Yale Medicine Addiction Specialist Warns: Concentrated 7-OH Kratom Products Carry Elevated Opioid Risk

Why it matters

A Yale Medicine addiction specialist provides clinicians and patients with an authoritative overview of kratom's risks, highlighting a 1,200% surge in poison center calls between 2015-2025 and the particular dangers of concentrated 7-OH products now widely available in retail settings.

The big picture

Kratom use in the U.S. has grown substantially, with kratom-related poison control calls reaching a record 3,434 in 2025 alone. While natural kratom has lower overdose risk than traditional opioids, concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine products are being manufactured at 10 times natural potency, raising concerns comparable to prescription opioids. Yale Medicine's addiction medicine specialists treat growing numbers of patients with kratom-related opioid use disorder.

Key findings

• Kratom-related reports to U.S. poison control centers increased approximately 1,200% — from 258 to 3,434 cases — between 2015 and 2025
• One-quarter of regular kratom users meet criteria for opioid use disorder, per a Yale School of Public Health study
• Risk of developing kratom OUD is nearly 3 times higher for people with a prior substance use disorder
• Concentrated 7-OH products are being made at 10 times the potency of natural kratom, producing morphine-like effects
• Kratom interacts with both the opioid system and the serotonin system, creating unpredictable dose-dependent effects
• Standard FDA-approved OUD medications including buprenorphine are effective treatments for kratom addiction

What they say

"It's a more potent compound that occurs naturally in the plant, but only in very small amounts. Some companies are extracting it and making it 10 times more potent, which produces a greater opioid, sedative effect. Some individuals might not understand how 7-OH is different from nonconcentrated kratom and are caught off guard; then physical dependency grows faster and the risk of addiction increases." — Dr. Melissa Weimer, DO, Yale Medicine addiction medicine specialist

Bottom line

Kratom poison center calls hit a record high in 2025, and Yale Medicine's addiction specialists warn that concentrated 7-OH products are driving a new wave of opioid dependence among users who believed kratom was safe.