Key Messages
- Kratom has a complex pharmacological profile with the potential for sedative, stimulant, and opioid effects. 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as 7-OH, is a potent opioid that usually makes up a very small percentage of the kratom leaf, but can be concentrated and added to products to increase their activity.
- Because they affect the body's opioid receptors, both whole-leaf kratom products and 7-OH have a high potential for addiction, particularly among people with substance use disorders.
- Concentrated 7-OH products, in particular, have been implicated in multiple fatal overdoses. Overdose risk is substantially elevated when 7-OH is taken alongside other intoxicants, particularly alcohol, benzodiazepines, and/or unregulated street drugs.
- Other side effects of these products may include constipation, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness/sedation, dry mouth, weight loss, anxiety, hallucination, itching, fatigue, insomnia, tremors, vomiting, liver damage, high blood pressure, and seizures.
- Although kratom and 7-OH products are widely available and advertised, they are illegal to sell and manufacture for consumption.
Background
Kratom is the common name for the leaf of a tropical tree, Mitragyna speciosa. Kratom has a complex pharmacological profile with the potential for sedative, stimulant, and opioid effects due principally to the presence of mitragynine, which is metabolized to 7-hydroxymitragynine, (commonly known as 7-OH), a potent opioid. 7-OH and other kratom derivatives may lead to addiction, serious harm, overdose, and/or death. The use of 7-OH was linked to six recent fatal overdoses in Los Angeles County. More info...
