A mother has issued an urgent and heartfelt warning regarding the herbal supplement kratom, which is widely promoted online as a natural remedy for anxiety and stress. This caution comes after her 27-year-old son tragically died just six weeks after he began consuming the substance.

Kratom, derived from the leaves of a tropical tree indigenous to Southeast Asia, is readily available across the United States in various forms, including teas, pills, and energy shots. While proponents claim it can elevate mood, alleviate pain, and assist with withdrawal symptoms from other drugs, experts have raised serious concerns. They warn that kratom is addictive and potentially hazardous, with reported side effects encompassing seizures, hallucinations, and in some severe instances, death. Its potent and addictive nature has led to it being controversially dubbed 'gas station heroin,' as users have reported becoming hooked and experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms that mirror those caused by opioids.

The effects of kratom are dose-dependent, acting as both a stimulant and a sedative. In smaller quantities, it can produce bursts of energy, whereas larger doses typically induce drowsiness, euphoria, and a strong sense of dependency. According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, the onset of these effects can occur within 10 minutes and may persist for up to an hour and a half.

The tragic case of Robert 'Wyatt' Wheeler, who passed away in October 2022 at the age of 27, starkly illustrates these dangers. He had been taking the supplement for less than two months. His mother, Patti Wheeler, recounted to People magazine that Wyatt initially found kratom as an 'alternative to try to take the edge off during a party.' She expressed that they had 'no way of knowing that it was addictive as it was.'

Patti Wheeler initially harbored no concerns when her son informed her he was using kratom, as Wyatt reassured her it was merely a harmless herbal supplement. However, a mere two weeks later, on October 25, Wyatt suffered a fatal seizure. Despite the desperate attempts of his twin brothers to save him, he succumbed. Ms. Wheeler vividly described the horrific experience, stating, 'It's not pretty at all. There's convulsing... people bite their tongue and there's blood. I heard the stories. I know what my son went through that day.'

Reflecting on the profound irony, Ms. Wheeler lamented, 'As a parent, you teach your children everything about danger; how to look both ways, how to cross the street, how to watch out for people in dark corners. And then he walks into a gas station, buys something off the shelf, and he's gone at just 27 years old. It's unfathomable.' She is now actively participating in the filming of a new documentary, 'Kratom: Side Effects May Include,' where she and other grieving families share their harrowing experiences of losing loved ones to this controversial substance. Her hope is to 'circumvent that for other people' and to enable individuals to 'be able to identify kratom' before it's too late.

Wyatt's story, sadly, is not an isolated incident. More than 2,000 deaths directly linked to kratom were officially recorded in the US between 2021 and 2023 alone. These alarming statistics have prompted discussions among government officials about classifying kratom as a Schedule I drug, placing it in the same category as heroin. While such a classification aims to restrict access, experts caution that it could inadvertently drive the trade further underground, potentially making supplies even more dangerous.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has consistently advised consumers against using kratom due to the substantial risk of severe side effects, which include liver toxicity, seizures, and addiction. One of the most significant concerns is Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI), a condition where the liver sustains damage while attempting to process a medicine, drug, or supplement. The liver's crucial role is to metabolize substances for safe removal from the body, but sometimes, active components of a drug can persist and accumulate, leading to inflammation or scarring.

Symptoms of DILI, according to the British Liver Trust, can manifest as extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, jaundice, itching, nausea, pain beneath the right-hand ribs, and skin rashes. Medical professionals emphasize that any drug or supplement carries a higher likelihood of triggering liver damage when consumed in high doses. This risk is particularly acute with unregulated substances like kratom, where users often have no reliable means of knowing the actual dosage they are consuming. Notably, kratom has been deemed illegal in the UK since its ban under the Psychoactive Substances Act in 2016.