Latest news with #FeelFree
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
She thought it was just another energy drink. It took half her bodyweight and sent her to rehab.
Kim Maloney says she needed a pick-me-up. She had been struggling with energy in the morning. When someone she trusted recommended a Feel Free tonic that contained kratom, she bought it from a local CBD store in 2021. The little blue bottle, she says, looked similar to a 5-Hour Energy. She thought it was harmless. But for her it wasn't, the 49-year-old Ohio mother of two says. "Nobody knew at that time what it was," Maloney says. "You figure 'all-plant-based,' 'all-natural.' I didn't know too much about kratom. I did not know it was that addictive." Maloney says she soon fell into a debilitating kratom addiction, one that eventually had her drinking upward of 10 kratom drinks a day. Her addiction, she says, took nearly everything from her. Her car. Her house. Her 27-year marriage. Nearly half her body weight. At one point, she says, she weighed 70 pounds. Maloney believes her addiction would have taken her life too, had she not gone to rehab in 2024. "My eyes were rolling in the back of my head. I couldn't walk straight. I didn't leave my couch for months. I had pancreatitis. I had shingles. I was sick. I mean, I was really sick. So my daughter, who lives in LA, said: 'You know what, Mom? I'm done. If you can't get off this stuff, I'm done,' " Maloney says. "My blood pressure was like 58 over 49. I was dying." USA TODAY spoke with more than 20 people who say they became severely addicted to kratom − a plant ingredient found in products sold at gas stations, liquor stores and smoke shops across the country by various companies. Many of the people we spoke with had no history of substance abuse before ingesting kratom. Some were health and fitness enthusiasts who thought kratom was just like any other wellness supplement. Others thought it was a healthy alternative to alcohol. A few mistook it for a run-of-the-mill caffeine drink, like coffee or tea. But kratom has addictive potential, medical experts say − and getting hooked on it often carries devastating consequences. A woman in California says she maxed out at least two credit cards to fuel her addiction − and now she doesn't know what the future holds for herself or her 9-year-old son. A father says his addiction drove him $50,000 into debt and tanked his credit score into the 500s. Crushing withdrawals, he says, have made it extraordinarily difficult to quit; still, he's trying to rebuild a life for himself and his child. Despite their dangers, kratom products remain legal in most states, including California. Many have colorful packaging and are sold in stores that offer up bubble gum and potato chips. But with action by the Food and Drug Administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the tide on kratom may finally be turning. "How is (kratom) portrayed in the world? It's organic. It's healthy. It's health and wellness. It's like chia. It's like oatmeal. It's like stuff you put in Starbucks, almond milk or whatnot," says Dr. Timothy Fong, a UCLA addiction psychiatrist who says he has seen a spike in calls from people seeking treatment for kratom addiction in recent years. "It comes from a little bit of that world − not from the illicit drug, underground, cartel world that's seen as much more seedy." The FDA is cracking down on 7-OH, a byproduct of kratom. Is it enough? At a news conference July 29, the FDA announced its intention to crack down on products containing 7-Hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, a compound naturally occurring in the kratom plant. FDA commissioner Martin Makary spoke alongside Kennedy while announcing their plan to initiate the process to have 7-OH scheduled as an illicit substance. That will happen if the Drug Enforcement Administration approves the FDA's sanction after review. More: Products with opioid-like effects sold at gas stations may be banned as illicit substances Makary also made clear during that same news conference that the organization's focus is on 7-OH, not kratom overall. Medical experts tell USA TODAY that all kratom products carry risk for addiction, not just ones marketed with 7-OH, though those products are often stronger. Some of the people USA TODAY spoke with say their addiction was just to products with kratom, and they never tried ones with synthetic 7-OH. For others, using products with kratom became a gateway to using products with synthetic 7-OH. Many products on the market contain kratom, and they come in many forms. Some are capsules, others are powders, others are drinks. One product recently went viral. On July 25, a TikToker posted a video in which he described how a teenage boy tried stealing his wallet outside a gas station after he refused to go inside to buy the boy a Feel Free tonic. A representative for Botanic Tonics, the company behind Feel Free, told USA TODAY its Feel Free Classic tonic contains only natural leaf kratom, with nearly undetectable levels of 7-OH. Earlier this year, Botanic Tonics settled an $8.75 million class-action lawsuit filed in March 2023 that accused the company of falsely marketing its kratom tonic as a healthy alternative to alcohol. In January 2024, the company announced it would add a warning to the label for its Feel Free Classic tonic saying the product can become "habit forming and harmful to your health if consumed irresponsibly," and, in May 2024, it announced the addition of a 21-and-over restriction to its products. The Botanic Tonics representative told USA TODAY the company takes its 21-and-over restriction very seriously and has reached out to this TikToker for further details. Company CEO Cameron Korehbandi has also released a statement applauding the FDA for going after 7-OH. "We've been advocating for exactly this type of regulatory approach − one that protects consumers from synthetic derivatives while preserving access to traditional botanical ingredients with centuries of safe use," Korehbandi said. Many people who descended into kratom addiction say gas station products sucked them in. The "Quitting Kratom" subreddit has 52,000 members and several posts a day from people documenting their journeys trying to quit kratom and 7-OH. Dr. Lief Fenno, chair of the American Psychiatric Association Council on Addiction Psychiatry, believes kratom has escaped scrutiny because it does not bind to receptors in the brain the same way that drugs like heroin and morphine do. But that doesn't mean kratom can't have similar effects. "The shapes of these molecules from kratom are very different than the shapes of things like morphine or fentanyl," Fenno says. "And so, the argument can be made that they're not opioids, because they don't have a specific shape like opioids. And that's despite the fact that they work in a very similar way." Some kratom addicts know this firsthand. Jason, a man in Florida who has struggled with addictions to both kratom and heroin, says the effects of the substances − as well as their withdrawals − felt very similar. After seven years of sobriety from opioids, he says, he fell into kratom addiction after trying it with friends at a kava bar, a bar that serves drinks with the plant kava. He asked that his last name be withheld out of fear that sharing his addiction struggles could damage his career. At first, he says, he used kratom like an energy drink. Before long, however, it had a grip on him similar to heroin's. "It's a strange, insidious drug that imperceptibly steals your soul," Jason says. "The downsides aren't evident until libido nosedives, hair begins to fall out of your head ... and you are dosing three times a day only to experience the briefest of highs before returning to a sludge-like stupor." Fong says companies putting large amounts of kratom into otherwise innocuous-looking products has changed the game and made kratom more susceptible to abuse. "At its core, this is a plant that's been around thousands of years," Fong says. "It has been used in Southeast Asia, chewing on the leaf as a stimulant, as a way of pain relief. And now, through vast modern technology, we've created the ability to have what I call fast-food kratom, if you will. Different formulations. Capsules. Powders. Teas. Gummies. Smokable versions. All sorts of different things." Though kratom isn't as well known as other substances, addiction to it affects more people than many may realize. After watching a friend become addicted to 7-OH, Tom Filippone started Klear Recovery, a business that helps people addicted to kratom and 7-OH detox with physician-led treatment. Since its launch this year, Filippone says, he has been overwhelmed with inquiries, at least four or five every hour. "These are not drug people that I talk to for the vast majority of them," he says. "They're 55-year-old women who live in Texas and are involved in their church who bought it at the gas station." 'Gas station heroin' nearly killed her. How tianeptine became a 'dark secret' for many. And when these people try to quit kratom, Filippone says, often they're unprepared for just how intense the withdrawals can be. "Some of these people's doses get so high," he says. "If you cold-turkeyed it, you are looking at seven days of hell." 'I felt like I was going almost psychotic' Emily Beutler says she became addicted to kratom in 2022 after trying a tea with it at a kava bar in Arizona. Somebody had recommended it as a healthy way to relieve anxiety. It wasn't long before Beutler found herself returning to her local kava bar in Idaho for kratom every day. Soon, the kava bar's drink wasn't enough; she started buying kratom powder from the gas station so she could ingest greater amounts at home. Eventually, she was taking multiple spoonfuls a day, unable to sleep through the night without it. Then Beutler came across a podcast where people shared their harrowing stories of kratom addiction. She quit that day. "The next three to five days was probably the worst I've ever physically felt," she says. "I was sweating through my bedsheets that night. I was taking multiple baths a night, because my restless legs were so bad. I felt like I was going almost psychotic." The pain of withdrawal has kept many people trapped in the cycle of addiction. One man in Colorado says he got addicted to kratom after mistaking it for an alternative to coffee. The man, who requested his name be withheld out fear that sharing his story could harm his business, said the withdrawals were terrible. He couldn't afford to go to rehab, so he took time off work to go through it at home. "It was really rough," he says. "I had restless legs and felt like I had the flu, and I was freezing cold for 10 days or so and zero energy. I felt like I was 80 years old." Lucy, a mother in rural California who asked her last name be withheld to protect her child's privacy, has been on and off kratom for about four years. Her longest stretch without it has been eight months. She can't even drive on the same street as shops that sell kratom − the pull of addiction is that strong. "I don't think everyone is afflicted with the disease of addiction," she says. "Obviously, there are people who can pick up substances and put them down and be fine. But I don't think kratom is a miracle drug by any means. It's hippie heroin. That's all it is." 'I'm going to get my life back' On the other side of withdrawal, however, is hope. Since going to rehab, Maloney hasn't had kratom in the past year. She has started rebuilding her life, slowly but surely. She bought her first car. She hits the gym and has recovered her body weight − now 145 pounds. She also has healed her relationship with her daughters, whom she lets give her random drug tests − whatever it takes to earn their trust back. As she speaks on the phone with us on a July afternoon, she's looking forward to picking up one of her daughters on the way to the gym. Maloney is still struggling with the financial fallout of her addiction, but she believes that, one day, that will be fixed too. "I'm in debt, but you know what? I'm coming back," she says. "There's no doubt in my mind I'm going to get my life back better than ever. I might be living in an apartment basement with my four dogs, but you know what? I've got my life. I've got my kids. I've got my parents. I've got everybody. I've got more than anybody could hope for." She also sees the FDA's announcement as a silver lining, though she's skeptical kratom will ever disappear entirely. After the FDA's news conference, "I almost started crying," she says. "It will save a lot of lives. I think it will. It'll save a lot of marriages, probably. And a lot of homes. But what are they going to come out with next?" For resources or support with substance use disorder, visit or call 1-800-662-HELP (4357). (This story was updated to include video.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kratom is sold at gas stations. Their addictions nearly killed them
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
What is kava? Major warnings issued on TikTok about ‘Feel Free' drinks amid kratom products ban in Louisiana
Experts and social media users are alerting the public about 'Feel Free' tonics and other items that include kratom, a chemical that resembles opioids, as per NBC News. Feel Free drinks are supplied in two-ounce containers. A serving size is one ounce, according to the label, and consumers should not take more than two ounces in a 24-hour period, according to NBC News. (X@KJovian) This comes as FDA warns that products made from kratom, a plant found in Southeast Asia, are becoming more common in gas stations, corner stores, and vape shops countrywide. The drug is frequently used to 'self-treat conditions such as pain, coughing, diarrhea, anxiety and depression, opioid use disorder, and opioid withdrawal,' the FDA stated. University of Minnesota Medical School addiction medicine specialist Dr. Robert Levy told NBC News that he has "many times" handled patients who became addicted to kratom. Also Read: Kratom rise sparks concerns over addiction amid RFK Jr's 7-OH crackdown; What is it and how it impacts your health What is kava or kratom? Although kava and/or kratom-based drinks have been promoted as mood enhancers and energy boosters, some customers claim that the items are causing addiction. If kava is used frequently to treat anxiety, stress, or sleep issues, people may become psychologically dependent on it. According to Crestview Recovery, this might result in increased tolerance, minor withdrawal symptoms, compulsive usage, responsibility neglect, and trouble cutting back on use. Warnings spread on TikTok about 'Feel Free' drinks Last month, TikToker Misha Brown shared a video that went viral, showing how a child approached him at a petrol station and requested him to buy a Feel Free tonic, a kratom-containing beverage. Brown claimed that after he declined, the boy attempted to take his wallet but was unsuccessful in his attempt. The clerk at the gas station then informed Brown that she frequently witnesses the same consumers purchasing the same beverage several times throughout the day. 'It's so addictive, and people lose their minds,' Brown claimed the cashier informed him. Speaking about the viral video, Brown told NBC News, individuals started sharing their own 'devastating experiences' after using kratom products like Feel Free. John, a TikToker who has shared content on Feel Free after battling with heroin and meth addictions, claimed to have found the tonic when he was eight years sober. NBC News John in a bid to preserve his identity. John admitted to the source that he developed an addiction and started devouring entire Feel Free cases in a single day. In February, he was admitted to the hospital for severe withdrawal symptoms as he attempted to stop using Feel Free. Feel Free tonics are supplied in two-ounce containers. A serving size is one ounce, according to the label, and consumers should not take more than two ounces in a 24-hour period, according to NBC News. In addition, the label cautions that the product can lead to habit formation and suggests that people who have previously abused substances should think twice before using it. Here's what Botanic Tonics said Botanic Tonics, the company that produces Feel Free, said in a statement to The Independent that the NBC News piece featured "false and misleading statements" and that they had not received any complaints about serious addiction. Earlier, Botanic Tonics settled a class action lawsuit alleging the firm failed to alert users about the risks of kratom in 2023 for $8.75 million. The company settled the claim without acknowledging any wrongdoing. Ban on kratom products in Louisiana. Are items made from kava prohibited in the state? The Louisiana House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 154 (SB154), which would outlaw the distribution and possession of kratom. The House cleared SB154 by a vote of 87 to 6. Since the Senate has already approved the bill, it now needs to be signed into law by Governor Jeff Landry. SB154 would designate mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine as Schedule 1 drugs, which are chemicals that are currently not approved for use in medicine in the United States and are thought to have a high potential for misuse. According to the bill, it would also make it illegal to produce, distribute, or possess kratom. Although Louisiana has implemented laws pertaining to the distribution and possession of kratom, the state has not outlawed the sale of kava products. Nonetheless, several parishes have imposed local prohibitions, and state-level rules have been put into effect.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
The drink with opioid-like effects being sold over the counter
Social media users and experts are warning about the opioid-like substance kratom, found in products like Feel Free tonics, which are increasingly available in various retail outlets. The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned against kratom's use for self-treatment and its potential for abuse, with addiction medicine specialists reporting numerous cases of dependency. Personal accounts, including viral TikTok videos, highlight severe addiction to Feel Free tonics, with one user detailing hospitalisation due to withdrawal symptoms. Botanic Tonics, Feel Free's maker, denies widespread addiction claims. In 2023, it settled an $8.75 million lawsuit for failing to warn consumers about kratom's risks but did not admit wrongdoing by settling the lawsuit. While the FDA recommends controlling a concentrated kratom byproduct, natural kratom leaf products are unaffected; however, rare deaths have been associated with kratom, including a case where a family attributes their son's death to it.
NBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- NBC News
Social media warnings spread about herbal tonic ‘Feel Free'
Some social media users are warning about the herbal supplement 'Feel Free,' which contains kava root that is touted for its relaxing effects, and kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia that's known for its stimulant and opioid-like effects. The company that makes 'Feel Free,' Botanic Tonics, tells NBC News that out of roughly 130 milling servings sold, they've received fewer than 1,000 consumer adverse event complaints. NBC News' Maya Eaglin has the 10, 2025
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Mom Becomes Addicted to Feel Free Energy Shot, Consuming 8 a Day: 'I Couldn't Stop' (Exclusive)
The supplement, which contains kratom and is sold at gas stations, "will ruin you financially, mentally," Lauren Albert claimsNEED TO KNOW Lauren Albert started drinking Feel Free, a kratom and cava-infused supplement widely available at gas stations She soon began drinking 8 energy shots a day, she says, and became so addicted that she now still takes Suboxone, a prescription medication for opioid abuse Lauren claims Feel Free ruined her mental and financial health and derailed her sobriety journeyAt first, Lauren Albert thought the small blue bottle of Feel Free was a 'fabulous replacement' for alcohol. The mom of three never sought out the energy shot, which is marketed as a "plant-based herbal supplement." But when she went away with family to celebrate her sister's birthday in September 2023, the Airbnb host gifted the family some bottles of Feel Free in lieu of wine. When Lauren, now 30, tried Feel Free, 'I just felt a wave of euphoria wash over me,' she tells PEOPLE exclusively. 'That one time is all it took for me.' Lauren, who lives in Pleasant Hill, Calif., said on the way home from the Airbnb, she stopped to pick up another bottle, which is readily available at gas stations and convenience stores. At the time, she was sober and remembers thinking, 'I really miss drinking, and this is a great replacement and it's not making me visibly messed up,' she said. 'It scratched the itch." Feel Free is made with leaf kratom product — an ingredient the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has listed as a "Drug and Chemical of Concern." It can lead to addiction, the DEA says, and can cause euphoric or sedative effects, depending on the dose. It retails for $8 to $10 per shot. Kratom is often bought as pills, or in powdered form — and it's currently under fire as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, is moving to ban 7-OH, a concentrated version of kratom. Per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it's 'a potent opioid that poses an emerging public health threat.' In a statement to PEOPLE, manufacturer Botanic Tonics said the company "does not use extracts or isolates. Leaf kratom is different than concentrated 7-OH,' and "We support the FDA announcement" to ban 7-OH. "Botanic Tonics is leading the industry in our commitment to providing consumer education and transparency and we will continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of our customers above all else," the company said. "Highlights of our efforts include voluntarily implementing substantial improvements to our product labeling. Additionally, we voluntarily raised the minimum purchase age for all products to 21+ and added visible serving size indicators, clearer ingredient information, and comprehensive warnings. " In a July 29 statement, the FDA issued a warning against kratom — in all forms — citing "the risk of serious adverse events, including liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder." The agency noted that newborns who were exposed to kratom in the womb exhibited withdrawal symptoms. "Kratom is not appropriate for use as a dietary supplement," the agency said. Christine Carter, director of medical services at Sana Lake Recovery in Missouri, and who has treated many patients addicted to Feel Free, agrees with the FDA. She says the version of the drug doesn't matter. 'You're still acting on the same receptors, whether it's a leaf-based or whatever form of kratom.' Lauren says at the start of her Feel Free addiction, she was drinking one bottle a day — and then quickly moved up to two. By December, Lauren was drinking up to eight bottles of Feel Free a day, spending thousands on the product. Carter tells PEOPLE that because 'kratom acts on your opioid receptors, it can cause dependence and it can cause withdrawal symptoms — no different than using opioids.' As she explains, "if you take it at a lower dose, you can have more of that stimulant effect, and if you take it at higher doses, [it] can be more euphoric or sedative. We generally see more of the euphoric [effect] when they come in for admission." For Lauren, the addiction was immediate: 'As soon as it started to wear off, I'm like 'I gotta get more.' ' She said when she would go without Feel Free, she'd feel 'very lethargic, cranky … just shaky, sweaty, tired, can't really see straight or think straight until you get that back in your body.' She decided to quit after struggling financially to support her Feel Free habit. 'It was very financially stressful because I was spending way more on those that I was making. I was just wasting my life, and all my resources, but I couldn't stop.' Her husband Cameron realized the extent of her addiction when he began to discover empty bottles of Feel Free around the house. 'I knew I couldn't quit on my own,' says Lauren, 'I think I was subconsciously trying to get caught." It took suboxone — a prescription medication used to treat opioid addiction — to help Lauren stop buying the shots. But the Feel Free, she says, triggered a relapse in her sobriety, and this time, Lauren began using cocaine "because it wasn't alcohol.' Two stints in rehab followed. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "It was 100% the Feel Free that kicked off the whole thing, 'cause I was totally sober before that,' she says. 'I didn't start doing any other drugs until like a couple of months into the Feel Free journey.' Lauren is far from alone in her struggle; There's a subreddit devoted to Feel Free addiction, r/QuittingFeelFree, and a larger community r/QuittingKratom, with more than 50,000 members. Many posters say they started on Feel Free as an alternative to alcohol. However, Botanic Tonics tells PEOPLE in a statement, 'This product is not marketed as or positioned as an alcohol alternative." Yet in 2023, a class action lawsuit alleged that the company posted social media ads with the hashtag #alcoholalternative, per CBS News. The supplement has become very popular in the last six months, Carter says. When you look at the ingredients in Feel Free, she tells PEOPLE, "you're playing on the same receptors in your brain that you would if you were taking opioids or taking benzodiazepines [marketed as Valium or Xanax] or drinking alcohol ... you're not doing anything good for yourself." Now six months sober, Lauren shares the story of her recovery — from alcohol, hard drugs, and the little blue bottles you can buy anywhere — on TikTok at @pinnkcloudcontent: 'I have like I feel a moral duty to get this out there,' she tells PEOPLE. 'This is something you need to steer clear of. It will ruin you financially, mentally. It'll put you into withdrawals. It is no better than any other drug. It's just as bad.' If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP. Read the original article on People
