A Case Report of Kratom Addiction and Withdrawal.

Kratom, a relatively unknown herb among physicians in the western world, is advertised on the Internet as an alternative to opioid analgesics, as a potential treatment for oploid withdrawal and as a "legal high" with minimal addiction potential. This report describes a case of kratom addiction in a 37-year-old woman with a severe oploid-like withdrawal syndrome that was managed successfully with symptom-triggered clonidine therapy and scheduled hydroxyzine. A review of other case reports of kratom toxicity, the herb's addiction potential, and the kratom withdrawal syndrome is discussed. Physicians in the United States should be aware of the growing availability and abuse of kratom and the herb's potential adverse health effects, with particular attention to kratom's toxicity, addictive potential, and associated withdrawal syndrome.