Potentially Lethal Drug Combinations Used By Many Teens | WBNS-...

Of the tree mentioned drugs, why is the Kratom reference so vague? It would have been nice to have more complete information on that one as well. I's easy to make a statement and not back it up. Is this a case of guilt by association or something real?

SWIM_K wrote:

What about teens and alcohol? Alcohol kills hundreds of teens on a yearly basis and ruins countless families. Why aren't we trying to outlaw alcohol. I am a holistic health professional. Mitragyna speciosa Kratom, and Kratom leaf preparations are traditionally used as medicine, with a wide array of applications, notably as an very mild analgesic pain killer, immune system booster, treatment for diarrhea, It's not dangerous or addictive.

Actually Kratom can become addictive if misused. Withdrawal can be much like an opiate or valium withdrawal. Plus daily overuse requires an increasing amount of this fairly expensive herb to get the same effect as the body quickly becomes accustomed to it and requires more. It can drive you broke if not used sparingly.

Stop with your fearful uninformed reporting. Kratom is not a drug, as much as it is a an herbal supplement with many uses. And Drank? Are you kidding me? It's f'n melatonin and valerian root! OH NO SAVE POOR BOBBY! He might feel a little relaxed and get a good nights sleep! We must stop this!

Get a clue please.

Curious George wrote:

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Actually Kratom can become addictive if misused. Withdrawal can be much like an opiate or valium withdrawal. Plus daily overuse requires an increasing amount of this fairly expensive herb to get the same effect as the body quickly becomes accustomed to it and requires more. It can drive you broke if not used sparingly.

Really????? And your facts to support these statements are..........

I have used kratom for 3 years for my back pain and nothing you said is true. Please stop with the false propaganda.

Wow this article is some of the most ignorant crap I have read lately. Leave it to reporters to report on something they obviously know nothing about. Kratom is not even in remotely the same league as these other substances or concoctions. First of all, Kratom actually has a lot of medically demonstrated benefits. For those of us out there that use kratom responsibly as an alternative to more addictive and possibly harmful anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications, I'm taking a stand against grouping it with these other substances. Do your research. And yes, as another person mentioned, the article is also poorly written.

Oh yes and thanks to my fellow Kratom users who are gonna take a stand against the other uninformed posters who are further propagating the myths about kratom. And geez I'm not from friggin Amarillo, TX why the heck does it say that?

J Mo wrote:

Oh yes and thanks to my fellow Kratom users who are gonna take a stand against the other uninformed posters who are further propagating the myths about kratom. And geez I'm not from friggin Amarillo, TX why the heck does it say that?

I am not from Fremont, NC either. This site is so wrong and getting its facts that they can't even get your location right.

The Truth wrote:

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Really????? And your facts to support these statements are..........
I have used kratom for 3 years for my back pain and nothing you said is true. Please stop with the false propaganda.

Not propaganda. It doesn't take much looking on the web to find personal stories of just these types of problems. You wont' find it through sellers because it boarders too much on medical statements. But personal experience stories are another matter and often fill in the gaps the legal system too often forces to be suppressed. I'm glad your experiences are positive. If it is a life enhancement for you than so much the better. But dependency doesn't develop unless the use is extensive and withdrawal generally doesn't come unless you try to stop. Without knowing your usage rate or if you've ever gone without, it's impossible to know if you're one of the fortunate few who can't be hooked or if you're just using it responsibly enough to avoid potential negative consequences. There is a reason some nations where the plant grows have restricted it. It can cause problems, personal and social when overused.

This article is poorly researched and poorly written. DXM is sold in nearly every store in the US and is pushed on children by parents who do as little research about health care as this reporter has done about their subject matter. When I researched "kratom" I find that it is an extremely rare member of the coffee family that is used to TREAT and CURE addiction and it does not cause overdose or death because it will not cause resperatory depression like the dangerous narcotics do and it has it's own NMDA antagonist ( addiction blocker). In extreme amounts it can cause dizziness but unlike the thousands of other things like glue, paint, air fresher, gas, ect "kratom" seems to not only be NOT harmful to the health but in fact can lower blood pressure, contains 20 times the antioxidants of green tea, has anti-viral phytonutrients and has been used in traditional Asian medicine to treat dozens of complaints like IBS, anxiety and some auto immune disorders. This reporter clearly has mistaken "kratom" for something else and it is a pity that such a potentially important article has been so poorly researched. Do your own research people.

I am no where near Portland Oregon so I hope that people see that this site needs serious help with the facts.
Sorry to have to point out these shortcomings, I realize most people only read the headlines but this is no reason to not research your article.
Sensationalism is one thing but slandering an obscure part of traditional Indonesian medicine without a word to back up the claim is irresponsible.

This article is utter rubbish. It is not accurate, nor is there a problem. This was perhaps one messed up young man. Kratom is a pain reliever that is much more effective than most addictive pain pills, and one can manage it easily.
There are also other health benefits from kratom. And one thing just unreal as well- kratom is something that specific persons get, it is not commonly available in stores and 'headshops'. Fibro myalgia is benefited wonderfully with it as well. But mixing kratom and couph syrup in an article is plain unreal in context to the real world.

This is the most ludicrous thing I've ever read - more stellar reporting from the most alarmist news crew in America. First of all, intentional overdoses of DXM have been the rage since I was in High School, a good 14 years ago, and oh yes, you can no longer obtain DXM in stores without displaying a valid I.D., so it's hardly easy for teens to get their hands on. Actually, you will now be carded if you attempt to buy lighter butane or a number of other aerosol products due to rampant teen abuse. Kratom is a non-issue - it can only be obtained by mail, so unless a parent has given their teen a credit card and then turned their back, paying no attention to what said teen does or receives in the mail, it will be awfully difficult for them to get their hands on kratom in the first place. And even if they do, under no circumstances is it "potentially lethal" - in quantities large enough to cause overdose, the body will reject, i.e. projectile vomiting will ensue. Note how they lump this beneficial, non-lethal herb under that inflammatory headline with only a vague statement about it having "similar side-effects" to illegal drugs? No discussion, fictional or otherwise, about specific cases of abuse or tragedies it has caused? This is because there are no such cases or tragedies. And WHY, when the "drank" in question is a home-made mixture involving cough syrup, do they display a photo of that overpriced Valerian soda that could only be lethal if you froze a full can and used it to bludgeon someone to death? It is clear that both the reporter and RETIRED Sergeant Powell's grasp of teen drug use, slang, and what exactly constitutes a "drug" are exceptionally weak. This is just another effort by a sub-par news agency to terrify you, because otherwise you might start thinking long enough to realize they haven't reported any actual news in your lifetime. But BE AFRAID - the Communists are sending "Syzzurp" to take over your childrens' minds!!!

Media Watchdog wrote:

I am no where near Portland Oregon so I hope that people see that this site needs serious help with the facts.
Sorry to have to point out these shortcomings, I realize most people only read the headlines but this is no reason to not research your article.
Sensationalism is one thing but slandering an obscure part of traditional Indonesian medicine without a word to back up the claim is irresponsible.

Nor am I from "Mountain View, AR" - I'm from Columbus, OH, which is how I know 10TV is the most untrustworthy news program on earth. And you're right, this site seems to be a veritable fountain of misinformation - I'm "outta here."

I'm glad people have commented on kratom. Wonderful plant! I have had Lyme disease for about 3 years but just recently diagnosed. About 2.5 years ago, I began to use kratom, and it has been a godsend for alleviating symptoms of Lyme disease. In retrospect, I think I would have been in a truly debilitating state if not for kratom. I have never heard of one dying from withdrawal or daily use of kratom. It gives me insomnia (or maybe it's one of the Lyme disease symptoms) when I stop using it. Indeed, though mildly stimulating and motivational during the day, it definitely helps me sleep at night. Wonderful herb, and because of that wonderfulness and usefulness (and media disinformation), I'm afraid it will go the way of canabis, and become prohibited. Thanks, Swim_K, for your input, and Dustin--please get your facts straight. It is so obvious from any Internet link that kratom is the leaf of a plant from the tree Mitragyna Speciosa.(It's amazing how ignorance proliferates.)

What a preposterous article. Why is Kratom up there? Thats like comparing chamomile tea with crack/cocaine. Utter nonsense. Ive used Kratom daily for a few years, ive taken approximately the same amount every day and never felt the need to up the dose. It was recommended to me by a naturalist physician after I gave up on xanax in my late teens, id have failed as a person without kratom. If someone took enough to be markedly inebriated theyd end up so sick theyd never take it again. An how are kids ordering it? Its really only found online. For shame channel 10. No wonder you live in fly-over america.

George, I've used Kratom on and off for about 2 years and I can attest that it is not addictive. I can take it every day for months and then suddenly stop without any problems. If there is any habit or withdraw from it then I would compare it to Coffee.
Referencing countries that outlaw anything as evidence it can "cause problems" is the biggest fallacy there is. Countries have countless pointless, absurd, immoral and downright unjust laws everywhere. This is typical.

Caffeine, in its pure form, is illegal to sell in many countries without permission.

Dustin wrote:

George, I've used Kratom on and off for about 2 years and I can attest that it is not addictive. I can take it every day for months and then suddenly stop without any problems. If there is any habit or withdraw from it then I would compare it to Coffee.
Referencing countries that outlaw anything as evidence it can "cause problems" is the biggest fallacy there is. Countries have countless pointless, absurd, immoral and downright unjust laws everywhere. This is typical.
Caffeine, in its pure form, is illegal to sell in many countries without permission.

I can't say you are wrong on any count and am happy it is working out so well for you. But with the human condition being as complex as it is, that doesn't not seem to be true for all. Which is why I opted to get an overview from a variety of personal stories before deciding on using Kratom. I wanted to know where safe zone was from the start. It would be nice if people investigated everything including pharmaceuticals on this larger scope. Including whoever decided to erroneously include Kratom in an article under so inflammatory a headline. It has so many active alkaloids that it's not surprising it has the potential for such a variety of both effects and benefits. It's also not surprising that some of those alkaloids find a problematic home in some people. Even then, except for extreme cases it seems to be a lower scale problem than many other commonly accepted alkaloids including cigarets, alcohol and caffeine. Those also show withdrawal which is why they remain in such high use. They become hard to get away from if the need arises or supply becomes limited or overly expensive. My objective was to share that while there are benefits, there is also some potential level of risk, however low. I think both sides of the story are needed for a person to make a rational decision on both use and levels of use. If the benefits outweigh the risks than it is a life enhancer. But if only for recreation use than caution should be a consideration as recreational rather than medicinal users are more likely to overdo amounts and frequency. Which seems to be where most problem begin to surface. And while politics can interfere with rational decision making, a fair amount of legal decisions are still made based off social impact. Governments are neither all good or all bad as unpopular as that stance is these days. They are often a mixture of both. Bans are at least a reason for raising a red flag for further investigation. The old Soviet Union did much the same with alcohol use as it was having too big an impact on their economy with missed work or people often too incapacitated to be reliable effective. I suspect there have been some equal if possibly different social implications it the countries that have banned or regulated Kratom use. I'm still trying to pin down specifics on that.

the part about kratom is misleading.. kratom is an herb that helps people with opiate addiction and can be as mild as a cuppa coffee. it does give one energy in small amounts.. i like it to yohimbe and coffee... another scare tactic.

George, Many people have health problems even with COFFEE or Caffeine. The fact that some people can have issues with these things doesn't mean much for its overall and general use. There is risk with everything. Everything. All food and plants and everything else. But in the case of Kratom the risks are about the same as of Coffee for instance.

Dustin wrote:

George, Many people have health problems even with COFFEE or Caffeine. The fact that some people can have issues with these things doesn't mean much for its overall and general use. There is risk with everything. Everything. All food and plants and everything else. But in the case of Kratom the risks are about the same as of Coffee for instance.

Much as I'd like to say I agree, there are too many readily available on-line personal usage stories of problems to say it is as safe as you claim. At a minimum they should at least be acknowledged as being part of the story if someone is considering using Kratom. Especially if they know they have a tendance to overuse. That seems to be where the problems really begin rather than with low rate usage which seems to be overall beneficial. There is no way of telling by stories what the problem rate is. But it is obvious it is not nonexistent.