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Perhaps the very most important aspect of taking kratom that one must be aware of is that everyone reacts differently. Depending upon physical condition and chemistry, age, fitness and a host of other reasons – that are no universal facts about what to ‘expect’ from taking up kratom.

1. VivaZen Kratom is a best kratom extract that’s available in three different forms — a liquid shot, capsules, and powder. Most people use the liquid shot. It was launched by a company called United Naturals. On its website, it calls itself the “premium botanical beverage brand” and markets it as a health drink.
2. Kratom is derived from the leaves of trees in Southeast Asia, where it has been used for centuries as a stimulant and pain reliever. In the past five years, kratom has become increasingly popular.

Health problems are unlikely to occur in occasional kratom users. Some users have reported minor nausea, increased urination and constipation as side-effects. Like any drug or medicine, people’s reactions vary and some people could possibly have an allergic or other unusual reaction to kratom, even if they used it responsibly.

Few better topics demonstrate this that side effects, and in this article, we’ll look into headaches related to regular kratom use. It may sound surprising that while headaches are one of the most commonly reported problems with this supplement, plenty of people also find that it can assist with relieving migraines.

How To Use Kratom Powder

As ever, the only way you can be sure as to how various strains and dosage methods work for you is through simple experimentation. So let’s take a look at the thorny issues surrounding the use of kratom and those pesky headaches.

Kratom Headache

There is not really any understanding of quite why so many people report getting headaches when taking kratom. The plant itself is theoretically very benign with little in the way of identifiable psychoactive components.

Yet as those who have found success using various strains – it can, of course, provide tremendous relief from all kinds of pain.

Some experts believe that these headaches materialize simply due to dehydration. It is certainly true that regular dosing can cause this, it is recommended to drink plenty of water when enjoying your kratom.

But even those who do drink plenty of water sometimes encounter a higher incidence of headaches. So simple dehydration cannot possibly be the sole explanation.

Quality certainly does play a role. Poor grade kratom is regularly linked to a higher rate of unpleasant side effects including headaches. But also, you may be taking a strain/variety that is simply not suitable for your body.

For instance, Thai and Maeng Da are known for their more stimulating properties – and can be too heavy going for some people looking for a more sedating experience. Or it could simply be due to taking too much over a day.

Ultimately, if you are experiencing headaches from taking kratom then chances are that it is due to either poor quality/inappropriate strains or too high a dose.

Always take time to research the best places to buy kratom online (almost always better than retail quality), read and listen to anecdotal reviews, and purchase strains that are aligned to your personal needs. It is also worth noting that people who already suffer from mild headaches are more inclined to notice them worsening from taking kratom – but once again, this is by no means universal!

Kratom Headache Cure

So what are the best remedies for addressing this irritating side effect? Let’s start by establishing the most basic ground rule – drink plenty of water/hydrating drinks.

No matter how you take your kratom powder, it is chalky and can be unpleasant to digest. Most experts believe that it takes a fair bit out of the body’s digestive tract to actually process, and this, of course, means plenty of retained fluids.

While plenty of people continue to enjoy alcohol while taking kratom, be aware that this and heavily caffeinated beverages will not help with the ingestion of your favorite herbal supplement!

Assuming you are hydrated (your urine color will suggest if not) then the problem may well lie in your dosage.

Far too many people start out with taking too high a dose – and the body simply cannot handle this, leading to all sorts of nasty side effects and especially headaches.

It is always sensible to taper up your dosage very carefully, and while there is no exact rule of thumb (it varies with everyone) a sensible starting point is around 2 mg three times a day.

If this fails, try a different high-quality strain instead at the same dose and follow the same rules.

Occasional Kratom Use

You may also want to consider varying your dosage routine. Some people find that taking one dose a day leads to better results (i.e – no headache).

If you do choose to dose throughout the day, leave it 6-8 hours between ingestions. Another factor to consider is eating a healthy diet and keeping up with meals.

Kratom is a supplement to good health, and generally speaking, works best with people who look after themselves anyway. Exercise is also good to keep up healthy blood flow and healthy digestive/absorptive system.

Checkout Kratom Headache Threads On Reddit!

One of the genuinely great things about kratom is the huge amount of online resources to help people enjoy this magnificent plant properly. Reddit hosts perhaps the best online community with no shortage of debates regarding side effects and especially kratom headaches.

Just check out a couple of these threads and you’ll notice that quality posters always list their physical condition and strain/dosage when discussing such headaches.

Browsing through these and you’re bound to find someone in a similar position – who may hopefully suggest some guidance. Do also check out threats that relate to tolerance and dosage.

Another option is to check out the feedback from the strain of kratom that you have purchased. As outlined above, quality counts just as much as quantity – and all good online kratom vendors will publish both positive and negative customer reviews on their range of products.

Also, consider contacting the vendor directly – if they are a legitimately quality operation, they may be able to suggest changes to your kratom routine.

Kratom Headache Relief

So, you’re experiencing headaches and not sure how to make them go away? Well, the most sensible place to start is by lowering your intake.

It is not advisable to just quit kratom use if you have been using it for a prolonged period (say 4 weeks) as the withdrawal can be quite unpleasant. Drop your dose by a couple of grams and see how that works out while following the general advice listed above (hydrate, diet, exercise).

Unlike a ‘typical’ headache, one caused by kratom tends to focus mainly at the back of the head and tip of the spine. It tends to feel more like a muscle strain that a throbbing, pounding internal beat.

Some people find short-term relief from undertaking treatments such as what you would do with any other strain. Soft massages along the back of the skull and shoulders, alongside typical over the counter pain relief options (ibuprofen) often helps in the short term – at least while you taper down your dosage.

Kratom Headache Next Day?

So far we’ve focused mostly upon the assumption that you have been taking kratom on a regular basis and developed headaches. But what is, just like many other people, you only take it occasionally?

This is an interesting question and one that obviously depends a great deal upon the personal context. Quite often this is referred to as a ‘kratom hangover’ and symptoms tend to be:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Lethargy
• Lightheadedness
• Bad Sleep

Unlike an alcohol hangover, decent quality kratom ought to be entirely pure and contains no additives/chemicals/preservatives or other nasties that are found in booze. Sure, it may dehydrate you a bit, but even if keeping up your fluid intakes it is possible to feel these issues after a day after dosing.

The frustrating aspect is that sometimes they may occur, and sometimes they may not! The best advice is to either consider taking less next time (often people take more than they need to feel similar benefits) or take a look into a different strain.

Occasional users tend to use different strains for different purposes. Perhaps look towards a more moderate/easy-going ‘one size fits all’ and see if that delivers universally next time you use. Plenty of people swear by Red Bali for general occasional use.

Kratom Headache And Nausea

Leading on from our discussion of kratom hangovers, when combined with nausea it can be a truly horrible experience! Everyone does react differently to this plant, especially when it comes to occasional side effects, but in this instance, the advice is pretty universal.

Above anything else – hydrate. Your body needs to pass through any residual kratom before it gets better, and water is always the best way to speed this process up. It may also be advisable to consider:

1. Antihistamines
2. Ginger/green tea,
3. Honey
4. Meclizine

All of these will likely help settle the stomach and work well to help reduce the extent of kratom related nausea. In the future, consider the likelihood that on this occasion you probably took too much and lower/reschedule your dosing routine next time around.

Kratom Headache Comedown

Deciding to take a break from kratom? Not many people take high doses of kratom on a daily basis as it can over time lead to tolerance and, eventually, withdrawals. It is a really bad idea to just stop taking kratom cold turkey, as in 99% of cases you will feel pretty terrible comedown effects as your body realigns itself back towards ‘normal’.

The best way to lower your intake is simply by starting a gradual taper. How long this may take depends entirely upon your length and extent of dosage, but the rule of thumb is quite simply ‘gently does it’. If you follow this carefully (there are countless examples online of how to taper down kratom use) it should prevent any extreme comedown/side effects – including headaches.

Should you start to feel that back of the head throbbing, chances are you are lowering your dose too fast. Take a little to top up your levels and it ought to go away. Remember when you have completed your taper to try and take a ‘suitable’ spell off before you start over again. Kratom does tend to favor occasional and sensible users!

Kratom Headache Migraine

As mentioned above, the usual symptoms of a kratom related headache tend to be very specific (back of the head) compared to a whole skull throbbing. So far we have focussed primarily on how kratom can be a problematic cause of such headaches, but interestingly enough there are a good number of people who happen to swear by it for providing migraine relief.

Anyone who has lived with migraines will likely be familiar with how frustratingly ineffective most medications tend to be – especially those which are heavily opiate-based. Kratom has provided gentle and effective relief for plenty of people who have suffered from migraines due to other factors. Bear in mind that this is entirely based upon anecdotal evidence, and while nobody claims that it will completely remove a migraine it serves (as with many other ailments) to simply lessen the symptoms.

Check out the link at the bottom of this article for an interesting example of how kratom can help with migraines.

Headache Kratom Withdrawal

While we have touched on the headaches that can be encountered by ‘comedowns’ it is worth quickly mentioning how severe they can be in total withdrawal. If for some reason you have your high dose routine interrupted unexpectedly, it may be worth actually considering this akin to a full-on opioid withdrawal. Maybe that sounds serve, but anyone who has experienced it will know how truly vile it can be.

Generally speaking, the headaches will be just one factor alongside ‘flu-like’ symptoms such as sweating, insomnia, confusion, and malaise. While there is not likely very much medical practitioners can/will do for you if encountering a sudden severe withdrawal episode, it is sensible to ask a buddy to look after you during this phase and call in sick for a few days. Eating, hydrating, and where possible sleeping ought to be the priorities. Just remember that a headache will eventually go away.

Kratom Tension Headaches

There is good anecdotal evidence that people who take a mixed and high dose kratom routine are much more likely to experience severe tension headaches. If switching between say red vein Borneo, Bali, and Maeng Da at 10mg/daily then that level of dosage is already hitting the very upper limit that most people will find beneficial.

By switching between such different strains at a high dose, you will be putting your body into withdrawal from one/two while taking one. This is almost guaranteed to lead to nasty kratom based tension headaches sooner or later as tolerance/dependency peaks. So treat your kratom with respect if you want to avoid this horrible experience!

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this article will have introduced and explained the various factors involved regarding the key issues of kratom related headaches. Always remember the key factor – treat your dosage and quality very seriously as it can be so easy to end up taking either too much then you need, or fall for a poor grade batch/strain. Start low and build up, slow down gently and take sensible length breaks. Hydrate, eat well and look after yourself and chances are that you may avoid kratom headaches.

Q: What is the latest information Aegis can provide about kratom? What other drugs are most commonly present in urine specimens testing positive for kratom?

A: Kratom availability is becoming increasingly widespread. Most states allow the sale and use of kratom. Research continues to better understand use prevalence, complications and deaths from use, and associated drug use trends. Aegis is actively monitoring other positive test results in kratom-positive specimens.

The medical community and the general population are becoming increasingly aware of the wide-spread availability of kratom.^1-3 Even though kratom is currently flagged by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency as a drug of concern, most states do not prohibit selling or purchasing the substance as a dietary supplement, as long as no claims are made about its ability to cure or treat any disease.^1-2 Some patients are actively pursuing self-care with kratom in place of or in addition to FDA-approved pharmacotherapy for pain or substance use disorder.^1-3 However, due to the increasing popularity of kratom and availability of kratom detection in urine drug testing, Aegis Sciences Corporation is taking a closer look at trends of use and co-positivity rates with other prescription and illicit drugs. For more information about the history and effects of kratom, please reference our previously published clinical update: Kratom Correlation.

Online drug forums and other sources describe a wide range of use patterns by patients who report occasional use, all the way up to multiple doses per day.⁴ The American Kratom Association has estimated that more than 1 million people in the United States may be using kratom.¹ With additional emphasis on conservative opioid prescribing and the wide array of kratom marketing, many patients may be seeking out kratom as an alleged opioid alternative or to mitigate opioid withdrawal.^1-3 Some patients may believe kratom is undetectable by drug testing and are seeking an alternative to commonly-detected drugs in hopes of passing a drug test.²

A better understanding of the types of patients who are using kratom may be derived by reviewing additional co-occurring positive results. A recent analysis of approximately 1500 samples tested by Aegis Sciences Corporation revealed positive results for kratom, with buprenorphine, cotinine (metabolite of nicotine), and marijuana being the top three co-positive results. Of note, this analysis did not consider buprenorphine prescription information.

This is somewhat different from a 2017 study by Smith and Lawson, which reviewed lifetime substance use, past 12-month substance use, and drug preferences among kratom users and non-users.² Kratom users in this study showed greater preference for heroin and amphetamines. These individuals also had higher rates of non-prescribed Suboxone® (buprenorphine/naloxone) use and indicated a greater preference for Suboxone® versus non-kratom users, which echoes findings in Aegis-tested samples. The variation in co-positive results and substance preferences may also be influenced by the type of benefit that patients are seeking from kratom and any previous history of substance use. Kratom-positive samples tested by Aegis come from a variety of patient populations and may not all fit the inclusion criteria outlined in the Smith and Lawson study.

The Smith and Lawson study was published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence and reviewed a sample of 500 patients (58.4% men, average age 35 years) who were enrolled in a treatment program and had a history of substance use disorder.² Approximately 20% of the patients reported lifetime kratom use. Those who reported use were younger than non-users, were predominantly single and most often had a college degree. Also, more kratom users reported homelessness and had more treatment episodes in their past medical history.

Interestingly, fewer kratom users were on probation or parole; however, they did report more separate incarceration instances with a similar overall number of years incarcerated as compared to non-users. Kratom users reported higher rates of mental health-related problems than non-users.² This fits with known statistics regarding the positive correlation between substance abuse and psychiatric conditions. Approximately half of those with a substance use disorder will experience some form of mental illness in their life, and about 18% of patients with mental illness also have a substance use disorder.^5-7

Mitragynine has agonist activity at mu-opioid receptors which may lead to some degree of dependence.³ There have also been reports of neonatal abstinence syndrome and withdrawal symptoms associated with kratom exposure. Reports to the National Poison Data System in which kratom was the only drug exposure reported describe serious opioid toxicities such as seizures, agitation, and death. Further research continues to ascertain the prevalence of kratom use and kratom-related toxicities and deaths in the United States. It is evident that kratom is not a benign substance, and further patient counseling may be warranted when kratom is detected in a urine specimen.

NOTICE: The information above is intended as a resource for health care providers. Providers should use their independent medical judgment based on the clinical needs of the patient when making determinations of who to test, what medications to test, testing frequency, and the type of testing to conduct.

References:

1. Prozialeck WC, Avery BA, Boyer EW, et al. Kratom policy: The challenge of balancing therapeutic potential with public safety. Int J Drug Policy. 2019;70:70-77
2. Smith KE, Lawson T. Prevalence and motivations for kratom use in a sample of substance users enrolled in a residential treatment program. Drug Alcohol Depen. 2017;180:340-348
3. Eggleston W, Stoppacher R, Suen K, Marraffa JM, Nelson LS. Kratom use and toxicities in the United States. Pharmacotherapy. 2019;39(7):775–777
4. Baselt, RC. Disposition of toxic drugs and chemicals in man. 11th ed. Seal Beach, CA: Biomedical Publications; 2017.
5. Ross S, Peselow E. Co-occurring psychotic and addictive disorders: neurobiology and diagnosis. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2012;35(5):235-243. doi:10.1097/WNF.0b013e318261e193.
6. Kelly TM, Daley DC. Integrated Treatment of Substance Use and Psychiatric Disorders. Soc Work Public Health. 2013;28(0):388-406. doi:10.1080/19371918.2013.774673.
7. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. SMA 18-5068, NSDUH Series H-53). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral 8. Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data