Hulu’s final episode of Dopesick aired yesterday. “I cancelled my Hulu account,” says my guest, Claudia Merandi. “I called it Dopesickening. Hollywood had to profit off the pain community… I refuse to watch.” Claudia Merandi has suffered from Chrohn’s disease since she was a child, as documented in her book Crohn’s: The Other ‘C’ Word: …
65. Claudia Merandi, Pain Patient Advocate and Author Read More »
Coffee is a tropical evergreen plant originating in Ethiopia but now grown worldwide. Two species, Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, are predominantly sold as a recreational stimulant. Referred to “joe”, “java”, “brew”, “mud”, “liquid cocaine”, “espresso” and “go juice”, coffee is a drug of abuse, primarily used for its psychoactive and stimulant effects, similar to …
Dr. Jon Cachat and host Brian Gallagher look at a study that examined dopamine levels with an electrochemical sensor in rats administered with various levels of mitragynine. Dopamine release was detected as significant levels after a high dose of mitragynine after 4 days. Questions explored in this episode include: Does this accurately measure the kratom …
Journal Club #25: Dopamine Response to Mitragynine in Rats Read More »
This week we look at a study by a team from University of Florida called “Lyophilized Kratom Tea as a Therapeutic Option for Opioid Dependence”. The science is catching up with what thousands of kratom consumers are saying — that kratom can be a safe and effective harm reduction tool for opioid withdrawal and dependence. …
Journal Club #8: Kratom Tea for Opioid Dependence in Mice Read More »
Host Brian Gallagher and Dr. Jonathan Cachat welcome Dr. Marc Swogger, social scientist and clinical psychologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center to discuss his 2018 article published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence “Kratom Use and Mental Health: A Systematic Review”. Along with co-author Zach Walsh, Dr. Swogger looked at all the literature published …
In a recent webinar, psychiatrists describe kratom as dangerous with lethal overdose and toxicity potential. Using the studies they cite, Brian Gallagher explains why the dose of mitragyinine to establish LD50 in mice is far beyond the levels consumed in leaf and even extracted kratom, and why one investigation into coroners’ reports disproved claims of …
38. Psychiatrists Overstate the Dangers of Kratom Read More »
Dr. Cachat and I talk about a study that tested rats with morphine, mitragynine, naloxone, buprenorphine, and rimonabant, and measured responses based on food-reinforcement training. The study concluded “The findings suggest that MG does not induce physiological dependence but can alleviate the physical symptoms associated with morphine withdrawal”. We talk about how the rats are …
Article Citation with Link to Full Text Harun N, Johari IS, Mansor SM, Shoaib M. Assessing physiological dependence and withdrawal potential of mitragynine using schedule-controlled behaviour in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2020;237(3):855-867. doi:10.1007/s00213-019-05418-6 Summary by KratomScience Rats were studied in two separate experiments: Experiment 1: Observing withdrawal in rats given morphine vs. rats given mitragynine Three …
