Kratom Studies & Surveys

Kratom Surveys

ACTIVE KRATOM SURVEY! - conducted by Qualtrics
As of July 22, 2017, this survey is active.
https://jhmi.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8lgvLjezxXDE7MF



Pain News Network Kratom Survey
Images below are from a survey conducted by the Pain News Network. Click images below to view larger image. To view the survey, click here.
Note: This survey involved 6,150 participants and a variety of important topics were covered. According to PR Newswire, this survey was conducted between August 30, 2016 and September 17, 2016.

University of Florida Survey - College of Pharmacy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry

This survey was conducted in October of 2016 and the abstarct produced some very interesting results. Remember when the DEA was claiming that many people were taking Kratom recreationally and they believed that a large amount of users were young adults? Here, I'll quote a portion of their submission to the Federal Register back in August 2016:

"Information from the published literature, poison control centers data, and medical examiner data, suggests that Kratom, which contains the main active alkaloids mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, is abused by a diverse population to include recreational opioid users, young adults, and adults."

The survey conducted by the University of Florida suggests otherwise. 8049 people were surveyed and the results include Kratom primarily being used by middle-aged (31-50 years), middle-income ($35,000+) individuals. Results include that 68% of people use Kratom to alleviate pain. Also, 66% use Kratom to combat emotional and mental conditions. Obviously there is a percentage of Kratom users surveyed who consume Kratom for both reasons. The URL for an abstract of that survey is below. 

I was unable to find the complete results of the survey, but I did find a web page which provides access to the complete survey in PDF format...for a $35.95 fee. If you feel so inclined, click here to view the purchase page. If you happen to locate or purchase the full survey, I would love to read it. I'm sure I cannot publish the full text in my blog, but nevertheless I am very interested to see the details. Please contact me or leave a comment below if you retrieve the full survey text. Thanks! 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28521200

Personal Experiences Forum

Here is a link to a forum where people discuss their personal long-term experiences with Kratom. 

As of 7/22/2016, the posts in this forum range from January 2010 to May 2016.

https://drugs-forum.com/threads/long-term-kratom-use-survey.116680/

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Kratom Studies

Pharmacology of Kratom: An Emerging Botanical Agent With Stimulant, Analgesic and Opioid-Like Effects
http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2094342
Abstract from the article: "Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a plant indigenous to Thailand and Southeast Asia. Kratom leaves produce complex stimulant and opioid-like analgesic effects. In Asia, kratom has been used to stave off fatigue and to manage pain, diarrhea, cough, and opioid withdrawal. Recently, kratom has become widely available in the United States and Europe by means of smoke shops and the Internet. Analyses of the medical literature and select Internet sites indicate that individuals in the United States are increasingly using kratom for the self-management of pain and opioid withdrawal. Kratom contains pharmacologically active constituents, most notably mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. Kratom is illegal in many countries. Although it is still legal in the United States, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has placed kratom on its “Drugs and Chemicals of Concern” list. Physicians should be aware of the availability, user habits, and health effects of kratom. Further research on the therapeutic uses, toxic effects, and abuse potential of kratom and its constituent compounds are needed."



Self-Treatment of Opioid Withdrawal Using Kratom (Mitragynia Speciosa Korth)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3670991/
Background and Case Description: "Kratom (Mitragynia speciosa korth) is recognized increasingly as a remedy for opioid withdrawal by individuals who self-treat chronic pain.
A patient who had abruptly ceased injection hydromorphone abuse self-managed opioid withdrawal and chronic pain using kratom. After co-administering the herb with modafinil he experienced a tonic-clonic seizure, but he reported only modest abstinence once kratom administration stopped. We confirmed the identity of the plant matter he ingested as kratom and identified no contaminants or adulterants. We also conducted high-throughput molecular screening and the binding affinity at mu, delta and kappa receptors of mitragynine."

Total Synthesis of (-)-Mitragynine and Analogues
http://speciosa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Total-Synthesis-of-Mitragynine-Analogues-2012.pdf
Abstract from the Text: "Mitragynine, paynantheine and speciogynine belong to the group of corynanthe alkaloids, a large class of biologically active indole alkaloids. Present in the leaves of the Asian plant Mitragyna speciosa (Rubiaceae) they have been used by Thai and Malaysian natives as a substitute for opium as well as for their stimulating activity. Besides the use as a drug, the plant has found application in medicine in the treatment of coughing, diarrhea, muscle pain and hypertension. Interestingly, mitragynine has a stronger analgesic effect than morphine, so that it has been suggested as a useful compound in the treatment of opiate addiction in replacement therapy. About the biological activity of paynantheine and speciogynine there are very little studies reported.
Three syntheses of mitragynine have been developed, two starting from enantiopure starting materials and a formal synthesis using organocatalysis. Syntheses of paynantheine and speciogynine have not been reported so far. Our approach to the three alkaloids proceeds via an asymmetric Pictet-Spengler reaction catalyzed by organic bifunctional cinchona alkaloids. This strategy allows fast and highly selective formation of the tetrahydro-β-carboline skeleton. The second key-step in the synthesis is a Tsuji-Trost allylic alkylation precedented in earlier work of our group. Based on achiral starting materials, a fast and enantioselective excess to mitragynine, paynantheine and speciogynine was established. Additionally, our method allows to design new unnatural derivatives which exhibit improved biological properties."



Antidepressant-Like Effect of Mitragynine Isolated from Mitragyna Speciosa Korth in Mice Model of Depression.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20869223
Study Note: the full text of this study costs $55.20. If you're still interested, click here.
Study Abstract: "Mitragyna speciosa Korth. leaves have been used for decades as a traditional medicine to treat diarrhea, diabetes and to improve blood circulation by natives of Malaysia, Thailand and other regions of Southeast Asia. Mitragynine is the major active alkaloid in the plant. To date, the role of mitragynine in psychological disorders such as depression is not scientifically evaluated. Hence, the present investigation evaluates the antidepressant effect of mitragynine in the mouse forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST), two models predictive of antidepressant activity and the effect of mitragynine towards neuroendocrine system of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by measuring the corticosterone concentration of mice exposed to FST and TST. An open-field test (OFT) was used to detect any association of immobility in the FST and TST with changes in motor activity of mice treated with mitragynine. In the present study, mitragynine at dose of 10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg i.p. injected significantly reduced the immobility time of mice in both FST and TST without any significant effect on locomotor activity in OFT. Moreover, mitragynine significantly reduced the released of corticosterone in mice exposed to FST and TST at dose of 10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg. Overall, the present study clearly demonstrated that mitragynine exerts an antidepressant effect in animal behavioral model of depression (FST and TST) and the effect appears to be mediated by an interaction with neuroendocrine HPA axis systems."



Ethnopharmacology of Kratom and the Mitragyna Alkaloids
http://entheology.com/wp-content/uploads/kratom-research/1988_std005.pdf
Note: There is no abstract available to quote, but the full text is free and available at the URL above.



The Neuromuscular Blockade Produced by Pure Alkaloid, Mitragynine and
Methanol Extract of Kratom Leaves (Mitragyna Speciosa Korth)
http://entheology.com/wp-content/uploads/kratom-research/2010_std008.pdf
Text Abstract: "Aim of the study: The effects of pure alkaloid, mitragynine and a methanolic extract of kratom leaves were investigated on neuromuscular junction and compound nerve action potential.
Materials and methods: Wistar rats were killed by cervical dislocation and decapitated. The phrenic nerve–hemidiaphragms, hemidiaphragms and sciatic nerve were isolated.
Results: Kratom methanolic extract present at 0.1–1 mg/mL and mitragynine (0.0156 mg/mL) decreased the muscle twitch on the isolated phrenic nerve–hemidiaphragm and hemidiaphragm preparation. Muscle relaxation caused by kratom extract (1 mg/mL) was greater than the effect of mitragynine. Pancuronium and succinylcholine potentiated the effect of kratom extract. It also had a direct relaxation effect on the hemidiaphragm muscle. The muscle relaxation caused by kratom extract was not antagonized
by neostigmine, tetraethylammonium and calcium chloride. High concentrations of kratom extract (10–40 mg/mL) and mitragynine (2 mg/mL) blocked the nerve conduction, amplitude and duration of compound nerve action potential.
Conclusions: The mechanism of action of kratom extract might not act as a competitive antagonist of acetylcholine yet its dominant effect was at the neuromuscular junction and not at the skeletal muscle or somatic nerve."