Kratom Toxicity: Pharmacologic Mechanisms, Clinical Risks, and Management Considerations
Asis A Babun, Brehyn R Evans, Ines N Volic, Sierra Wood, Kelson Knighton, Felipe Lopez, Patrick Tufts · 2026
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Description
Asis A Babun and co-authors review in 2026 how kratom harms the body, a Southeast Asian plant product with opioid-like effects that more people use to self-treat pain or opioid withdrawal. Emergency visits for kratom toxicity are rising, yet its makeup depends heavily on breakdown products in the body, and shop products vary wildly in strength while users often take other drugs too. Their review gathers clinical, lab, and drug reports, with close attention to breathing suppression and response to the reversal drug naloxone.
Published cases show opioid-style poisoning with uneven response to naloxone, likely reflecting differing plant mixes, breakdown products, product strength gaps, and other drugs taken alongside. Delayed or returning slowed breathing after a first response to the drug has been reported, which complicates decisions about observation time and discharge. The authors advise clinicians to expect that pattern and consider longer monitoring for selected patients.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Asis A Babun, Brehyn R Evans, Ines N Volic, Sierra Wood, Kelson Knighton, Felipe Lopez, Patrick Tufts |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 26 KB |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |