The use of kratom has skyrocketed in the last decade thanks to its multiple effects. Kratom alkaloids act on your opioid receptors, triggering different effects that range from stimulation to pain relief. It also has euphoric and relaxing properties. It is thanks to these effects that millions of people have gained their lives back. Many kratom users have recovered relationships, social life, and even a job thanks to this leaf. But while kratom may be of help in the workplace, a new concern has arisen in the kratom community: does kratom show up on a drug test? Are there kratom drug tests? In this article, you will find answers to these questions.
What Is Kratom? How Is Kratom Made?
Mitragyna speciosa is a tree in the Rubiaceae family indigenous to the humid areas of Southeast Asia. It is commonly known as kratom. For ages, the native population of Indonesia or Thailand used to chew the fresh leaves of kratom to get an energy boost, relieve pain, or even to cope with opium addiction.
Today, the popularity of kratom has spread into the Western world, especially in America. However, it is very difficult to find fresh leaves unless you grow your own kratom tree. Hence, local farmers in Indonesia pick kratom leaves from the Mitragyna trees, dry them, and grind them into a fine powder that they export abroad. This powder can also be used to prepare kratom extracts, which are more potent than the regular kratom powder. But are there kratom drug tests that can detect kratom in your body?
Benefits of Kratom
The leaves of kratom contain more than 40 alkaloids, but its effects come mostly from mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. These alkaloids act on your delta, kappa, and mu receptors, which are part of your opioid system. The opioid system manages pain, addictive behavior, and response to stress. By activating these receptors, kratom can bring about different effects, including analgesia, relaxation, stimulation, or euphoria. These effects of kratom may help you:
- Relieve pain
- Alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and depression
- Relax
- Fight stress
- Get a boost of energy
- Combat insomnia
- Fight the symptoms of opiates (or other substances) withdrawal
Kratom alkaloids work differently depending on the dosage, that is why you can get so many different effects. At low doses, kratom is more stimulating. But at high doses, kratom effects are more sedative. Also, white kratom strains are usually more energizing, while red vein kratom tends to bring about sedative effects. On the other hand, green strains are milder than the white and red vein types, but they are still a good choice to relax or relieve pain.
But the questions are still there: Do kratom alkaloids show up in drug tests? Are there kratom drug tests that detect kratom alkaloids? How do kratom drug tests work?
Common Drug Tests
Before dealing with kratom drug tests, let us explore how drug tests work. Panel drug tests detect specific drugs. Each panel looks for one different class of drugs. For example, a 4-panel drug test will test for four specific drugs. Public organizations, federal agencies, and private employers alike can require their employees to pass a drug test.
Commonly, employers use 5-panel drug tests that look for the presence of the following substances:
- THC
- Opiates
- Cocaine
- Amphetamines
- Phencyclidine
Nonetheless, some organizations want to know if their employees consume other substances, and you can find 10 or even 12-panel drug tests. In these cases, employers may also look for legal substances, such as alcohol or certain medications. At the end of the day, the substances that the drug test will detect will depend solely on the employer. For example, an employer in a place where marijuana is legal may require a 5-panel drug test but testing for alcohol instead of THC. But are there also kratom drug tests? Can kratom show up on a drug test?
Kratom Drug Tests
Not so long ago, kratom drug tests were an urban legend. There were no tests that could detect mitragynine. However, that situation has changed in recent times and today it is possible to find kratom drug tests. These drug tests detect the presence of mitragynine in your urine. Yet, kratom drug tests are still very uncommon —perhaps because kratom is not a mainstream product and many people do not know about it yet. Nevertheless, your employer may require you to pass a kratom drug test.
Since kratom is not a common substance, mitragynine will be listed on 10 or 12-panel drug tests (it would be very weird to find a 4 or 5-panel test to look for kratom). However, kratom drug tests are out there and are real.
If you need to take a kratom drug test, you should be familiar with how long kratom stays in your system. It is not easy to establish how long kratom will stay in your body. The answer will depend on how often you consume kratom, your dosage… It goes without saying that the more often you consume kratom and the higher the doses, the likelier to test positive on a drug test. Kratom may last in your system up to 9 days, so keep this in mind if you need to pass kratom drug tests, especially if you are a heavy user.
In summary, kratom drug tests are real but very uncommon. Even so, your employer may require you to test for kratom.
