Why Some People in Recovery Turn to Kratom and the Risks Involved

If you or someone you care about is in recovery from opioid use disorder, you may have heard about kratom. It shows up in conversations about getting off opioids, managing cravings, or just getting through withdrawal without going back to a prescription. Because it’s sold legally in most states, sitting on shelves next to vitamins and energy drinks, it’s easy to assume it’s safe. That assumption is one of the most dangerous things about it.

What Is Kratom, and How Does It Work?

Kratom is a plant native to Southeast Asia, specifically Thailand and Malaysia, where it has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. In small doses, it produces stimulant-like effects. In larger doses, it behaves more like an opioid, causing sedation, pain relief, and euphoria.

In the United States, kratom is sold as a dietary supplement at gas stations, smoke shops, and online stores. It comes in powder form, capsules, and liquid extracts. The FDA has not approved any medical use for kratom, and the agency has actively warned consumers against using it due to the risk of substance use disorder, liver toxicity, and seizures.

Why Do People in Recovery Turn to Kratom?

People in recovery from opioid use disorder often face a painful reality: withdrawal is brutal, cravings are relentless, and approved medications like buprenorphine or methadone carry their own stigma. Kratom steps into that gap.

For someone who has been to multiple treatment programs, has fought hard to get clean and is still struggling, the appeal of a legal, widely available plant that offers relief is not hard to understand. Many people report that kratom genuinely helped them reduce or stop opioid use, at least in the short term. Those experiences are real, and dismissing them outright does not help anyone. The problem is that kratom is primarily sought as a form of self-medication, specifically for opioid withdrawal.

The Relapse Risk You Might Not See Coming

One of the most serious concerns about kratom use in recovery is that it may not feel like a relapse, not at first. It’s legal. It’s “natural.” You’re not using opioids. You might feel like you’ve found a solution.

But for someone with a history of opioid use disorder, kratom’s mechanism of action creates a familiar pattern.

• The brain’s opioid receptors are being activated again. Research has found that people who use kratom regularly are likely to develop dependence, and that stopping kratom after regular use leads to withdrawal symptoms that closely resemble opioid withdrawal.
• There is clinical evidence suggesting that kratom use disorder can serve as a gateway to opioid use disorder. For someone already vulnerable to opioid relapse, this is not a minor concern.
• Tolerance also builds quickly. Over time, the same dose no longer produces the same effect, leading to escalating use. That escalation looks and functions like opioid use disorder, even if the substance involved comes from a plant.

What Are the Documented Health Risks?

Beyond dependence, kratom carries a range of documented health risks that are worth knowing about, especially given how freely it’s marketed as a wellness product.

• The FDA has specifically flagged liver toxicity, seizures, and cardiovascular effects as serious concerns. Poison control centers in the United States have received a significant number of reports in recent years about kratom, including reports of death. Among those reports were incidents of high blood pressure, seizures, and confusion.
• Kratom products on the commercial market carry a contamination risk. Because kratom is unregulated, there is no guarantee that what is listed on the label matches what is in the product.
• Mixing kratom with alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opioids can compound respiratory depression and increases the likelihood of a serious adverse event. For someone in recovery who may also be managing mental health conditions or pain, this combination can happen more easily than it might seem.

How Does Treatment Address Kratom Dependence?

If you’ve developed a dependence on kratom, that is not a character flaw or a failure of your recovery. It is a physiological response that many people in similar circumstances have experienced. The good news is that kratom dependence can be treated, and clinical tools exist to help.

Because kratom activates the same opioid receptors as traditional opioids, many clinicians manage kratom dependence similarly to opioid use disorder. Behavioral therapy also plays an equally important role. Overall, an integrated approach that addresses both the physical and psychological dimensions of dependency tends to produce the most durable outcomes.

Getting Help at SOBA Recovery

If you or someone you care about is currently using kratom during recovery, that conversation is worth having with a treatment provider before dependence deepens. Getting ahead of it is far easier than managing a full relapse.

At SOBA Recovery in Mesa, Arizona, we work with people at every stage of the recovery journey, including those who have found themselves dependent on substances like kratom after trying to manage their recovery on their own. Reach out to SOBA Recovery today to speak with someone about a care plan that addresses your full picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I tell my treatment provider if I’ve been using kratom?

Yes, and you should feel safe doing so. Kratom use is relevant to your care in several concrete ways: it affects how certain medications interact with your system, it can influence withdrawal timelines, and it gives your provider a fuller picture of what your recovery has actually looked like.

What should I do if someone I care about is using kratom during recovery?

Start with curiosity rather than confrontation. People who use kratom during recovery are usually trying to manage something real: pain, cravings, anxiety, or the difficulty of a withdrawal they felt unprepared for. Asking what they are trying to manage opens a more useful conversation. From there, the goal is to connect them with a professional who can offer a supervised, evidence-based alternative. If they are already in a treatment program, encouraging them to be honest with their provider is the most concrete step you can take.

Can you overdose on kratom?

Yes, though overdose from kratom alone is rare. The greater danger comes from combining kratom with other substances. If a kratom overdose is suspected, it should be treated the same way as an opioid overdose. Administer naloxone if available and call 911 immediately.

Can kratom affect mental health?

It can, in both directions. Some people report short-term relief from anxiety or depression when using kratom, which is part of what makes it appealing as a form of self-medication. Over time, however, regular use has been associated with worsening mood instability, increased anxiety, and in some cases psychotic symptoms including hallucinations and paranoia.