Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Correspondence
  • Published:

Brief correspondence: kratom

Journal of Perinatology volume 41, page 1511 (2021)Cite this article

Subjects

We wish to call attention to the legal, unregulated, opiate-like herbal supplement kratom. Kratom, native to Southeast Asia, contains the indole alkaloids mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, agonists at µ-opioid receptors that can induce similar euphoria and analgesia to opioids. Although long used in Asia as a stimulant and treatment for opium withdrawal, it is gaining popularity among U.S. opioid users for alleviation of opioid withdrawal. Kratom can be purchased as tea, capsules, or powder via the internet or in retail stores. Users of kratom can experience dependence, toxicity, and withdrawal [1, 2].

Reports of kratom use in pregnancy and associated neonatal withdrawal are increasing [3]. Ease of access and a perception of safety may make kratom an attractive self-treatment for pregnant women with opioid use disorder. This population faces unique barriers to treatment including lack of access to treatment programs and obstetricians comfortable managing chronic opioid use [4].

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Eastlake SC, Cornett EM, Kaye AD. Kratom-pharmacology, clinical implications and outlook: a comprehensive review. Pain Ther. 2020;9:55–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Garcia-Romeu A, Cox DJ, Smith KE, Dunn KE, Griffiths RR. Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa): user demographics, use patterns, and implications for the opioid epidemic. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2020;208:107849. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.107849.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Eldridge W, Foster C, Wyble L. Neonatal abstinence syndrome due to maternal kratom use. Pediatrics. 2018;142:E20181839.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Patrick SW, Buntin MB, Martin PR, Scott TA, Dupont W, Richards M, et al. Barriers to accessing treatment for pregnant women with opioid use disorder in Appalachian states. Subst Abus. 2019;40:356–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The MEDNAX Center for Research, Education, Quality and Safety, Sunrise, FL, USA

    Whitney B. Eldridge, Cherie D. Foster, Amy S. Kelleher & Reese H. Clark

Authors
  1. Whitney B. Eldridge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cherie D. Foster
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Amy S. Kelleher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Reese H. Clark
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Whitney B. Eldridge.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Eldridge, W.B., Foster, C.D., Kelleher, A.S. et al. Brief correspondence: kratom. J Perinatol 41, 1511 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01028-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01028-3

Search

Advanced search

Quick links