How Hard Is Kratom On The Liver?

Kratom Liver Toxicity

Kratom is an herbal made from leaves of a tropical evergreen tree (Mitragyna speciosa) that is native to Southeast Asia. Extracts from the leaves of the kratom tree have psychotropic and opioid-like activity, which has led to their use as a recreational drug. How hard is kratom on the liver? Kratom has been linked to rare instances of clinically apparent acute liver injury.

What Is The Role Of The Liver?

Liver disease is caused by damage to the liver. Liver damage can be caused by many things, including:

• Viruses (such as the hepatitis viruses)
• Drinking alcohol heavily
• Being very overweight
• Certain medications–for example, acetaminophen (Tylenol), can cause severe liver damage in people who also have heavy alcohol use
• Exposure to industrial chemicals, including cleaning solvents, aerosolized paints, and paint thinners

Liver damage can lead to livers that are swollen, shrunken, hard, or scarred. Such livers do not work well, and you can get very sick, or even die if your liver stops working altogether. [1]

Acute

If something happens to the liver suddenly, it is “acute.” Some acute liver problems will cause symptoms suddenly as well. Symptoms of acute liver disease can include:

• Tiredness or weakness
• Jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin)
• Fever
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dark urine or very pale-colored stools
• Pain under the ribs on the right side

Up to half of all people with acute liver disease have no symptoms at all. Some types of acute liver disease get better without treatment, and the liver heals itself entirely. On rare occasions, an acute liver injury can require hospitalization and even a liver transplant right away.

Chronic

If something is continuing to affect the liver over time, after 6 months it is “chronic.” Many people with chronic liver problems will have no symptoms at all and may not even know they have a liver problem. Sometimes they develop symptoms only when the liver has been damaged for many years.

What Is Kratom Liver Toxicity?

Chronic use of kratom recreationally has been associated with rare instances of acute liver injury. The onset of injury is usually within 1 to 8 weeks of starting regular use of kratom powder or tablets, with symptoms of fatigue, nausea, pruritus, and dark urine followed by jaundice. How hard is kratom on the liver? The pattern of liver injury is typically cholestatic or mixed, and it can be severe with serum bilirubin levels rising above 20 mg/dL. The severe cholestasis can be accompanied by acute renal failure and bone marrow toxicity.

Fever is common, but not rash or eosinophilia and autoantibodies are usually absent. The cholestasis can be prolonged, but usually resolves spontaneously. Corticosteroids, as well as N-acetylcysteine, have been used in cases of suspected kratom hepatotoxicity, but their efficacy is unproven.

Kratom is a banned substance in many areas of the country and is considered an agent of abuse rather than a dietary supplement. How hard is kratom on the liver? At least two dozen cases of clinically apparent liver injury with jaundice have been reported in the literature and a similar number reported to the Food and Drug Administration adverse event database.

Kratom Effects On The Liver

How hard is kratom on the liver? Kratom products are unregulated and nonstandardized, and reports — although sparse — have linked its use to hallucinations, seizures, and liver damage, when combined with alcohol or other drugs. In 2016, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) proposed banning the commercial sale and use, and the FDA has advised categorizing it as a Schedule I drug, meaning it has no proven medical application and has a high risk of substance abuse. These agencies were met with public and supplement industry pushback, and no action was taken. A salmonella contamination outbreak in 2018 among users increased concerns. [2]

In many Southeast Asian countries, chewing Mitragyna speciosa leaves is not an uncommon practice and is not considered addictive. The effects of chewing kratom leaves include enhanced alertness, talkativeness, and sociability. Extracts of kratom have been used to treat chronic pain, diarrhea, and cough. The psychoactive effects of kratom have led to its use recreationally as a cannabis-like drug. Higher doses can cause agitation, hypertension, dyspnea, and confusion.

Overdoses of kratom can cause seizures, coma, and death. Kratom has become a substance of abuse and it has not been shown to have many beneficial medical uses. The US FDA and the Drug Enforcement Agency have put out notices of concern about the use of kratom as a dietary supplement because of safety issues, including adverse effects of respiratory depression, aggression, hallucinations, delusions, insomnia, vomiting, and severe withdrawal.

Despite these warnings and lack of known medical benefits, kratom has become a popular and widely available herbal product used for opiate withdrawal symptoms and musculoskeletal pain. Several deaths from kratom overdose have been reported.

Does Kratom Liver Toxicity Go Away?

Patients who present with acute liver injury due to kratom usually recover once it is discontinued. Patients should be warned against further use of kratom and multi-ingredient nutrition supplements that might contain it.

Detox Treatment & Inpatient Drug Rehab Texas

Clearing kratom from the body and overcoming withdrawal symptoms is the goal of kratom detox, which is the first step of treatment for addiction. [10] We Level Up TX has a comprehensive team prescribing medications that can alleviate your withdrawal pains while monitoring your health 24 hours during the detox. We prioritize your safety and comfort because this is a fragile and challenging time for you.

Once detox is complete, a new doorway in treatment opens up, which is referred to as a residential level of care. The residential care program slowly and effectively introduces the individual into an atmosphere of therapeutic growth, marked by master’s level therapists, clinicians, group counselors, psychiatrists, and a community of like-minded individuals with the same aim: to attain sobriety and live a great life.

Some of the many modalities applied and practiced within our residential treatment facility are:

We Level Up TX prioritizes removing temptations for relapse and applying an air of recovery into every component of the treatment timeline, including meth addiction treatment. We Level Up TX finds that when clients are living in a supportive community, especially during their early recovery process, they can truly focus on what matters most: their recovery.

If you or a loved one is struggling with kratom withdrawal, reach out to We Level Up TX because we may be able to help you explore treatment options. Contact We Level Up TX today for any questions such as “How hard is Kratom on the liver?”.