Three more deaths in Los Angeles County have been linked to kratom, a compound that is synthetically reproduced and sold over the counter as a cure-all for a variety of ailments, the county Department of Public Health said Friday.
The compound, also known as 7-hydroxymitragynine or 7-OH, was found to be a contributing factor in the deaths of three residents ranging in age from 18 to 40, according to the county health department.
This brings the total number of recent kratom overdose deaths in Los Angeles County to six. First three deaths were identified in September. Alcohol was also found in all six people.
“It is critical that the community understands that these products are dangerous and can lead to fatal overdoses,” said Gary Tsai, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control. “The safest thing to do is to avoid using 7-OH and kratom-related products altogether.”
Additionally, to prevent an opioid overdose, the best approach is to administer naloxone, Tsai said.
Kratom is an herbal extract obtained from the leaves. Mitragyna is beautiful The tree, native to Southeast Asia, is usually sold in powder or tablet form—sometimes based on its natural form and sometimes based on a synthetic version. Lately, U.S. suppliers have been selling more and more products with potentially dangerously concentrated amounts of 7-OH, according to a July report Food and Drug Administration.
Researchers say there are people in the United States who use kratom to relieve anxiety and chronic pain or as a treatment for symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal. But despite its use for pain relief, Public health officials have expressed concern about the potential for abuse of 7-OH. due to its ability to bind to opioid receptors in the body.
“Retailers should immediately stop selling any 7-OH products as they are not legally sold in the United States as a drug, dietary supplement or dietary supplement,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said Friday.
The synthetic product comes in a variety of forms, such as tablets, gummies, drink mixes, and concentrated liquid extracts or drinking shots. When mixed with alcohol and some medications, 7-OH can cause severe respiratory depression, where breathing becomes too slow, which in worst cases can lead to death.
According to warning letters sent by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to firms selling kratom-related products, 7-OH has not been approved by the FDA and is not authorized for sale as a drug or additive to food or beverages.
In the absence of state-level regulation, some communities in California have taken it upon themselves to act. Orange County, as well as the cities of Newport Beach, San Diego and Oceanside, have banned the sale, distribution or possession of kratom.
