.”
Kratom molecules also bind to serotonin receptors and calcium blocker channels, preventing calcium from entering heart and artery cells. This is how drugs used to lower blood pressure work.
“When you have an herbal product like this, it’s actually used both as an analgesic and for psychoactive stimulation. The time for abuse is ripe,” Kay said. It is not surprising that there are
2022 study About a third of people who use kratom in the United States were found to meet the criteria for kratom use disorder. This includes increased use, tolerance, withdrawal, unsuccessful quit attempts, and cravings.
Recent studies have also linked kratom to liver damage and death, but kratom is recognized as a safer pain management option than opioids.
2021 review A study published in The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that kratom relieved pain, caused mild euphoria, and had a lower risk of adverse respiratory and nervous system effects compared to conventional opioids. says.However, its use is associated with liver toxicity, seizures and death.2020 study They also found that kratom users in the United States were typically more prone to substance abuse than those who used cannabis, alcohol, or tobacco.
National Institute on Drug Abuse states on its website that adverse side effects from kratom are rare but serious and include psychiatric, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and respiratory problems. and noted that nearly all deaths were associated with other drugs or contaminants.
Dietary supplements and unregulated drugs have no standards, no government-issued safety oversight, and concerns over the purity and toxicity of kratom in the U.S. lead to an FDA warning in 2022. issued. Four years ago, the FDA forced recall Post-Salmonella outbreak kratom products have been associated with kratom marketed by Triangle Pharmanaturals, LLC.
“If it’s researched to the point where the FDA puts its thumb on approval, it will be in a refined form and will have data showing its safety,” Kay said.
For now, the FDA continues to tell people not to take kratom.
“FDA stands ready to evaluate data that could substantiate kratom’s evidence-based medical purpose,” McCarthy said. “To date, however, we do not know of any evidence that meets the agency’s criteria for approval of kratom as a drug.”
