Users of kratom alkaloid 7-OH describe addiction, withdrawal symptoms via online support groupUsers of kratom alkaloid 7-OH describe addiction, withdrawal symptoms via online support group
Members of a rapidly growing online support group for consumers of products containing 7-OH, an alkaloid of kratom, describe serious side effects of use, including symptoms of addiction and withdrawal.
January 22, 2025

At a Glance
- A subreddit offers support for those struggling with 7-OH addiction and recovery.
- Many consumers report severe withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety and insomnia, when discontinuing use of 7-OH.
Hundreds of users of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), an alkaloid of kratom, are sharing experiences of addiction and painful withdrawal in an online Reddit community.
The “quitting7oh” Reddit community was started July 2024 with the goal of providing help “getting clean off 7oh,” according to a description on the subreddit page. Less than a year later, the community, which describes itself as a “7oh kratom recovery group,” has more than 800 members.
Reddit is a social media platform that comprises thousands of “communities” where users share images and information, ask questions and respond to posts from other members. Each community, called a “subreddit,” appears as a thread of posts and corresponding comments covering a specific topic. Members are encouraged to interact by posting, commenting and “voting” on content to bring the most relevant information to the top of the page.
According to Eric, 46, a moderator of the quitting7oh subreddit and former consumer of 7-OH, the community added 268 subscribers over 30 days — from Dec. 18, 2024, to Jan. 16, 2025. During that time, the subreddit garnered 134,000 views, an increase of almost 60,000 views compared to the 30 days prior. A total of 245 posts were added to the page in the 30-day period.
Eric, whose last name was not disclosed in this article to protect his identity, found the quitting7oh subreddit in August 2024, when the community had about 10 members, he said. He started moderating the page in September 2024, only a few months after he was first introduced to 7-OH.
“When I first found the subreddit, it was like a ray of hope for me,” Eric told SupplySide Supplement Journal. “Other people have gone through [the process of quitting 7-OH] and they’re telling me what I can expect and they’re telling me ways to make it easier.”
The 7-OH, kratom controversy
Eric started taking 7-OH in June 2024 after a friend who was taking the product recommended it. “When I was first told about it, I was told that it was a kratom extract and I used kratom in the past, so I didn’t really think about the consequences,” he said.
7-OH is an active metabolite of mitragynine, one of the major alkaloids found in kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) that has been isolated and sold as a standalone product. Despite this, experts and lawmakers are leery of the connection between kratom and 7-OH.
In a recent letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, lawmakers contended the semi-synthetic compound has a receptor-binding affinity much higher than mitragynine, raising the possibility of addiction. Likewise, kratom experts raised concerns over the safety of 7-OH in a recent letter to the editor in the journal Addiction, in which they cautioned against translating the safety profiles and pharmacokinetics of kratom leaf powders and extracts to 7-OH.
7-OH also has been the subject of at least one putative class action lawsuit on behalf of consumers who have alleged addiction and financial loss from the products.
Despite the controversy, a number of brands have dipped into the budding 7-OH market, with one marketer calling the product “very disruptive” to the kratom market.
Vince Sanders, the founder and CEO of CBD American Shaman, said in a previous interview that 7-OH is superior to traditional kratom.
“This is buggy manufacturers trying to stop cars,” he told SupplySide Supplement Journal in 2024. “This is traditional telephone providers that don’t want to give up the phone plugged into the wall against a cell phone provider. Technology moves and industries go away.”
A number of 7-OH consumers have reported consuming both kratom and 7-OH, based on review of the quitting7oh subreddit and other 7-OH subreddits. In some cases, subreddit posters like Eric said they consumed kratom before they started taking 7-OH. Others reported using kratom products with high levels of mitragynine to help with 7-OH withdrawals.
Quitting7oh is only one of several communities on Reddit about 7-OH. “7ohTalk,” a different 7-OH subreddit, purports to be a source of “unbiased information and experiences related to all things 7-OH.”
“I was taking a low dose of plain leaf kratom for many years and my smoke shop guy gave me a pack of 7-OH tabs for free awhile back,” one 7ohTalk poster wrote. Many 7-OH consumers reported a similar introduction to 7-OH, according to review of the 7-OH subreddits.
The 7ohTalk poster, who admitted to taking nine tablets of 7-OH per day after starting with one and a half tablets, cautioned, “If you have an addictive personality, I STRONGLY urge you to rethink taking these.”
Subreddit users report symptoms of addiction
Many members of the quitting7oh subreddit reported symptoms of addiction, including dependency on the product, increased tolerance with prolonged use, and withdrawal symptoms when 7-OH use is stopped.
Eric, who described himself as having past “addiction issues,” started using 7-OH daily and was consuming 60 milligrams per day when he started slowly tapering off of 7-OH in December.
“I was exhausted every time I took [7-OH],” he explained in an interview. “I was just barely able to keep my eyes open. I was barely able to think, but I couldn’t fall asleep … I just felt like I was going down a path that was going to cause more problems.”
He also found himself “rushing home from work to take the pill” and letting responsibilities and interests, like household chores and going to the gym, fall by the wayside. “I just wanted to sit on my chair and take the pills … those were kind of red flags for me,” he added.
7-OH is available in tablets and as a powder. The amount of 7-OH users reported taking varied, with some Reddit posters claiming a daily dose as low as 20 mg caused acute withdrawal symptoms after stopping 7-OH. Some users reported far higher intakes: hundreds of grams per day.
“I was on it for 8 months, got up to 300 mg a day in tabs and 7-OH powder,” wrote one Reddit poster who described themselves as a former heroin addict. “I … was clean for 10 years before I started [7-OH] … I will say the withdrawals are similar [to heroin] and the emotional withdrawals may be even worse.”
According to SupplySide Supplement Journal’s review of posts in the quitting7oh page, 7-OH users often employ one of three methods to stop using. Quitting “cold turkey” requires abruptly stopping all use of 7-OH and other opiates. A “rapid taper” involves using Suboxone, a pharmaceutical drug that contains buprenorphine and naloxone and is commonly used to reduce withdrawal symptoms related to opioid use. Conversely, a “slow taper” slowly decreases the user’s daily dose of 7-OH until they are able to stop all use with minimal withdrawal symptoms.
Even when pharmaceuticals are employed, those who stopped 7-OH reported a number of acute withdrawal and post-acute withdrawal symptoms. Some symptoms reported by 7-OH users and shared in the stopping7oh community page include inability to sleep, restless leg syndrome, anxiety, hot and cold flashes, and diarrhea.
Eric said he quit 7-OH two times. The first time, he had been taking between 15 and 30 mg 7-OH daily and stopped consuming 7-OH “cold turkey.” He described the withdrawals as “basic opioid withdrawal symptoms,” involving anxiety, tremors, twitches in his hand, sweating, and hot and cold flashes. More recently, he slowly tapered his daily dose over about 30 days, resulting in withdrawals that he described as “pretty mild.”
Nootropics, natural products for relief
Some Reddit posters pointed to nootropics and other natural products to help with recovery after 7-OH withdrawal.
One user pointed to 9-Methyl-β-carboline (9-Me-BC), a chemical compound derived from the family of beta-carbolines that has made inroads in research for treatment of Parkinson’s disease and for its nootropic effects. The research shows, in part, that 9-Me-BC has the potential to regenerate neurons that synthesize and release dopamine. One supplement brand contends the compound “shows great promise in restoring dopamine levels and might be helpful in recovering from hard stimulant use.”
Another Reddit poster suggested magnesium powder, chamomile tea and ashwagandha to help with sleep, one of the most common and longest-lasting effects of 7-OH withdrawal as reported by the Reddit community members.
Recently, one Reddit poster who goes by the name “frankdog1986” highlighted in a post, “I’m finally getting past this,” and suggested he had been off 7-OH for four days.
“It’s possible to get off this stuff. I was terrified everytime [sic] I ran out,” he wrote, adding that he “ruined” his finances and lost his job. “This stuff takes the color out of life.”
The growth of the subreddit community devoted to quitting 7-OH is encouraging, according to its moderator, Eric.
“I’m really happy that the subreddit has grown so much because now there is so much information and so many people willing to help you,” he said. “I would like to think it’s a place of comfort for people who don’t know where to go.”
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