Is kratom going to hurt my liver over the long term

[Moxie53]

I had an issue with elevated liver enzymes a couple months ago. I had labs drawn and one result was high enzymes.(this was for a non Kratom related issue) 2 weeks later my PCP informed me of this result and had me re-test. I told him of my Kratom use, as it was the only new substance I was putting in my body. Average of 4 days/week, 3G dosage. Second lab result; still elevated.
AST 150 ALT 249 ALK 164. Recommended I stop Kratom and get retested in one month. Those results came back normal.
So, other than the blood levels, I had NO symptoms. No yellow eyes/skin,dark urine, fatigue, nausea, itchiness. Nothing! What do you think is going on?

[whiffypants]

Hi Moxie! Without being a doctor and seeing your lab results it's actually impossible for me to say, because -many- things can cause elevated liver enzymes, even a slight infection like a cold or a big bruise can do it.

So the question for you would be to think about it and see if you weren't feeling well or had other issues that could have been causing the elevated labs, wait for those issues to subside or resolve, try kratom again, and then a month to six weeks later get tested again. That is the only way to know for sure; anything else is speculation, even on the part of your doctor, just because it's a best guess and not backed up by tests.

You don't say how long you'd been taking kratom prior to this event, but if it was more than six weeks without a problem you're probably safe. The people who have the genetic inability to process kratom tend to have -severe- symptoms.

TL;DR: Probably not kratom but who am I to say; give it a while, make sure you're in a place of good health, try it again, and then have your liver enzymes retested to know for sure one way or the other. Good luck!

[Moxie53]

Sorry I forget to add some pertinent information. I had been using Kratom for close to 4 months before I had the first lab work done in early June.

[whiffypants]

No problem, Moxie. I'm just sorry I couldn't give you better/more specific information.

If it's okay with you, I'm going to move this over to the General Kratom Discussion area -- you'll get a lot more views that way, and maybe someone with more direct experience will be able to give you better insights. Thanks!

[killzallx2]

If you are to go back to kratom, I would recommend filtering out the sludge, hence, making kratom tea instead

[whiffypants]

Oh yeah, great idea! Good call, Killz!

[Moxie53]

If you are to go back to kratom, I would recommend filtering out the sludge, hence, making kratom tea instead

Thanks for the input. I have switched to brewing a tea with either crushed leaf or powder. I filter the powder through a white sock. The sludge looks like mucky river bottom. Cut down usage to 2-3 times a month until I get retested. Wish me luck!!

[tfribourg69]

Kratom has not been shown to have any impact on liver values. Your doctor probably knows less about it than you do, so it's easy for them to blame some unknown variable for the raised enzymes

Been taking kratom for years, never had an impact on bloods. What will affect them however is hydration, weightlifting/exercise, and protein intake to a certain extent.

Unless they are catastrophically high for extended periods of time no harm will be done. The liver is very resilient

What's ur height/weight/diet like

[baglicker]

I was going to have my blood drawn to see about this myself, but an unexpected ER visit took care of it for me. (Gallbladder attack) I take around 20-30 grams a day, every day now for over 6 months. No elevated liver numbers. I asked specifically for those results and they were within normal limits. I know everyone's different, but it's unlikely that kratom specifically caused any serious issues with your liver, at least in the short term. We would have heard about it, when something is causing issues for people, connections to unusual habits are made very quickly. Kratom is not a common habit. Definitely investigate other causes, there are so many when it comes to the liver. Good luck and do keep us posted.