Podcast 609: Kratom

<p><strong>Contributor: Nick Hatch, MD</strong></p> <p><strong>Educational Pearls:</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Kratom is derived from the evergreen tree sharing the same name, found in Southeast Asia</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Kratom is legal is most regions</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Adverse effects of this substance are increasing in prevalence as its use becomes more widespread</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">At lower doses kratom has a stimulatory effect</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Higher doses of kratom can cause opioid-like and psychotropic effects</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Documented instances of more severe acute liver toxicity do exists</span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">LiverTox:</span> <a href= "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548231/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury</span></a> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">[Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2012–. Kratom. 2020 Apr 3. PMID: 31643556.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href= "https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/fda-and-kratom"> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/fda-and-kratom</span></a></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Summarized by Jackson Roos, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD</span></em></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we are now offering</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">AMA PRA Category 1