“The mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine very clearly have partial opioid agonist activity with kappa antagonist activity, which is very similar to buprenorphine,” said Dr. Galbis-Reig, who is also with American Society of Addiction Medicine.
A major concern that Dr. Galbis-Reig’s case brings up is the use of liquid kratom extract.
“My biggest concern is we just don’t know what the stimulant properties of the drug are,” Dr. Galbis-Reig said. “If it turns out the properties are more in line with an amphetamine, I’m not sure that’s a great drug to use in a clinical setting for many conditions.”