Kava and Kratom Withdrawal: Why "Kava" Withdrawal Is Often Kratom, What Each Feels Like, and Why Kava Will Not Get You Off Kratom

Kava rarely causes withdrawal on its own. A 2026 report in Clinical Toxicology says plainly that kava is not usually linked to physical dependence, and published cases of kava withdrawal are rare.

Kava comes from the root of a Pacific island plant. Its active compounds, kavalactones, have a calming effect. It is sold as a drink and as a supplement, often as an alternative to alcohol.

The bigger known risk of kava is not withdrawal but the liver. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says kava products have been linked to rare cases of liver injury. Some were serious, and some were fatal. It also says kava may help some kinds of anxiety but does not appear to help generalized anxiety disorder.

So if someone who drinks a lot of “kava” gets sick when they stop, the first question is what was really in the bottle.

Source: Kava, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, updated April 2025.

Kratom withdrawal feels much like a milder opioid withdrawal: muscle aches and spasms, trouble sleeping, a runny nose and watery eyes, hot flashes, diarrhea, and restlessness, irritability and low mood.

Kratom comes from the leaves of a Southeast Asian tree. The National Institute on Drug Abuse explains that its main compound, mitragynine, and the stronger 7-OH both act on mu-opioid receptors, the same target as heroin and oxycodone. The effects only partly match those drugs.

A study of 293 regular kratom users in Malaysia measured dependence and withdrawal directly. More than half of those who had used for over six months had severe dependence. Common physical symptoms were muscle spasms and pain, trouble sleeping, watery eyes and nose, hot flashes, fever, poor appetite and diarrhea. Common emotional symptoms were restlessness, tension, anger, sadness and nervousness. People who drank three or more glasses a day had the worst dependence and withdrawal.

The FDA also describes physical dependence and withdrawal in people who use kratom, and withdrawal in newborns exposed before birth. Concentrated 7-OH products are stronger still. The 7-OH withdrawal page covers those.

Source: Kratom, National Institute on Drug Abuse; Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) dependence, withdrawal symptoms and craving in regular users, Singh, Müller and Vicknasingam, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014; FDA and Kratom, U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Kratom withdrawal is usually treated like opioid withdrawal, most often with buprenorphine. A 2021 review found that 89.5 percent of addiction doctors who had treated kratom dependence on its own had used buprenorphine.

The review, published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal, pulled together every report it could find on long-term treatment for what it called kratom use disorder. It also surveyed members of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Most reports used buprenorphine. A few used naltrexone or methadone. All reported good outcomes. The authors concluded that the medications used for opioid use disorder should also be used for moderate to severe kratom use disorder.

Comfort medicine helps with the rest: aches, diarrhea and sleep. As with opioids, tolerance drops after detox, so a return to a concentrated product can hit harder than expected. The opioid detox page explains how buprenorphine is started.

Source: Pharmacotherapy for Management of ‘Kratom Use Disorder’: A Systematic Literature Review With Survey of Experts, Wisconsin Medical Journal, 2021.

Briarwood admits and medically detoxes kratom and 7-OH dependence, using the same approach as opioid detox: an assessment first, buprenorphine when it fits, and comfort medicine around the clock.

The assessment asks exactly what was used, including the brand and the bottle. A product sold as kava may need opioid treatment. A kava and kratom blend may need treatment for two withdrawals. Someone who also drinks alcohol or takes benzodiazepines needs a plan for those too, because those withdrawals can cause seizures. The worst drug to detox from page explains why.

Inpatient detox runs in Austin and Houston. Briarwood is a detox center, not a hospital, so someone with hallucinations, confusion or a seizure needs an emergency room first. The step after detox is arranged before discharge, and buprenorphine can continue as ongoing treatment. Cost and insurance covers what a stay costs. Admissions answers at every hour.