Opium withdrawal is increasingly being treated with Kratom. And if the user is expecting or breastfeeding, this is very alarming. Pregnant women can believe that if something is legal, it must be safe, and healthcare professionals might not even be aware of it. Here are the details you should be aware of while consuming Kratom while pregnant or breastfeeding, regardless of whether you’re a parent or a caretaker.
Kratom Use During Pregnancy Is Not As Safe As It May Seem
Kratom is a natural drug indigenous to Southeast Asia made from the leaves of a tree in the same family as coffee plants. Other names for Kratom include Thang, Kakuam, Thom, Ketom, and Biak. Naturally, Kratom is all-natural, and it is legal in the majority of US states. As a result, it is easy to buy in the form of a capsule or a powder that can be used to make tea. But it’s not risk-free.
Products containing herbs are not subject to FDA regulation. Consequently, the package’s precise contents (or the quantity of the ingredients) may differ from what is listed on the label, just like with any other herbal product for sale. That means that you cannot predict the quantity of the active substance and that the contents in some situations may be fatal. Additionally, keep in mind that contamination is a potential risk.
Kratom: Strong Allure
Kratom helps someone trying to withdraw from an opioid product because it acts at opioid receptors. Similar to morphine or any other opioid, Kratom gives its user a sense of euphoria and analgesia. But it’s distinct from morphine. It doesn’t appear to slow breathing down. There is still more reason to use Kratom while lactating or pregnant. So, mothers don’t want doctors to know they’ve been using it. Kratom is undetectable in standard drug testing, unlike natural opioids. However, It can be verified through specialist urine testing, the results of which take a while to get in.
Research Says: Pregnancy and Kratom
According to a particular study, withdrawal symptoms from Kratom may occur in infants. Thus, you should avoid using it. In 5 out of 6 neonates, the study found signs of neonatal abstinence syndrome. The signs and symptoms appeared 6 to 8 hours after delivery and persisted for up to 5 days. A morphine weaning procedure was applied to the five study infants who showed withdrawal signs. After showing signs of oversedation, morphine was given to one of the newborns before being switched to clonidine. Unfortunately, both clonidine and morphine caused sinus bradycardia in this infant.
Another infant exposed to the mother’s daily use of 18–20 grams three times per day showed signs of abstinence two days after delivery. The symptoms, which required IV morphine 10 mg/kg/h, were jitteriness, irritability, eating intolerance, and emesis. It appears that using Kratom while pregnant makes the baby somewhat dependent. How much and how often you use Kratom will determine the severity.
So, if you become pregnant, you should stop using Kratom. According to a study, using Kratom may cause abstinence syndrome. Additionally, it could be necessary to wean your infant off of potent medications like morphine, which could lead to additional issues like oversedation and sinus bradycardia.
