Prevalence and Use Patterns of Kratom ( <i>Mitragyna speciosa</i> Korth.) in a US Nationally Representative Sample

Abstract

With increasing diversity of kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth.) products containing higher amounts of alkaloids including mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, safety becomes a public concern. The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of kratom use and to examine potential benefits and adverse effects based on kratom product formulations. A cross-sectional survey utilized a non-probabilistic nationally representative sampling with a total of 11,545 respondents of which 1,049 reported current kratom use, indicating a 9.1% prevalence. The most common kratom products used in the past 30 days were pills, gummies and powder formulations. Pain relief (n = 603, 57.5%) was the most common condition for using kratom, followed by relaxation/stress relief (n = 562, 53.6%) and boost energy (n = 520, 49.6%). The reported benefits were increased energy from tea bags and improved sleep with leaf or extract powders. A significant positive correlation was found between the increased frequency of consuming kratom shots/extract powder and pain relief (p = .009 and 0.015, respectively. A higher incidence of adverse effects was reported as the amount of kratom per dose increased with gummies/capsules/tablets/pills. The lack of standardization and consistency in kratom products results in unpredictable effects, emphasizing the need for increased research to establish reliable safety guidelines for dosage recommendations.

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