Is Kratom Addictive?

How Using Kratom May Lead to Addiction

Kratom can be addictive because its active ingredients target your brain’s opioid receptors. While some people use kratom for pain relief, energy, or to manage opioid withdrawal*, habitual kratom use has been shown to lead to dependence and addiction in some users.

(*Note: Kratom is not currently FDA-approved as a treatment for opioid withdrawal. Any users taking kratom for this reason are doing so based on anecdotal evidence.)

Supporters of kratom point out that kratom doesn’t bind to your brain’s opiate receptors in the same ay as traditional opioids. However, research shows that kratom still affects the brain in a way that can lead to physical dependence.

And as a relatively newer supplement available in the U.S., scientists are still looking into how kratom interacts with our brains both for short-term and long-term users. The truth is that a lot remains unknown.

Whether kratom’s supposed benefits and possible medical uses outweigh its risks remains undetermined—and the topic is hotly debated on both sides.

How Does Kratom Affect the Brain?

The active ingredient in kratom, mitragynine (which the body metabolizes into 7-α-hydroxymitragynine), works by interacting with the brain’s opioid receptors.

When taken in low doses, kratom users report stimulant effects like increased energy and an uplifted mood.

In higher doses, users experience sedative effects that more closely mirror the side effects of taking opiates, including feelings of euphoria, relaxation, pain relief, and drowsiness.

However, kratom may also cause unpleasant side effects, including frequent urination, vomiting, tremors, and insomnia.

Signs of Kratom Addiction

Addiction to kratom or any other substance is most recognizable by a person’s continued, compulsive usage of the substance—even in spite of negative consequences, like spending too much money or experiencing problematic health issues, like nausea or tremors.

Physical dependence means stopping can cause withdrawal. Tolerance means needing more to get the same effect, or getting less effect from the same amount. A clinician assesses these changes alongside cravings, control over use and effects on daily life.^[15]

Common signs of kratom dependence and addiction include:

• Constant use of kratom daily or several times per day
• Strong urges or cravings to use kratom and being unable to focus on anything else
• Requiring larger doses of kratom to achieve the same effect
• Keeping a constant supply of the substance and becoming nervous when that supply runs low
• Spending money on kratom, even when you don’t have the money for kratom
• Engaging in risky or dangerous behaviors to get kratom, like violence or theft
• Doing dangerous things while under the influence of kratom, like driving or having unprotected sex
• Using kratom despite problems or risks
• Fixating on obtaining, using, and recovering from the effects of kratom
• Trying and failing to quit using kratom
• Feeling withdrawal symptoms once kratom use has stopped

Kratom Withdrawal

Physical dependence means the body has adapted to repeated use. Reducing or stopping can then cause withdrawal. The product, pattern of use, other substances and health conditions matter. Leaf, extracts and concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) should not be assumed to have the same withdrawal course.^[15][16]

Ask a clinician about a plan if symptoms occur between uses or previous attempts to stop have been difficult. Published kratom treatment reports describe buprenorphine, a medicine used for opioid use disorder. However, controlled research has not established a standard medication approach for kratom use disorder alone. A person who also has opioid use disorder needs assessment and treatment for that condition.^[15]

Naloxone is an emergency medicine that reverses an opioid overdose. It is not a treatment for kratom withdrawal. Do not confuse emergency naloxone with prescribed buprenorphine-based treatment.^[17][15]

Withdrawal reports vary. One published case involving concentrated 7-OH described the following symptoms in a man with a prior opioid use disorder. A single case does not show how often they occur or predict another person’s experience:^[16]

• Anxiety and restlessness
• Insomnia, or trouble sleeping
• Runny nose
• Abdominal pain
• Sweating and chills

A seizure, inability to wake the person, or slow, difficult or stopped breathing requires 911. Do not assume these are routine withdrawal symptoms.^[18]

Potential Risks of Kratom Use

Kratom (mitragyna speciosa) is an herbal extract from evergreen trees growing in Southeast Asia. Kratom leaves are harvested and turned into teas, capsules, extracts, and more. However, despite being plant-based, ongoing research suggests kratom still poses significant risks to short- and long-term users alike.

Using kratom may pose certain risks to users, including:

• Dependence/withdrawal: Many individuals report developing a dependence or addiction to kratom and cite short- and long-term withdrawal symptoms occurring after quitting.
• Product quality and contaminants: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authority over kratom products, but has not approved kratom as a drug. FDA has found some products contaminated with harmful bacteria or concerning levels of heavy metals.^[13]
• Mental health risks: Very high doses of kratom can cause psychosis, including symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and confusion.
• Long-term side-effects: While research into long-term kratom use is ongoing, we know it can result in long-term effects like weight loss (in extreme cases, anorexia), hair loss, and chronic insomnia.

Can You Overdose on Kratom?

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance for July 2016–December 2017 identified kratom in 152 overdose deaths.^[9] Medical examiners or coroners determined that kratom contributed to 91 deaths.^[9] The analysis included 11 states throughout the period and 27 states during its final six months.^[9]

Other substances were detected in most kratom-involved deaths.^[9] In seven, kratom was the only substance detected, but other substances could not be ruled out. Testing varied across jurisdictions. These historical findings do not establish how many deaths kratom alone caused nationally.^[9]

Mixing kratom with other depressant drugs puts users at a higher risk of overdose and death. A published case described a woman in her 40s who became unresponsive and stopped breathing after reportedly taking kratom capsules and a liquid extract. Emergency clinicians helped her breathe and gave naloxone. This single case illustrates a possible severe presentation, not a rate of overdose or a safe-use threshold.^[19]

Additional research is desperately needed and users are urged to be cautious.

Call 911 for a seizure, inability to wake the person, or slow, difficult or stopped breathing. If an opioid overdose is possible, give naloxone if available. Follow the dispatcher’s instructions for helping the person breathe or giving CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), and stay until help arrives.^[18][17]

Why Do People Use Kratom?

Kratom is not officially approved for medical use. However, users cite a variety of anecdotal benefits to taking kratom.

Common reasons for taking kratom include:

• Increasing energy
• Chronic pain relief
• Overcoming substance abuse (especially opioid addiction)
• Mitigating opioid withdrawal symptoms (including cravings)
• Managing mental health conditions like anxiety or depression

Despite its growing prevalence, many people remain concerned about kratom’s potential for abuse and addiction and its possible long-term effects on chronic users.

“From my perspective, as an addiction medicine specialist, Kratom appears to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It plays a part in the opioid epidemic rather than being part of the solution.” Dr. Kent Hoffman | soberdoc.com

Find Treatment Options for Kratom Addiction

If you or a loved one are concerned that your kratom use may have become problematic, you can get help through a treatment program or an addiction specialist.

Contact the SAMHSA treatment locator by phone at 1-800-662-4357 or online at findtreatment.gov to find in-patient and outpatient treatment programs near you.

For a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide, call 988, text 988, or chat with the 988 Lifeline in the United States. Use 911 for immediate danger or a medical emergency.^[20][18]

Written by

Jessica Miller

Editorial Director

Jessica Miller is the Editorial Director of Addiction Help. Jessica graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) with an English degree and combines her writing expertise and passion for helping others to deliver reliable information to those impacted by addiction. Informed by her personal journey to recovery and support of loved ones in sobriety, Jessica's empathetic and authentic approach resonates deeply with the Addiction Help community.

Reviewed by

• Fact-Checked
• Editor

Kent S. Hoffman, D.O.

Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer

Kent S. Hoffman, D.O. has been an expert in addiction medicine for more than 15 years. In addition to managing a successful family medical practice, Dr. Hoffman is board certified in addiction medicine by the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM). Dr. Hoffman has successfully treated hundreds of patients battling addiction. Dr. Hoffman is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of AddictionHelp.com and ensures the website’s medical content and messaging quality.