Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is the only opium substitute that really is a substitute. The pharmacological effects are mainly due to two alkaloids, Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. Both are active at the mu-opioid receptor, and thus have morphine like effects. Below are links to papers for further reading. Will be updated as I read more.Introduction
What is Kratom? [Link]
DEA "Fact" Sheet [Link]
Pharmacology
Chemistry and Pharmacology of Analgesic Indole Alkaloids from the Rubiaceous Plant, Mitragyna speciosa. Chem. Pharm. Bull. 52(8) 916—928 (2004) Hiromitsu Takayama [Link]
Comparison to Morphine
Of the two alkaloids with opioid effects, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, the latter is more potent than morphine.
Pharmacological Studies on 7-Hydroxymitragynine, Isolated from the Thai Herbal Medicine Mitragyna speciosa: Discovery of an Orally Active Opioid Analgesic. Kenjiro Matsumoto 2006 [Link]
Antinociception, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms induced by 7-hydroxymitragynine, an alkaloid from the Thai medicinal herb Mitragyna speciosa. Kenjiro Matsumoto, Syunji Horie, Hiromitsu Takayama, Hayato Ishikawa, Norio Aimi, Dhavadee Ponglux, Toshihiko Murayama, Kazuo Watanabe [Link](Note if someone can find a free pdf of this document leave me the URL in the comments)
See Also:
Antinociceptive effect of 7-hydroxymitragynine in mice: Discovery of an orally active opioid analgesic from the Thai medicinal herb Mitragyna speciosa. Kenjiro Matsumotoa, Syunji Horiea, Hayato Ishikawab, Hiromitsu Takayamab, Norio Aimib, Dhavadee Pongluxc, Kazuo Watanabea. Life Sciences 74 (2004) 2143 – 2155 [Link]
Culture
Kratom in Thailand Decriminalisation and Community Control? By Pascal Tanguay. Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr. 13. April 2011 [Link]
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY OF KRATOM AND THE MITRAGYNA ALKALOIDS. KARL L.R. JANSEN and COLIN J. PRAST. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 23 (1988) 115-119 [Link]
Thus far, I haven't spoken with anyone who has or has had a significant tolerance to opiates/opioids that has experienced any relief from opiate W/D by consuming kratom in any form. In fact, I have yet to meet anyone who has tried kratom and claims to experience any sense of euphoria, pain relief, or even relative stabilization of mood. I'm not saying that it doesn't affect some folks, only that, of those I have met who have tried kratom, none of them claim to have experienced any benefit from its use. Could this be due to their elevated tolerance to opiates/opioids? Possibly. Of course, there could be other reasons.
ReplyDeleteIf you read through the papers I posted there is no question the alkaloids in kratom are active at the mu receptor.
DeleteI can confirm that kratom works, sort of. I've tried multiple vendors, tried raw leaf and extracts, Supposedly 5 grams is a "heavy" dose, I tried that a few times and nothing. Finally after some exasperation I ate a whopping 20 grams all at once one day when I was sick. It definitely helped with W/D. I have also tried the extracts a couple of times. They do work to suppress W/D, maybe even feel a little something. The problem is they're really not cost effective vs. opiates. A $25 dollar extract suppresses W/D for 6 hours, so you're still going to spend a lot per day. Pure 7-OH-M would be pretty cool to try, but I've heard pure alkaloids is over $1000/gram, though if it really is 17X as potent that may not be too high a price vs. black market morphine.
My guess is that there is a lot of variation between batches and growing regions. The alkaloids probably degrade over time too. Would probably work for someone opiate naive, if you got a pretty good habit going kratom is going to be hit and miss.
It also tastes pretty nasty. I've had a hard time keeping the tea down long enough for it to work without vomiting it up.
Hi, I have many friends that has replaced adiction on opiods with Kratom. And it works. Personally i use it for anxiety/depression, and I use only two grams a day. right now i buy it directly from source using internet and i pay about 100 usd for one kg. This means if you are ending something really strong and use 20 grams a day it means 50 doses for 100 usd or about 2 usd/gram. But i am not an expert since i never misused heavy stuff. Some people swear to it that it has saved them and it is not addictive. Maybe because several substances work at the same time...but i don't know...I give a shout to Andreas in Whitestrain.com..very good service...anyway it could be dangerous to start using it since maybe it will become illegal as well to import..so maybe if you really have an issue you should maybe get into some kind of government program with methadone or something....
DeleteHello anonymous, most kratom vendors I've seen charge between $10-20 for around an ounce (~28 grams). The whitestrain vendor seems to be cheaper, especially if you buy pound quantities. $100 for a kg is a good price, I will have to try them out some point in the future.
DeleteIf by addictive you mean does kratom cause tolerance and a withdrawal syndrome, the answer is yes. We would expect this for any mu opioid agonist and the alkaloids in kratom are no different. It is this reason people are able to use kratom to substitute for other pharmaceutical opioids or heroin. I've even read accounts of people using kratom to get off methadone. It does work for some people and should be an option along with methadone, buprenorphine, heroin and opium maintenance options.
That's great that kratom works for you to self medicate for depression and anxiety at a relatively low dose. However people's responses to opioids are highly individualized, others are going to need a much larger dose. If you're mainlining several bundles a day of good quality heroin its gonna take a lot of kratom to just not be sick...and it's difficult to swallow a large amount of kratom without retching it back up.
Also there have been reports of kratom being toxic to the liver, anyone who uses kratom regularly should check their liver enzyme levels periodically.
Hopefully kratom will not be criminalized, though I would not be surprised. The DEA loves nothing more than adding drugs to its list of scheduled substances whenever it finds people who are using them to self-medicate or for recreation, regardless as to whether there exists serious potential for harm or not.
Morepheen, i feel you on the taste part. Its like gagging down clumpy sand that taste like evil.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest trying different strains of kratom and seeing if some of the more sedating ones effect you better. I would also try out a different vendor, preferably one that specializes in kratom. Green Malaysian is one of the best strains IMO, its a good balance of stimulation and sedation, and it also has an unusually long duration. By unusually long i'm talking 7+ hours.
I wrote an article about kratom you should check out, i'm sure it would be of interest. http://drugdata.blogspot.com/
Do you have a vendor you recommend?
DeleteAs for the taste, one could use gel caps, an added expense and time consuming, or make an extract.
Your link didn't work. Is your blog down?
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ReplyDeletelucky k is way overpriced.
ReplyDeleteKratom is great. It keeps me away from horrible depression. It’s good for pain relief and energy and has a soothing and relaxing influence over the body when taken in the correct dosage. It kills most of my pain to where I can function.
ReplyDeleteLink goes to a kratom information website. Since it offers reviews of vendors I won't trash this comment like I do with most spam.
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