Kratom is the leaf of the Mitragyna speciosa tree native to Southeast Asia and is traditionally used for its medicinal properties. Kratom contains many alkaloids, naturally occurring compounds consisting of mostly nitrogen atoms, such as 7-hydroxymitragynine and mitraphylline which are structurally similar to psychedelics, psychoactive drugs that alter perception and cognition. Kratom, however, does not create any psychedelic activity or share any other similarities in effects to psychedelics. Instead, kratom is often used medicinally to help a person experiencing opiate withdrawal.
Treatment for Opiate Dependency is Extremely Complex and Should Continue after Physical Withdrawal
Opiod dependency is an extremely difficult drug addiction to overcome. Common opiates include pain medications like hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine and codeine as well as heroin. Those who are addicted to opiates may become tolerate and need increasingly higher doses to feel the same effects, begin to lose pleasure in or neglect everything around them because of their drug use, be unable to stop taking opiates although they are aware the drugs are detrimental to their health and feel withdrawal symptoms when stopping or decreasing the amount of opiates they use.
Opiate withdrawal itself is difficult enough to keep even someone with the best intentions from getting clean; sufferers of opiate withdrawal feel both intense physiological and psychological symptoms. Common physiological symptoms include tremors, vomiting, tachycardia and flu-like symptoms. Psychological symptoms often include paranoia, depression, anxiety, cravings for the drug and in rare cases, suicide attempts. Withdrawal from opiates can last anywhere from 48 hours to 60 days or possibly longer depending on the type of opiates a person used, the frequency and the duration of use. Regardless, overcoming opiate dependency can often require long-term treatment even after the initial withdrawal is over.
Kratom Effects Include Preventing or Delaying the Symptoms of Opiate Withdrawal and Reducing Opiate Cravings After Withdrawal
There are many well known treatments for opiate withdrawal including methadone and buprenorphine, but there is no one method that works for everyone. Alternative treatments such as ketamine and kratom extract have been sought after to treat patients that don’t respond to conventional methods. Kratom was introduced in the 19th century by ethnobotanists and was previously used as a stimulant in thePacificIslandsandSoutheast Asia. In low doses, kratom effects include mild stimulation similar to that produced by caffeine, but in higher doses, kratom appears to have a calming effect. 7-hydroxymitragynine has been isolated as the main active ingredient in kratom and an alkaloid that reduces stress felt during an opiate craving. Mitragynine, the other main alkaloid in kratom, has been shown to increase a person’s pain threshold, helping with the physical withdrawal symptoms of kratom. At this point in time, the long-term effects of kratom have yet to be studied comprehensively, but for now, scientists have found side effects of kratom usage to be rare and the potential for treating pain, depression and opiate withdrawal to be great.
Paige One enjoys writing health articles that reveal how medicine and natural remedies help heal people. Continue to learn more about kratom extract and learn how to use it to benefit your health.