2 blogs in 1 -- kratom, and repeated opioid overdoses
a couple of recent articles relating to opioid dependence. 1.the NY Times had an article on kratom, a natural product sometimes used for opiate withdrawal but is itself addictive (see http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/us/kratom-an-addicts-alternative-is-found-to-be-addictive-itself.html?emc=edit_th_20160103&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=67866768&_r=0 ). a few points from the article: --they highlight a few cases of individuals trying to recover from heroin addictions by taking kratom, which relieved the withdrawal symptoms but led to addiction to kratom, with cravings, taking increasing quantities over time, and severe withdrawal symptoms. and there is a "large epidemic in Florida" --kratom is natural plant (mitragyna speciosa, a tropical deciduous and evergreen tree which reaches up to 30 ft tall, from Southeast Asia, esp from Indochina and Malaysia), marketed as a "natural painkiller". it functions as a mu-opioid recept...