[ad_1]
At a time when energy stimulants, fat loss supplements and pain relievers are easy to obtain, little is known about a supplement called kratom, a herbal extract associated with at least 91 deaths, according to the CDC.
It has become a hot topic for many people suffering from opioid withdrawal and addiction, and as kratom gains popularity in the United States, scientists are trying to better understand how it affects l? organism and how to test it in people who overdose.
Kratom is derived from a plant of the same name in Southeast Asia. It can be swallowed as a pill, brewed as tea or crushed and smoked. The key ingredient of Kratom, mitragynine, can have stimulating or energizing effects similar to those of caffeine and amphetamines. At higher doses, it can produce effects similar to those of narcotic analgesics. For this reason, it has become popular with people who are recovering from opioid addiction and drugs.
People who use drugs or who take chronic opioids may consider kratom [they] can easily try and try, "Henry Spiller, director of the poison center in central Ohio, told ABC News.
Kratom is easy to buy in stores or on the web. While it may ease the pain and make people feel more energetic, scientists do not know what doses can be taken safely, or even if it is safe to use them.
The supplement has been linked to 91 overdose deaths in 27 states, according to the CDC. In recent years, the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have issued warnings regarding the use of kratom.
As kratom became more common in the United States, phone calls to the poison center for accidental kratom overdoses exploded. A recent study showed that the number of kratom exposures was 52.5 times higher in 2017 than in 2011. Most of these phone calls came from young adults 20 years or older, and about 70 % of them were men. according to the CDC.
Those most at risk of death from kratom are those with a history of substance abuse. According to post-mortem tests performed by the CDC, most people with kratom-related deaths have died from an overdose of fentanyl and heroin. These people have often been tested positive for several medications, including prescription pain medications.
It is unclear where use of kratom increased their risk of death related to overdose.
"Although kratom can have useful effects, for the moment, it's totally unregulated," Spiller told ABC News.
"Most people are not aware of its risks, including potentially serious drug interactions," added Spiller. [people] know that just because kratom is a natural medicine does not mean it's safe. It is powerful enough and can have serious side effects. "
Navjot Kaur Sobti is a resident physician in internal medicine at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center / Dartmouth School of Medicine and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
[ad_2]
Source link