As I’ve mentioned previously, I was able to receive treatment for my debilitating chronic pain for years, but lost access to that treatment a few years ago. Once that loss became permanent I decided I need to look into other options. Medical marijuana is not legal in my state, so I had limited choices. I had vaguely heard of kratom from various chronic pain groups, but specifics were never allowed and the “just pm me” response didn’t make me have much faith in it. However, out of desperation I joined a kratom group on Facebook to learn more about it.
What is kratom?
Kratom is an herbal supplement made from the leaves of an evergreen tree in the coffee family located in Southeast Asia. Historically it has been used by south Asian farmers for additional energy and to manage pain.
While it is sometimes lumped in with opiates because it activates the opioid receptor in the brain, it is not one. There has been lots of speculation on whether it’s harmful and produces a high. The FDA states that kratom can cause “significant harm” and should not be used recreationally. This fear that kratom can cause a high led to the following states banning kratom: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
Why is kratom controversial?
There were 44 Kratom deaths between 2009 and 2016 according to the American Kratom Association. However, the AKA disputes those deaths as being related to kratom as they all involved other substances (such as opioids and illegal drugs).
Kratom is considered by the FDA and the DEA to be highly addictive and vulnerable to abuse. However, this is disputed by the AKA by pointing out dependence and addiction are two different things and that kratom isn’t any different than a cup of coffee.
Overall there is very little research about kratom, and so people are afraid of it. However, the University of Florida just received a grant to look at kratom’s potential to treat opioid misuse and physical dependence.
What does kratom look like?
Kratom generally comes in a powder that can be dissolved in water or packed into pills. Some sources claim that it can be smoked or injected, but I’ve yet to see significant evidence for this. If that’s happening it’s being misused by addicts, just like regular medicine such as Sudafed is misused. I usually mix mine with a little water and lemonade. It’s an absolutely foul taste.
How is kratom used?
Kratom has been used to:
- help with chronic pain
- to increase mental alertness
- to ease anxiety
- to ease depression
- to increase energy levels
- for opioid withdrawal (this is not encouraged by the FDA)
Is it safe?
The problem with kratom is that we just don’t have enough information. The aforementioned grant to study its uses should hopefully provide some answers in the future. The concern from the FDA and other agencies is that just because something is natural doesn’t actually mean it’s safe. The other concern is that for kratom sold in head shops there is no quality control. However, according to the AKA “Kratom consumer advocacy groups and kratom manufacturer trade associations are committed to providing consumers with safe, high quality kratom products. The kratom community supports adherence to FDA product testing protocols that meet or exceed Good Manufacturing Practice…”
Kratom for chronic pain
Kratom has generally been reported to help patients with minor aches and pains. As more and more patients are losing access to opioids people in pain are turning to kratom to help them cope. I was one of them.
My experience with kratom has been mostly positive. The side effects have been similar to opioids- ie constipation and that’s about it. However, if you look up side effects on the internet some listed are: nausea, dry mouth, need to urinate, constipation, aggression, hallucinations, delusions, and thyroid problems. Taking it in large doses can possibly cause trouble breathing, brain swelling, seizure, liver damage, and death.
It took me a little while to figure out which strains worked for me, and even now sometimes I make a mistake and take something that makes me too tired. Overall I’ve found it is more effective for pain relief than opioids for my typical chronic pain. Where it fails me is when I have kidney stones. Kratom can’t even touch that kind of pain.
Safety Concerns
Besides the side effects already listed there are other safety concerns. From January 2010 through December 2015, U.S. poison centers received 660 calls related to kratom exposure, according to the DEA. The DEA is also concerned that kratom can lead to addiction and withdrawal symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, hot flashes, and mood disturbances.
However, the DEA does admit that with many of these reported side effects, it’s unclear how much is solely due to kratom.
Should you try kratom for chronic pain?
I don’t have the perfect answer for this. It works for me, but there have been side effects reported by others. I would recommend talking to your doctor and getting their opinion. If they haven’t heard of it, educate them.
Have you tried to use kratom for chronic pain? What was your experience? Please share below!
Ooo this is an interesting one! I’ve heard of Kratom but admit I knew next to nothing about it before your post. Good point in the potential side-effects; sounds like a bit of trial and error is needed like you’ve found with getting the right strain that works for you. I’d be curious to try this out, and I do hope you can keep finding some benefit from it if you continue it in future. These sorts of things work differently for everyone so you don’t know until you try. Great intro to this supplement, very nicely done!
It’s definitely a lot of trial and error, I think that’s what kept me from trying it for so long. But since I figured it out, it’s been great.
I have tried Kratom & could not get past the taste. It’s horrible. My thinking was anything that tastes that bad can’t be good for you 🙂
I don’t really think it helped my pain either or maybe I didn’t take enough because I was a little scared. Only tried it a couple of times.
Thank you for your post. Hopefully they can test this and if it works make it available for chronic pain.
I live in an area where Kratom is legal and I actually threw the entire bag on the compost bin. It made me throw up for hours on a very small dose and I even tried it at a lower dose as recommended with the same result. I grew my own cannabis in the backyard, also legal, and gave all the THC stuff away. It made me feel like I drank 5 coffees, so again was a super stimulant that made me feel horrible. The CBD strains, I turned into drops, which work very slightly on arthritis but no other pain that I have noticed. The CBD cream I make is actually pretty good. It works on muscle cramps and mild back or muscular pain.