Key Takeaways
- Kratom is not a treatment for benzodiazepine withdrawal, and I recommend avoiding it.
- Kratom contains mitragynine and related alkaloids that act on the mu opioid receptor, so it behaves like an opioid drug in the body.
- Tolerance builds quickly with kratom, and stopping it abruptly brings on a withdrawal of its own, so a person tapering off benzodiazepines risks taking on a second dependence.
- Most people who are dependent on benzodiazepines took the medication as their doctor directed and are not addicted, and true benzodiazepine addiction is rare.
- No strain of kratom is a good answer for benzo withdrawal. The vein color on the label tells a buyer little about what is in the powder.
- Treat pro-kratom posts on social media with caution, because many trace back to kratom sellers and industry groups, and one person’s testimonial is no substitute for proper medical studies.
- Whatever else you try, never stop a benzodiazepine suddenly, since sudden discontinuation can trigger seizures, and any taper should be gradual and medically supervised.
- Before trying any supplement or plant product during a taper, discuss it with a physician who understands the pharmacology involved.
Why is kratom not used to treat benzodiazepine withdrawal?
If kratom is promoted as a natural plant-based supplement for pain management and for coming off of other drugs, why not for benzo withdrawal too?
Kratom has become popular and well-known only during the past few years. Suddenly, when someone needs help with chronic pain, or with overcoming an opioid addiction, people are recommending kratom over traditional medical care.
Why is there so much fuss over kratom? Can it be used for drug addiction or substance abuse? Does it relieve pain better than FDA approved treatments?
While kratom is not a treatment for these conditions, it has gained popularity due to being outside of the healthcare system. Many people have become frustrated and distrustful of doctors, hospitals, and drug companies.
In addition to kratom not being a treatment for any of these illnesses, it also poses some risks. Kratom works similarly to an opiate drug, activating the opioid receptors in the human central nervous system.
Kratom contains substances that act as mu opioid receptor agonists.
The effects of kratom are relatively mild, compared to true opioid drugs. Yet, kratom can be addictive, and it can stimulate cravings in opioid addicted people, even months, or even years after their last opioid use.
Kratom users have been known to use more and more of the greenish, brownish powdery substance. Telltale signs of kratom use include finding the powder residue everywhere, in the car, bedroom, kitchen, and work area.
Has anyone thought of trying kratom for the symptoms of benzodiazepine withdrawal? Many natural treatments have been tried, and some have been found to be helpful for some patients.
For example, various mushrooms have been used by people to help with the discomfort associated with benzodiazepine withdrawal. In this case, I am not referring to the “magic mushroom,” containing the psychedelic drug, psilocybin.
There are many other mushrooms that are considered to be safe for human consumption, and some are believed to have therapeutic properties. Yet, the evidence is thin, and any supplement decision during a benzodiazepine taper should be made with a physician who understands the pharmacology involved.
Another example is medical cannabis. Some patients report that it eases benzo withdrawal symptoms such as pain, restlessness, and insomnia. Others find that it makes their anxiety, panic, and derealization worse. The evidence for cannabis in benzodiazepine withdrawal is limited, and any decision about it belongs with a physician who understands the pharmacology involved.
Cannabis can also be addictive. Most users never develop a problem with it, but some do, and a person already dealing with one drug dependence has good reason not to take on the risk of another.
Is kratom addiction a concern for someone who tries it for benzo withdrawal symptoms?
People who quit taking benzodiazepines, going through a very difficult protracted withdrawal, are wary of starting any other drug which may be addicting or may cause dependence. They are not going to want to deal with kratom withdrawal down the road.
One point about benzo detox that is often misunderstood is that most people fighting benzo dependence are not dealing with benzo addiction. They are most often people who have taken benzodiazepines as directed by their doctor, sometimes for many years.
True benzodiazepine addiction is rare. After a patient tapers off of benzos gradually, they rarely have cravings to take more benzos.
Kratom addiction and kratom dependence are real possibilities, because kratom works like an opiate or an opioid. Quitting kratom suddenly can lead to kratom withdrawal.
In addition to the physical dependence that can occur due to the effects of kratom on the opioid receptors, it is possible to develop a kratom addiction as well. A person struggling through the benzo withdrawal timeline is not going to want to risk developing an addiction where they did not have one in the first place.
Kratom presents significant risks for adverse reactions if it is taken for withdrawal symptoms.
Kratom carries a real risk of dependence and addiction, and that risk is not worth taking on during a benzo taper. Other treatment options should be considered to address the anxiety, panic attacks, and other benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms.
Kratom withdrawal is essentially the same as opioid withdrawal or opiate withdrawal. For someone going through drug detox from prescription opioids, alcohol withdrawal, or benzo withdrawal, kratom is not an ideal choice.
While kratom industry groups might disagree, kratom is not a treatment option for opioid withdrawal symptoms, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, or benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms. They may claim that there are no overdose deaths from kratom, yet, this does not mean that the drug is harmless.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has already tried to outlaw kratom, making it a Schedule I drug. Schedule I means that it would be fully illegal, with no accepted medical use.
Their efforts to outlaw kratom nationally failed, because there was pushback from members of congress.
Should I be careful about pro-kratom messages on social media?
Social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, have many messages about kratom. Some are legitimate posts by users who claim benefits from the drug, and others are disguised propaganda from kratom supporters who stand to make profits when people purchase kratom powders.
If you are considering kratom for addiction, pain, or any mental health issue, such as anxiety or depression, due to social media posts, look first at the profiles of the people posting these messages about the benefits of kratom use.
You will often discover that you can trace them back to kratom industry groups or to kratom online sellers. Be wary of their claims of kratom being completely safe and effective.
Kratom is a real drug that acts on the opioid receptors, and its risks are real. This is not a harmless snake oil placebo being pushed to fleece the public.
Of course, some of the social media posts are by real people who believe that kratom helped them. Yet, one person’s experience cannot serve as a substitute for proper medical studies.
While some people have honestly described success with kratom without any negative consequences, there are also tragic stories of kratom leading to addiction and drug overdoses. Reading a testimonial from a random person online, or even a close friend, is not a good reason to try kratom as a solution for making withdrawal symptoms more tolerable.
Is there any kind of kratom that will help with benzo withdrawal?
As I have made clear so far in this article, kratom should be avoided as a benzodiazepine withdrawal symptom therapy. It is an opioid-like plant-based drug that may have many drawbacks.
Of course, some people report that they feel better on it, but there is also clear potential for serious adverse effects. Simply because it is plant-based does not make it somehow an all-natural treatment with only benefits and no downside.
However, it is still worth noting that there are multiple strains of kratom with varying effects. None of them is a good answer for benzo withdrawal.
In my reading about kratom, articles most often describe strains based on the color of their vein. There is red vein kratom, white vein kratom, as well as yellow and green veined varieties.
The fact is that there are dozens of different strains, mostly native to regions of the far east. Some are from Thailand and Indonesia. Others are from Bali, Borneo, and Sumatra.
There are also strains named after the shape of their plant leaves. For example, there is horn kratom, and even elephant kratom.
The effects of a particular kratom strain vary based on the concentration of various drugs contained in that strain.
As you can imagine, it is not the color or shape that determine the drug properties of a kratom strain, but the chemical makeup of the strain. Kratom contains mainly variations of mitragynine, and other alkaloid chemicals, such as speciociliatine and paynanthine.
Kratom leaf contains mitragynine and smaller amounts of 7-hydroxymitragynine, and both act on the mu-opioid receptor, the same receptor that prescription opioids act on. Sellers market their strains by vein color, but the color tells a buyer little about what is in the powder. Yet, for some reason, kratom advocates still insist that kratom is not an opiate.
Sellers market the red vein variety for pain and for sleep, and they claim that it improves mood and relieves anxiety. No wonder users feel something. It activates opioid receptors.
Unfortunately, many users find that, like most opioids, tolerance quickly develops. The user takes more of the kratom powder to get the same effects, and experiences kratom withdrawal if they stop taking it abruptly.
Green vein kratom is sold as less sedating, with a promise of energy and relaxation at the same time, sort of like a kratom speedball.
Kratom advocates recommend the green vein variety to first time kratom users. They might take it for energy or even to help them sleep.
White vein kratom is sold as the speed version of the drug, and some users take it in place of coffee. Users claim that it provides euphoria, clear thinking, focus, and even flow states. Those are sales claims, and no strain of kratom escapes the tolerance and withdrawal described above.
Is it possible that you are wrong about kratom being bad?
If I post this article on social media, you will notice that kratom advocates jump on immediately with angry comments about how wrong I am. They will claim that kratom is safe and causes no problems at all.
One argument is that any problems caused by the plant drug powder are due to adulterated forms that are sold by unscrupulous manufacturers or resellers. In fact, if you buy kratom from a street dealer, or from any source that is not even remotely reputable, the powder may be contaminated or adulterated, and you have no way to know what is in it.
I sometimes hesitate to post kratom-related articles, because the attacks can sometimes be vicious, though I must admit that some kratom supporters are respectful and simply use my article postings as an opportunity to present their case, with researched articles and references to scientific studies.
I respect the people who disagree with me. Yet, when financial interests are intense from the kratom supplement industry, we must be careful in who we listen to.
When a person takes a drug, they should be provided with informed consent. Even a drug sold over the counter, without the need for a doctor’s order or prescription, should provide a clear presentation of risks involved.
There is no drug that is completely harmless to all people. If a drug or supplement, or herbal remedy, has no adverse effects on anyone and no risk at all, it is probably an inert placebo, also known as snake oil.
What should someone desperate for help with benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms do, since kratom cannot help?
Unfortunately, there are many snake oil type treatments offered to people who are desperate for help with symptoms when doctors fail to provide assistance. Benzo withdrawal is a condition where doctors are often not helpful.
Doctors are trained by the healthcare system, which is very much infiltrated by the pharmaceutical industry, to prescribe drugs to treat symptoms.
When a condition has an FDA approved drug, it is treated like a real illness. When there is no drug to treat the disease, sometimes the disease is not considered to be real.
One example that comes to mind is fibromyalgia. Years ago, many doctors had the opinion that fibromyalgia did not exist. It was in the minds of the sufferers.
Then, one day, there was a drug to treat it. Suddenly, pharma reps were visiting doctors with fancy pamphlets with color graphs to show how fibromyalgia is very real. Suddenly, doctors knew it was real, they knew how to diagnose it, and what drug to prescribe.
What doctor would want to be the doctor who tells patients there is no safe treatment for a condition when the drug companies advertise that there is a treatment. Patients expect their doctors to write the prescription that will solve their problems.
It is important to be very careful when turning to the alternative medicine community, looking for answers to address difficult healthcare issues.
It is completely understandable that some people develop a distrust of the medical system and turn to the alternative medicine field and the supplement industry, which is mostly unregulated. They want help from experts outside of the corrupt healthcare system.
Benzo withdrawal is particularly uncomfortable, and can be long-lasting. It is a condition where the sufferer does not want more drugs to feel better. They have been there and do not have much faith in doctors who whip out a prescription pad to make symptoms go away.
In some cases, medications may help some benzodiazepine withdrawal patients, yet the same medications make other patients feel worse. Finding what works or does not work can be tricky.
Whatever else a person tries, a benzodiazepine should never be stopped suddenly, and a taper should never turn into an abrupt stop. Sudden discontinuation can trigger seizures and can be life-threatening. A seizure is a medical emergency, and the right response is a call to 911. For thoughts of suicide, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. However a taper is shaped, it should be gradual and medically supervised.
Many people who deal with these symptoms long-term find some comfort in alternative therapies, such as energy healing, meditation, yoga, or various spiritual practices, including simply praying for help. Eating less processed foods, and regular exercise helps. During a taper, stimulant medications and foods such as caffeine and sugar can increase anxiety and trigger or magnify symptoms; this matters most in benzodiazepine tapering.
Unfortunately, while the kratom industry will be quick to make many therapeutic claims about the drug, it is not a solution for benzodiazepine withdrawal, and I recommend avoiding it.
This article is educational. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Decisions about starting, continuing, or tapering any medication should be made with your own physician.
