Kratom for opioid withdrawal: Does it work?

Kratom is promoted as a treatment to ease withdrawal symptoms from opioid medicines. But it can cause addiction and withdrawal symptoms of its own.

If you take pain medicines such as oxycodone (OxyContin, Roxicodone, others) for a long time, your body becomes used to these drugs and you may become dependent on them. As a result, you may have unpleasant physical symptoms when you stop taking these medicines, especially if you stop suddenly. These symptoms include sweating, vomiting, fever, agitation and anxiety. You also may feel like you have the flu. These symptoms are part of a process called withdrawal. It may last for several days to weeks.

Because withdrawal is often not pleasant, many people look for ways to ease the symptoms. Some people take medicines or substances to try to ease their symptoms. One of these substances is kratom.

Kratom, an herbal extract from the leaves of an evergreen tree (Mitragyna speciosa) that grows in Southeast Asia, is promoted as a treatment for withdrawal. While kratom is sold as a dietary supplement in some states in the U.S., it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any medical use. The FDA warns people not to use it due to the risk of addiction, misuse and dependence. Kratom is illegal in some states and some countries.

In Asia, people have used kratom in small amounts to reduce tiredness or treat opium addiction. In other parts of the world, people take kratom to try to ease opioid withdrawal, feel more energetic, relieve pain, or reduce anxiety or depression. People take kratom to ease withdrawal because it may make them feel happy and they can get kratom more easily than drugs prescribed for withdrawal.

Safety concerns

Researchers have studied kratom as a potential treatment to ease withdrawal symptoms. But evidence suggests that rather than treating addiction and symptoms of withdrawal, the use of kratom may lead to addiction and withdrawal symptoms. Commercially available kratom products are not "natural." They often have high levels of very addictive substances. And kratom may contain dangerous contaminants, including heavy metals and harmful bacteria.

Over time, people who use kratom may get cravings for it and need the same medicines used to treat opioid addiction, now called opioid use disorder. These medicines include buprenorphine (Brixadi, Sublocade) and buprenorphine-naloxone (Suboxone, Zubsolv). When kratom is used during pregnancy, the infant may have symptoms of withdrawal after birth.

As with pain medicines and recreational drugs, it is possible to overdose on kratom. But this is rare. The treatment for kratom overdose is like the treatment for opioid overdose. This includes the use of naloxone (Narcan, Kloxxado, others) and getting medical attention right away.

Although people may enjoy the good feelings that kratom can produce, kratom hasn't proved to be an effective treatment for opioid withdrawal. And a small number of people — small compared to deaths from other drugs — have died after taking kratom.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

We use the data you provide to deliver you the content you requested. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, we may combine your email and website data with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, we will only use your protected health information as outlined in our Notice of Privacy Practices. You may opt out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the email.

Dec. 30, 2023 See more In-depth

See also

  1. Alcohol: Does it affect blood pressure?
  2. Alpha blockers
  3. Ambien: Is dependence a concern?
  4. Angiotensin II receptor blockers
  5. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
  6. Antidepressant withdrawal: Is there such a thing?
  7. Antidepressants and alcohol: What's the concern?
  8. Antidepressants and weight gain: What causes it?
  9. Antidepressants for children and teens
  10. Antidepressants: Can they stop working?
  11. Antidepressants: Selecting one that's right for you
  12. Antidepressants: Side effects
  13. Antidepressants: Which cause the fewest sexual side effects?
  14. Anxiety: A cause of high blood pressure?
  15. Atypical antidepressants
  16. Automated external defibrillators: Do you need an AED?
  17. Beta blockers
  18. Beta blockers: Do they cause weight gain?
  19. Beta blockers: How do they affect exercise?
  20. Bipolar disorder
  21. Bipolar disorder and alcoholism: Are they related?
  22. Bipolar disorder in children: Is it possible?
  23. Bipolar medications and weight gain
  24. Bipolar treatment: I vs. II
  25. Blood pressure chart
  26. Blood pressure cuff: Does size matter?
  27. Blood pressure medication: Still necessary if I lose weight?
  28. Blood pressure medications: Can they raise my triglycerides?
  29. Blood pressure readings: Why higher at home?
  30. Blood pressure: Can it be higher in one arm?
  31. Blood pressure: Does it have a daily pattern?
  32. Blood pressure: Is it affected by cold weather?
  33. Caffeine and hypertension
  34. Calcium channel blockers
  35. Calcium supplements: Do they interfere with blood pressure drugs?
  36. Can having vitamin D deficiency cause high blood pressure?
  37. Can whole-grain foods lower blood pressure?
  38. Central-acting agents
  39. Choosing blood pressure medicines
  40. Clinical depression: What does that mean?
  41. Delusional parasitosis
  42. Depression (major depressive disorder)
  43. Depression and anxiety: Can I have both?
  44. Depression in women: Understanding the gender gap
  45. Depression, anxiety and exercise
  46. Depression: Supporting a family member or friend
  47. Diuretics
  48. Diuretics: A cause of low potassium?
  49. Free blood pressure machines: Are they accurate?
  50. Heart arrhythmia
  51. High blood pressure (hypertension)
  52. High blood pressure and cold remedies: Which are safe?
  53. High blood pressure and exercise
  54. High blood pressure and sex
  55. High blood pressure dangers
  56. Home blood pressure monitoring
  57. How opioid use disorder occurs
  58. How to measure blood pressure using a manual monitor
  59. How to measure blood pressure using an automatic monitor
  60. How to tell if a loved one is abusing opioids
  61. Hypertension FAQs
  62. Hypertensive crisis: What are the symptoms?
  63. Insomnia
  64. Insomnia treatment: Cognitive behavioral therapy instead of sleeping pills
  65. Insomnia: How do I stay asleep?
  66. Intervention: Help a loved one overcome addiction
  67. Isolated systolic hypertension: A health concern?
  68. Kratom: Unsafe and ineffective
  69. Lack of sleep: Can it make you sick?
  70. L-arginine: Does it lower blood pressure?
  71. Low blood pressure (hypotension)
  72. Male depression: Understanding the issues
  73. MAOIs and diet: Is it necessary to restrict tyramine?
  74. Marijuana and depression
  75. Mayo Clinic Minute: Avoid opioids for chronic pain
  76. Mayo Clinic Minute: Be careful not to pop pain pills
  77. Mayo Clinic Minute: Do not share pain medication
  78. Medication-free hypertension control
  79. Medications and supplements that can raise your blood pressure
  80. Menopause and high blood pressure: What's the connection?
  81. Mental health providers: Tips on finding one
  82. Mental health: Overcoming the stigma of mental illness
  83. Mental illness
  84. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
  85. Natural remedies for depression: Are they effective?
  86. Nervous breakdown: What does it mean?
  87. Nutrition and pain
  88. Opioid stewardship: What is it?
  89. Pain and depression: Is there a link?
  90. Pain rehabilitation
  91. Picnic Problems: High Sodium
  92. Prescription drug abuse
  93. Prescription sleeping pills: What's right for you?
  94. Pulse pressure: An indicator of heart health?
  95. Reactive attachment disorder
  96. Resperate: Can it help reduce blood pressure?
  97. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
  98. Self-care approaches to treating pain
  99. Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
  100. Sleep deprivation: A cause of high blood pressure?
  101. Stress and high blood pressure
  102. Tapering off opioids: When and how
  103. Teen depression
  104. Teen drug abuse
  105. Treatment-resistant depression
  106. Tricyclic antidepressants
  107. Valerian: A safe and effective herbal sleep aid?
  108. Vasodilators
  109. Vitamin B-12 and depression
  110. What are opioids and why are they dangerous?
  111. What is blood pressure?
  112. What is depression? A Mayo Clinic expert explains.
  113. What is hypertension? A Mayo Clinic expert explains.
  114. White coat hypertension
  115. Wrist blood pressure monitors: Are they accurate?