LOS ANGELES – There’s a new warning about a synthetic compound linked to several fatal overdoses in Los Angeles County.
Kratom is being sold in everyday places like gas stations and smoke shops. Now a woman is sharing her powerful story of overcoming addiction to kratom products because she doesn’t want others to go through the side effects that she went through.
What they’re saying:
“I was taking one before a spin class and it felt amazing,” said Beverly Hills resident, Julyet Berlen.
She says she initially started taking a liquid kratom product for health reasons, not knowing what kratom was or how addicting the product could be.
“I didn’t think anything of it because there was no clear identification of what the ingredients were,” she said. “I got so addicted.”
She and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are sounding the alarm on kratom products, which are unregulated.
The department says they’re marketed as remedies for things like pain, anxiety and depression and sometimes promoted as dietary supplements.
The products themselves are sold in common places like gas stations and even online.
Health officials say high doses, and especially if used with alcohol or other sedatives, can cause serious side effects like addictions, withdrawals, severe respiratory issues and depression.
“I don’t have money for rehab. I can’t take 10 days off, how am I going to take time off to quit something I didn’t even know I was being slowly addicted to,” said Berlen.
Luckily, she says she was able to quit with the help of supplements.
“This was the only way I was able to quit without going to rehab,” added Berlen.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health says three recent overdose deaths linked to synthetic kratom compounds involved alcohol — noting the victims were otherwise healthy.
Health officials also suggest having naloxone to reverse overdoses.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and an interview with Julyet Berlen.