Public health officials in Los Angeles County Friday issued a warning about the risks of using the synthetic kratom compound known as 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) after three people died from an overdose.
Kratom products available on the market are being used as stimulants despite being unregulated. Even natural kratom from a tree native to Southeast Asia is not FDA-approved.
Many of the synthetic kratom products, including tablets, gummies and liquid extracts, are being sold at gas stations, smoke shops and other retail businesses without government scrutiny across LA County, according to the Department of Public Health.
Products that are often labeled to contain plant alkaloids or alkaloid are promoted to help with pain, depression and anxiety while giving an energy boost.
“At low doses, 7-OH can have stimulant-like effects and at higher doses it has opioid-like effects,” the department warned in a statement. “High doses of 7-OH and/or co-used with alcohol or other sedatives can cause severe respiratory depression and death.”
The three people who fatally overdosed were between 18 and 40 years old without any significant health issues. They all consumed alcohol while using kratom, officials said.
While the safest approach is avoiding any kratom products, if one chooses to take them, public health officials urge people not to use the products alone so someone can intervene with naloxone in case of an overdose.
Experts also said mixing kratom or 7-OH supplements with other drugs could be unpredictable and deadly.