Kratom-Related Poison Center Cases Surged 6,500% in the U.S., Study Finds

Reports of kratom-related poisoning have surged in the United States over the past decade, according to new research published in the journal Addiction. Kratom is a psychoactive plant that can produce opioid-like effects at high doses.

Kratom exposures reported to America's Poison Centers climbed from just 19 cases in 2010 to 1,242 cases in 2023, an increase of more than 6,500 percent. Severe outcomes, defined as life-threatening effects, significant lasting disability or death, also became far more common: none were reported in 2010, the first appeared in 2012, and 158 severe cases were recorded in 2023.

The researchers also found notable differences among states based on how kratom is regulated. States that banned kratom consistently had lower rates of reported exposure, severe medical outcomes and healthcare use than states with consumer protection policies or no kratom regulations at all. "Kratom is not scheduled under the US Controlled Substances Act or approved for medical use by the FDA, which leaves US states to set their own regulations," said senior author Dr. Ryan Feldman of the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Feldman said evidence shows kratom can cause serious health effects including seizures, irregular heart rhythms, liver damage and breathing problems. Nearly one in seven cases reported to a poison center involving kratom alone were admitted to a hospital, and one in 16 were admitted to a critical care unit. When kratom is used alongside other drugs, as it often is, its tendency to interfere with metabolic pathways can heighten the risks of those other drugs.