Hidden addiction sweeping US as Americans hooked on substance being slipped into popular drinks
Doctors are warning Americans about the health effects of an increasingly popular supplement added to ‘health’ drinks and pills linked to a spate of deaths.
Kratom first became popular in the US as an opioid withdrawal treatment, but more recently has gained ground as a wellness supplement for anxiety and stress.
But the plant leaf extract – slipped into popular drinks and tablets sold in wellness stores and gas stations – has been linked to a range of serious side effects, including seizures, hallucinations and addiction.
Several deaths from taking the supplement have also been reported.
kratom is the name for the entire plant, and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, often abbreviated as 7-OH, is the chemical byproduct of the substance.
While some products use the entire kratom plant, others are specifically made with high concentrations of 7-OH, which can be extremely dangerous. The Mayo Clinic has reported that studies have found some kratom sellers add more of the active ingredient to products than it naturally has.
And recently, the FDA has requested that the Drug Enforcement Agency classify 7-OH products as illegal substances due to their potential for abuse, toxicity, and severe health consequences.
And during a July press conference, FDA commissioner Martin Makary reiterated plans to initiate the sanction.
Kratom first became popular in the US as an opioid withdrawal treatment, but more recently has gained ground as a wellness supplement for anxiety and stress
Because kratom products lack clear labels, health experts warn that it’s not possible to know how much kratom and 7-OH people who use it take.
In April 2022, Jordan McKibban collapsed in his bathroom and never woke up after taking kratom powder mixed with lemonade.
The 37-year-old purchased the supplement from an organic food store believing it to be an all-natural alternative to pain medications and other prescriptions. However, a coroner’s report showed he later died of the ‘toxic effects of mitragynine (Kratom)’.
His mother, Pam Mauldin, is now pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit. The lawsuit points to a growing number of death certificates across the US in which kratom is formally identified as the cause of death.
It also cites 2023 research finding kratom 63 times more deadly than other natural products sold to consumers.
Similarly in 2021, Matthew Torres from Oregon died from severe seizures after taking the herbal substance.
The 39-year-old carpenter was living in Beavercreek with his longtime girlfriend Meghan Gates and enjoyed creating hand-crafted décor items he would share with family and friends.
Torres was found ‘foaming at the mouth’ by Gates in the wealthy Clackamas County area.
She performed CPR on Torres until emergency responders arrived, but he was declared dead on May 27, 2021, one month before his 40th birthday.
In April 2022, Jordan McKibban collapsed in his bathroom and never woke up after taking kratom powder mixed with lemonade
The coroner determined Torres’ cause of death as ‘toxic effects of mitragynine (7-OH)’.
His mother, Mary Torres, sued the smoke shop that sold it to him and is seeking $10million in damages.
He had been using kratom to manage his ‘his pain and muscular ailments’, the lawsuit said, as he thought it was not addictive and had fewer side effects than opioids.
The supplement is made from the leaves of the South East Asian rainforest tree of the same name, and has been in use in cultures in Cambodia, Thailand and elsewhere since at least the 19th century.
It can be boiled into a tea, smoked, chewed, mixed into drinks or placed into capsules, with many taking Kratom daily to help them quit opioids.
The FDA warns against taking the supplement, saying it has not been approved for any use in the US.
But data suggests that use of the supplement — which has also been called a ‘legal opioid’ and ‘legal high’ online — is continuing to increase.
Data from the United States National Poison Data System showed there were just 11 poisonings with Kratom reported in 2011.
But in the first seven months of 2018 alone, this figure had spiraled to 357 cases.
A study in 2021 estimated that 1.7million Americans were taking the supplement – partially to help ease opioid addictions.
Drugs including methadone and naltrexone are used to treat opioid addiction, but these can have side-effects like constipation, headaches, sweating and insomnia – prompting many to seek alternatives.
Matthew Torres, 39, with his mother Mary Torres. In 2021, Torres from Oregon died from severe seizures after taking the herbal substance. The carpenter was living in Beavercreek with his longtime girlfriend Meghan Gates
Doctors have also warned that kratom can alter the hue of a patients’ skin.
They say this color change can persist for months, even when someone stops taking the supplement.
Dr Heather Woolery-Lloyd, a dermatologist at the University of Miami, said in an interview with Medscape: ‘This is something we will see more and more.
‘Many of our patients think Kratom is a safe, herbal supplement, but often don’t know it can have several side effects and can be addictive.’
It isn’t clear why Kratom may turn someone’s skin blue, but scientists have previously suggested it may be linked to the supplement raising dopamine levels, which can boost melanin production – which may cause thicker patches of color to appear.
It could also be linked to the supplement causing deposits around blood vessels, which may cause the blue patches – or any impurities in the supplement.
The blue skin has only appeared on areas exposed to sunlight, which also has a link to increased melanin production.
Pictured above is the 30-year-old patient who came to doctors in Kansas with blue skin after taking Kratom. The symptoms did not resolve 16 months later
This image also shows the patient with the blue skin on the side of his face, which did not disappear
In a case revealed in February 2023 involving a 30-year-old man who came to doctors in Kansas, the patient said he started using Kratom to help with an opioid addiction.
He took Kratom for four-and-a-half years before the discoloration occurred, telling doctors that it had appeared rapidly.
He started to take Kratom for an opioid addiction, and did not have any other medical conditions and did not take any other drugs or supplements that could have caused the blue skin to emerge.
In another case from 2022, a 54-year-old man who came to doctors in Washington state also revealed his skin had turned blue while taking Kratom.
He said the color had appeared slowly on both his arms and face in areas exposed to sunlight.
He had also been taking Kratom with orange juice three to four times a day for five years to help with his opioid addiction.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) suggested banning Kratom in 2017 and listing it as a Schedule I substance alongside heroin, marijuana and LSD.
But these plans were later abandoned following widespread protests over the move in many US cities.
An estimated 2.1million Americans are currently struggling with an opioid addiction.
