Rehab for Kratom Addiction

How we treat kratom addiction

At HARP Private Rehab, we’re here to help you break free from your kratom addiction. Our personalised treatment programmes both support you through a safe detox from kratom and address each underlying cause of the addiction. Because people become dependent on both the stimulant and opioid effects of the drug, a holistic and comprehensive approach like ours is essential to make a full recovery.

What is kratom addiction?

Kratom is a psychotropic (mind-alerting) substance derived from the leaves of a Southeast Asian plant known as mitragyna speciosa. Although kratom has been used as a legal opioid withdrawal aid since 1836, its use has skyrocketed in recent years. Kratom has also been used as a natural home remedy for hundreds of years to treat depression and relieve pain. While kratom can help some people, it leads to far more problems than it solves for others. Worryingly, because kratom is not yet illegal, users are often unaware of the risks that come with abuse. As kratom is unregulated and addictive, more and more people are substituting an opioid dependency with a kratom dependency.

Kratom is addictive because it contains mitragynine, which is roughly 13 times more potent than morphine. In low doses, it will interact with receptors in our brain to produce a stimulant effect. However, in high doses, the mitragynine and another kratom compound known as 7-α-hydroxymitragynine interact with opioid receptors in our brain. As a result, these compounds produce almost identical effects to opioids, such as increased pleasure and decreased pain. However, this also means that kratom is as addictive as both opioids and stimulants. Some experts even argue that this combination of addictive properties makes kratom even more addictive than cocaine or heroin.

There are a lot of unknown substances in kratom. For example, while experts are unsure what it is, one such substance seems to act similarly to benzodiazepine (an anti-anxiety medication). Secondly, kratom produces both stimulant and opioid effects. This means that a person can essentially be ‘doubly-addicted’ to both the upper and downer impact on the brain. This makes treating it very complex but not impossible.

Kratom abuse has many side effects, including depression, anxiety, hostility, irritability, insomnia, muscle aches, coma, heart attacks, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, psychosis, hallucinations and opioid withdrawal symptoms. The risk of overdose is particularly elevated when combined with other substances.

A kratom addiction can be overpowering, especially if you begin abusing this substance in the hopes it would help you stop taking other opioids. It can be disheartening to realise you are still stuck in an addictive cycle, and it can be very difficult to overcome that cycle alone. Often, the only way to overcome your kratom addiction is to undergo a medical detox to manage the physical withdrawal symptoms and to work with mental health experts to manage the psychological withdrawal.

Through our combination of medical, psychological and personal care, we are proud to be the only clinic in the world that addresses co-occurring conditions and every possible root-cause of kratom addiction. In so doing, we can help you recover in a matter of weeks, rather than years or months.

What are the signs?

Symptoms of a kratom dependency include:

• Continuing to use kratom despite a wish to stop.
• Needing to increase the dosage to achieve the desired effects.
• Partaking in dangerous and risky behaviour to obtain the drug.
• You started taking kratom to help opioid withdrawal, but now you are taking both kratom and opioids, or your kratom abuse is now mirroring how you used to abuse opioids.
• The development of withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, agitation, insomnia, sweating, chills, nausea, vomiting, muscle pains and tremors when not taking the drug.
• Isolating yourself from friends or loved ones.

Additional symptoms include:

What are the physical symptoms of kratom addiction?

• Flu-like symptoms when sober.
• Feeling sluggish and lethargic, especially after heavy use or during withdrawal.
• Reduced appetite leading to weight loss or, in some cases, binge eating during withdrawal.
• Muscle aches or pain, especially when attempting to reduce or stop kratom use.
• Increased sweating, particularly during withdrawal.
• A frequently dry mouth.
• Constipation.
• Dilated pupils.

What are the psychological symptoms of kratom addiction?

• An intense urge or compulsion to use kratom, even when it causes harm.
• Feeling unable to function or cope with stress without kratom.
• Mood swings: fluctuations between irritability, anxiety, and euphoria.
• Anxiety or depression, particularly during withdrawal periods.
• Cognitive impairment such as difficulty concentrating, memory problems, or confusion.
• Paranoia, agitation, restlessness or irrational fears, especially at high doses.

What are the behavioural symptoms of kratom addiction?

• Using kratom despite the negative consequences to your finances, career, and relationships.
• Seeking multiple sources for kratom to maintain supply.
• Risky behaviours: mixing kratom with alcohol or other drugs, increasing the risk of overdose.
• Constantly thinking about kratom.
• Neglecting work, school, or family responsibilities due to drug use.
• A loss of interest in relationships, activities and hobbies that once brought you joy.

If these signs sound familiar, we can help guide you toward recovery.ry.