The Clinical Reality of Kratom: Use, Dependence, and Withdrawal Across Adolescents and Adults
EDITOR'S NOTE: May 11, 2015 | This blog was originally written to talk about Kratom that was taking South Florida by storm. Over 10 years later, it was time for an update to reflect new clinical research for adolescents and young adults. There is good news for adolescents in this blog; for young adults 18+, it is a little harder. If you are here looking for treatment options for your young adult child or to learn more, be sure to check out the dual-diagnosis filter in the Residential Treatment Center filter.
Is Kratom Addictive? The Clinical Reality of Kratom Withdrawal in Teens and Young Adults
What began over a decade ago as a localized trend in South Florida gas stations and exotic kava bars has rapidly transformed into a complex, national public health issue. Marketed globally as a "legal high" or an all-natural herbal supplement, Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is widely used under the assumption that it is a safe alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals.
However, recent clinical data and neurodevelopmental research reveal that its active alkaloids present a serious risk of dependence and severe withdrawal syndrome across multiple age demographics.
Kratom Use in Adolescents (Ages 12–17)
The rise of kratom experimentation among youth has introduced unique challenges to pediatric medicine. Because the substance easily evades standard regulatory classifications in many regions, teenagers routinely access it online or through local vendors without understanding its underlying pharmacological potency.
Is Kratom Common Among Teens? Prevalence and Research Gaps
Extensive clinical data regarding adolescent kratom dependence remains limited, primarily relying on large-scale public health surveys and isolated emergency department case reports. According to national findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), tens of thousands of minors aged 12 to 17 actively consume kratom.
Researchers have noted that the adolescent and young adult populations frequently engage in polydrug use, routinely combining kratom with nicotine, cannabis, alcohol, or over-the-counter medications. Nationally representative survey data indicates that past-year cannabis and cigarette use are among the strongest statistical correlates for adolescent kratom experimentation (Sharma et al., 2022). This widespread trend of polysubstance use heavily confounds clinical metrics for medical providers, creating significant drug-herb interactions and effectively masking the pure presentation of isolated kratom-induced toxicity in emergency and clinical settings (Smith & Rogers, 2022).
What Are the Symptoms of Adolescent Kratom Withdrawal?
When a regular adolescent user abruptly discontinues high-dose kratom consumption, they experience a profound withdrawal syndrome that clinically mirrors classic opioid withdrawal. Documented adolescent cases demonstrate severe symptoms including:
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Physical Symptoms: Severe body aches, muscle cramping, autonomic instability (excessive sweating and hot flashes), tremors, gastrointestinal distress, and intractable insomnia.
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Psychological Symptoms: Marked aggression, extreme irritability, rebound anxiety, and overwhelming cravings that often impede school attendance and regular behavioral function before interventions occur.
How Does Kratom Affect the Developing Brain?
The primary concern regarding youth exposure centers on neurodevelopment. The adolescent brain undergoes critical maturation processes within the prefrontal cortex, which governs impulse control, risk assessment, and executive decision-making.
Pre-clinical models evaluating adolescent mitragynine exposure have identified persistent disruptions in brain metabolite profiles, culminating in cognitive and behavioral deficits that can endure well into adulthood (Zul Aznal et al., 2022). Repeated cycles of dependence and withdrawal during this vulnerable milestone dramatically increase the probability of developing lifelong substance use disorders.
What is the Clinical Treatment for Teen Kratom Addiction?
Because there are currently no universally standardized, FDA-approved pediatric guidelines for managing isolated kratom withdrawal, clinical physicians typically adapt strategies utilized for traditional opioid use disorders. Successful intervention strategies often combine medical stabilization—using alpha-adrenergic antagonists or highly controlled buprenorphine micro-tapers under strict medical supervision—with immediate, structured family-based behavioral therapy to mitigate the elevated risk of acute relapse.
Kratom Dependency and Abuse in Adults (Ages 18 and Over)
While adolescent use is an acute concern for pediatricians, public health data highlights that the primary consumer base sits squarely above the legal threshold, specifically concentrated among young adults aged 18 to 25 and adults up to age 34.
Why Do Adults Use Kratom? Primary Motivations
Unlike younger demographics who may experiment out of peer influence or curiosity, adult populations typically utilize kratom with highly deliberate intentions. According to data tracked by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the vast majority of adult consumers utilize it to self-treat for:
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Chronic physiological pain management (48–66%)
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Clinical anxiety or major depressive symptoms (12–22%)
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As a self-directed harm reduction strategy to mitigate prescription opioid withdrawal and support illicit opioid cessation (8–20%).
Can You Get Addicted to Kratom? The Statistics of Kratom Use Disorder (KUD)
Despite being readily available in retail spaces across much of the United States, regular consumption introduces a proven risk of physiological dependency. Cross-sectional epidemiological studies led by institutions such as Johns Hopkins University indicate that approximately 25.5% of habitual adult consumers meet the rigorous DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for a Substance Use Disorder directly linked to kratom (Kratom Use Disorder).
Within this dependent clinical subgroup, an alarming 81.3% report severe tolerance progression requiring escalating doses, while 68% suffer from acute, debilitating withdrawal symptoms during attempted cessation cycles.
Who is Most at Risk for Kratom Addiction?
Adult research identifies specific risk profiles associated with the development of Kratom Use Disorder. Individuals who are male, those consuming multiple doses daily, and those possessing a comorbid psychiatric history or a history of pre-existing substance use disorders exhibit a nearly threefold increase in vulnerability to severe dependence.
Similar to the adolescent demographic, adult clinical management remains complicated due to the absence of direct, kratom-specific medical protocols, frequently necessitating intensive long-term addiction medicine intervention modeled after classic opioid agonist treatment.
If you are worried about the physical or mental health of your child or adult child, call 911. If you are just here to learn and explore, take a moment to review teen residential treatment options that offer specialized dual-diagnosis care, or explore dedicated young adult residential treatment programs tailored to their specific recovery needs.
References
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National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Research Reports and Trends on Kratom Consumption and Substance Use Disorder Criteria (Adult Cohort Data).
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Sharma, V., Cottler, L. B., Bares, C. B., Lopez-Quintero, C., & Striley, C. W. (2022). Kratom use among U.S. adolescents: Analyses of the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(4), 677–681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.10.009
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Smith, L., & Rogers, J. (2022). Health effects associated with kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) and polysubstance use: A narrative review. Journal of Clinical Toxicology, 11(2), 145–152.
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Systematic Review Data (2025). Kratom use in adolescents and college students: A systematic review of prevalence, patterns, and risk factors across community and rehabilitation settings. Substance Use & Misuse, 60(1), 34–45.
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Zul Aznal, A. N., Mohamad Nor Hazalin, N. A., Hassan, Z., et al. (2022). Adolescent kratom exposure affects cognitive behaviours and brain metabolite profiles in Sprague-Dawley rats. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.1057423