Moving Away from Opiates

Why are Opiates are not the solution to pain or depression? They indeed work to eliminate pain, that is certain. Also, the vast majority of people prescribed opiates do not actually become addicted. So what is it about them that makes them so dangerous? It’s my belief that they actually work too well in eliminating all forms of pain, including psychological suffering. To those who are prone to addiction, it’s nearly certain they will find continued use of opiates attractive. Now, continual use of medication isn’t always a problem, after all, some people remain on prescription drugs throughout their whole live. But with opiates, they possess two physical qualities that make them dangerous for long term use:

Tolerance increases rapidly. Opiates cause respiratory depression.

These two things combined create a deadly feedback loop. As a user requires more and more of the drug to feel the same effect, they get closer and closer to the line where an overdose becomes likely or even inevitable. Now, as elicit fentanyl gains popularity- a drug thousands of times stronger than heroin — this margin between “being high” and “being dead” will only shrink.

The fact is, opiates are simply too strong and too dangerous for regular use. We need to find something that can help pain without the same potential for abuse. Surely, if a substance existed like this, it would be widely known and sold by pharmaceutical companies already?

Enter Kratom

There is in fact a substance that can mediate pain without causing deadly side effects like respiratory depression. However, it is not a pharmaceutical. It’s a plant that grows in South West Asia and has been used for at least hundreds of years.

Kratom grows wild in tropical climates and is consumed in a tea or put in capsules.

Mitragyna speciosa or commonly called Kratom is a natural substance that I believe can transform our society and move us away from our reliance on opiates. Kratom, unlike real opiates, is not related to the poppy plant. Rather it is related to the coffee tree, and has markedly similar effects to a very strong cup. In moderate doses however, it actives opiate receptors but does so in a way that is much weaker than traditional opiates. The pain killing effects are real, but mild. It’s not the intense euphoria that comes from real opiates. You many wonder how this could be safer than a real opiate if it affects similar receptors, but it is very important to note these two characteristics:

It does NOT cause respiratory depression. Tolerance does not increase rapidly due to the ceiling effect

The very things that make opiates deadly are absent from Kratom. The FDA has claimed that respiratory depression is indeed a side effect, but this is a patently false. Yes, kratom does indeed activate the same mu-opiate receptor as drugs like morphine, but it does so strongly biased against the recruitment of beta-arrestin. The recruitment of beta-arrestin via mu receptors is what is known to cause respiratory depression and escalating addictive behavior. Kratom does not activate beta-arrestin and is thus extremely safe compared to morphine derivatives. No one, including legitimate scientists have any idea where the FDA is sourcing its claims. The president of the American Association of Pharmacuetical Scientists told CNN in 2017:

“We’ve never seen respiratory depression in the animal studies that we’ve conducted, and we’ve never seen or heard reports of respiratory depression in the human population that’s been using. And this is something that’s really amazing when you start thinking about a potential treatment for opioid addiction or opioid withdrawal”

Further, Kratom has a self mediating effect where “less is more”. People that consume kratom, even regularly, do not rapidly increase their dosage as is the case in real opiate addiction. There needs to be more research on this effect as the full mechanisms are not understood, but it seems to have something to do with antagonist alkaloids that cover the mu receptor from actual agonist alkaloids. Due to these antagonist alkaloids, an overdose on Kratom results in nausea and dysphoria. This is certainly preferable to an overdose on actual opiates which most likely will result in certain death. Again, research needs to be done here. We could be looking at a natural plant with all the pain killing and mood lifting power of opiates, without any of the abuse potential or danger. What is clear though, is that kratom has the potential to move us away from a reliance on opiates.

Traditional Uses

The history of kratom goes back at hundreds if not thousands of years. It became especially relevant in the mid-19th century when East India Company Botanist Pieter Willem Korthals noted its usefulness in treating opium dependence during the period of the Opium Wars. Indeed, Kratom as a remedy for opiate addiction has a long and storied history. Grown Thailand and Myanmar, it was even banned by local governments who were exporting heroin. Even then, kratom was cutting into drug dealer’s profits.

In the United States, it became popular in the early-2000’s when the opiate epidemic really started to take off. Unfortunately, it was mostly sold through “head shops” as a legal high with outrageous markups. This initial introduction is one of Kratom’s most enduring problems. If it had been viewed as legitimate medicine, we could have saved lives and it would not have been targeted by the FDA and DEA. The truth is that Kratom is not ideal for producing a drug high; Instead, it has found purpose within small, quiet circles of people struggling with addiction and physical pain.

Even today, Kratom may be a safer alternative to other manufactured “maintenance” solutions like methadone and suboxone. I’m unwilling to criticize either of these substances because it’s factual that they save lives. However, each has their own particular baggage and price tag. For one thing, they’re both opiates and cause respiratory depression. Also, the barrier for entry is quite high. Meaning, people are unwilling to admit their addiction in the early stages, and thus these drugs are often prescribed much later into the development of the disease.

Veterans are a group that has particularly benefited from Kratom over Opiates

Kratom also has benefits for regular people that are living in pain. If you search #IAmKratom on social media you will see hundreds of people that use this natural plant as an alternative to synthetic pharmaceuticals. In every way, it’s a preferable option to real opiates for pain management. It’s not nearly as addictive, it’s cheaper, it’s natural and does not cause a “high” or put the person into an opiate stupor. The effects of this plant are mild, but that small boost in mood and dulling of pain are vital to those suffering mentally or physically.

The Conspiracy Against Kratom

Over the past three years, the federal government and the pharmaceutical industry have worked in conjunction to conspire against kratom. The idea of empowering farmers in South West Asia is not a very attractive proposal to Big Pharma who produces legal heroin and its auxiliaries; or our government that collects income from arresting drug addicts.

In 2016, the DEA attempted to put kratom on the list of Schedule I drugs but had to back down due to massive protests. I was one of the millions of people who signed the successful petition and reached out to my local government to voice my concerns with the issue. One thing that became clear to me at the time, is that many people people have no idea what Kratom is and how it helps. The government and the Pharma industry can use this to their advantage to spread false information.

And yes, the FDA and DEA are peddling false information through the media. It’s obvious propaganda and it’s leaving many scientists dumbstruck. Their latest move has been to classify kratom as an opiate despite 100% of the science disagreeing with their assessment. A group of diverse scientists in fields of Pharmacology, Psychaitry, Chemistry and others wrote a letter to the government stating:

“We believe strongly that the current body of credible research on the actual effects of kratom demonstrates that it is not dangerously addictive, nor is it similar to ‘narcotics like opioids’… A ban on kratom that would be imposed by CSA Scheduling would put them at risk of relapse to opioid use with the potential consequence of overdose death.”

It’s not just the “science” behind kratom that is being fabricated by the federal government, but the statistics too. You’ll see various numbers thrown around regarding supposed deaths linked to kratom use, all of which are misleading and irresponsible. They claim that 44 deaths over the last decade have been linked to kratom use, but what they have not mentioned is that 43 of these people also had prescription drugs or illegal drugs also in their system. Even if this number was true (it’s not), it’s a number that is remarkably low. Especially considering that we see over 100 people die every single day from opiates. If this epidemic doesn’t slow down, we may see over a million people die every decade in this country from overdose or related causes.

Kratom is a solution to the opiate problem. It’s less addictive, safe and cheap. If you listen to what people are saying you’ll hear amazing stories of how they were able to get off suboxone or get their life back together thanks to kratom.

Final Word

Opiates are too good, allowing people to escape all physical and mental pain while simultaneously and paradoxically destroying their lives. The cost of addiction knows no end and it will not stop until we open our eyes to natural alternatives not controlled by pharmaceutical companies or government entities. We need something different and we have found it. Kratom may not be as powerful as opiates, but it’s just powerful enough to cultivate the strength to escape addiction; or go on through life without physical pain.

Next time you or someone you know is suffering from pain (be it physical or the crippling mental anguish of addiction) - please - for your own health and the well-being of society at large consider kratom over opiates. It can save lives, and I know, because I’ve witnessed it happen.