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News
Addiction clinics across the US are seeing a dramatic spike in patients dependent on kratom and its more potent derivative, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). At one telehealth clinic, kratom-related new patients jumped from 3% to 14% in under a year. Experts warn that products marketed as wellness supplements are triggering severe opioid-like withdrawal — catching both patients and providers off guard.
Addiction treatment centers across the US are sounding the alarm over a sharp rise in patients dependent on kratom and a more potent compound derived from it, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). At Boulder Care, a telehealth clinic, the share of new patients reporting kratom use skyrocketed from 3% in September 2025 to 14% by August 2026. Meanwhile, inpatient clinics in Massachusetts went from seeing one kratom patient per week to 10–20 per week in the same period.
The concern centers on 7-OH, which — unlike kratom's primary ingredient — acts directly on opioid receptors in the brain, producing effects similar to traditional opioids. Many 7-OH products are misleadingly marketed as kratom or as wellness supplements, leaving users unaware of the addiction risk. Patients in recovery from opioid use disorder are particularly vulnerable, with some losing control quickly after trying these products.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: With state-level restrictions tightening and federal rules still pending, patients losing access to kratom and 7-OH are entering withdrawal in unprecedented numbers — putting pressure on addiction treatment systems and highlighting a regulatory gap around products sold openly as wellness aids.
