Mitragyna speciose, which is popularly known as kratom, is a Southeast Asian evergreen herbal tree, belonging to the same family as coffee. With its various medicinal benefits, it has enjoyed a popularity surge in recent years.
Consumers of kratom have grown fond of its taste, effects, and health benefits that it is incorporated as part and parcel of a lot of lives.
With different consumers exhibiting a variety of results and adverse effects, a few consumers report feeling feverish, while some report sweats and hot flushes.
This may prompt people to ponder over the effects of kratom on body temperature. So here we are with this brief read to discuss whether kratom can cause fever or not?
Before finding out if kratom causes fever, we should understand how it normally works?
Do you know how kratom imparts its effects?
The key players of kratom that are primarily responsible for a majority of kratom effects are its constituent alkaloids, out of which two alkaloids, Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, are the most abundant active alkaloids.
These interact with the receptor system in the brain to produce multiple effects. The effects are broadly grouped into beneficial effects or adverse effects.
One such effect is the alteration in the body temperature that a kratom user may feel.
So, let us get back to the question: Can Kratom Cause Fever?
Fever is defined as higher body temperature. Normally, human body temperature is up to 98.6 oF (37 oC), anything above this is theoretically defined as fever. Practically, the temperature above 100.4oF is considered significant enough to act upon.
Kratom should ideally not induce fever. However, kratom users have commonly reported feeling feverish, a sense of raised body temperatures.
Some feel as if the body has been heated up, with or without sweats and hot flushes. It is not uncommon for first-time users of kratom to experience excessive sweating in the initial period.
So, if you are one of them, then you are not alone.
Why Do We Sweat? And What Is Thermoregulation
If you are aware of the term thermoregulation, then you are probably aware of the mechanism behind sweating. Although it might be an uncomfortable experience to have excessive sweat all over the body, it is for your own safety.
The term thermoregulation is the standard mechanism inside our body, which is always in action to find a balance between body temperature and the external environment.
Whenever the body temperature exceeds the normal due to any underlying factor, such as exaggerated physical activity, stress, hormonal gust, potent herbs or medicines, our body tries to compensate by evaporating water in the form of sweat from the sweat glands that are widely spread all over our body. This stabilizes the core body temperature.
What Role Does Kratom Play?
Kratom is somewhat related to opioids as they both act on the same receptors in the body. Opioids are known for their action on a type of immune cell called the mast cell.
When the mast cells release, they trigger the same mechanism as inflammation, which can then heat up the body.
Ultimately, the thermoregulatory pathways kick in to normalize the temperatures by causing the body to sweat. This is how kratom can cause mildly high body temperature and sweating.
Now the more pressing question is:
Why Do Some Consumers Complain About These Effects While Others Don’t?
The answer is simple. Are all five fingers equal?
The answer certainly is NO!
Similarly, each body reacts differently to different strains and doses of pf kratom. The only thing that should be constant among all kratom users is that the body temperature should not be high enough to be practically classified as fever. If so, rethink the diagnosis because kratom does not cause sky-high body temperatures!
Commonly, heated up body and drenching sweats are observed by people who intake a larger dose of potent kratom.
Standard dosages typically don’t mess with the thermoregulation. The higher the doses or the potent the kratom, the higher the chances of experiencing these symptoms.
However, some may experience these symptoms during their first-time use of kratom. This is because their body is not accustomed to kratom, so any reaction with the opiate receptors exhibits a proportionally higher response.
Similarly, when regular users stop using kratom all of a sudden, the body goes into withdrawal. The withdrawal of kratom has a variety of symptoms, one being excessive sweating. Others include jerky body movements, depression, anxiety, irritability, chills, tremors, nausea, headaches, etc.
The bottom line is to avoid high doses and potent strains for prolonged periods. This is the best way of preventing sweats and high body temperature.
What If I Still Get Sweats & Feverish?
In other words, the question is asking the remedies to control these adverse symptoms?
Although a mildly heated body and sweating are normal body responses.
All of us have had experienced several times in our lives, but excess can be quite uncomfortable. So what can we do to prevent kratom associated heat and sweats?
Well, the answer is no rocket science.
- Start with a lower kratom dose
- Do not overdose
- Take less potent strains initially
- Do not mix high potency kratom strains
- If you feel feverish, hydrate yourself, record your temperature, remove layers of clothing, sponge yourself or take a shower
- If the recorded temperature is high, seek medical attention
If the fever is due to the withdrawal of kratom, the symptoms may start 24 hours after the last dose intensifying in the next 2 to 4 days and ultimately subsiding after 7 to 10 days.
In cases where the withdrawal is intense or has a combination of multiple symptoms, it is imperative to seek professional help. Individualized detox programs and therapies may be necessary.
Having said that, if you want to prevent yourself from these withdrawal symptoms, try not to stop kratom suddenly. If you’re going to quit or even skip, try to decrease the doses and frequencies over days gradually.
This is another way of readjusting the threshold your body has become habitual of over the course of time due to regular kratom use.
On a closing note, it is essential to understand that you may not even experience any of these side effects if you stick to lower doses and a fixed schedule with breaks or kratom-free days in a week.
On the contrary, it is quite possible to experience fever and sweats with the first use and rarely with the precautionary measures. All and all, it is safe to start low, go slow, and seek help if the adverse effects blow!
