Buprenorphine vs Kratom
Short answer: Overall, users rate Buprenorphine and Kratom similarly (50% vs 46% positive).
Buprenorphine has 339 meta-analyses and 1,008 randomized trials on PubMed; Kratom has 18 and 5.
Based on 17 reports about Buprenorphine and 568 about Kratom. Not medical advice.
| Buprenorphine Medication | Kratom Substance | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 50%helped6 reports · few reports | 46%helped335 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly negative | Mixed |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | BResearch: Moderate |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 339 / 1,008 | 18 / 5 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Mood % reporting improvement | — | 87% (142) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | — | 91% (108) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | — | 84% (88) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | — | 77% (44) |
| Pain & inflammation % reporting improvement | — | 94% (36) |
| Common side effects | opioid induced, withdrawal, withdrawal symptoms, liver damage | withdrawal, dependence, addiction, tolerance |
| Typical dose reported | Not listed | 4 g / 2x daily |
Evidence from trials and observational studies suggest that treatment retention is better for methadone than for sublingual buprenorphine. Comparative evidence on other outcomes examined showed few statistically significant differences and was generally based on small numbers of studies. These findings highlight the imperative for interventions to improve retention, consideration of client-centred factors (such as client preference) when selecting between methadone and buprenorphine, and harmonisation of data collection and reporting to strengthen future syntheses.
Lancet Psychiatry, 2023 ↗“it was beneficial to quit buprenorphine, which I did on 5/13/16.”
Based on our analysis, patients using <20 g of kratom/d could be initiated on opioid agonist therapy with 4/1 mg-8/2 mg buprenorphine-naloxone/d, while patients using kratom doses >40 g/d could be initiated with 12/3 mg-16/4 mg of buprenorphine-naloxone/day.
J Addict Med, 2021 ↗“Green or white Kratom powder. My productivity and overall mood have skyrocketed. I dose 4 grams once per day and it’s worked wonders.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate