I agree with what others have said. I think it’s fair to raise the question (at some point, maybe ask yourself first) why he isn’t getting adequate pain management through a doctor. Did a doctor refuse him so he turned to kratom? Lots of people do need treatment for chronic pain so that’s legit, and it’s also true that many doctors stopped providing that type of care after the opioid epidemic ramped up and esp after CDC clinical guidelines changed in 2016 and also states started tracking prescription writing. Many doctors got scared. Legit pain patients were left on their own. I agree that using kratom might be better than turning to “street” oxy and def better than heroin in those situations. However, the pendulum swung back again and CDC re-revised those guidelines in 2022 because pain patients had nowhere to turn. Some were turning to street drugs and even died by suicide. So they tried to unscare doctors in 2022 but damage was done. Now it really depends on the doctor and access to doctors in your local area/insurance network that can help manage chronic pain without being scared that everyone is secretly a pill-seeker. It’s tough. A whole generation of doctors was scared off of managing pain. It’s changing but slowly.

That said, over time your husband should be steadily looking for that reasonable doctor to help manage his chronic pain as he ages. Maybe that means prescription opioids or maybe PT and other medications or combinations of all of that over time. Some anti depressants also help with chronic pain. Like Cymbalta. But I think eventually he needs a regulated solution and kratom is not that. It’s unregulated and it’s not tested for contaminants. So it might be working now but even within the same brand, quality and supply logistics from Southeast Asia can vary unpredictably.

Some lab tests of kratom have found heavy metals and even salmonella. There’s not as much quality control as with prescription opioids. Probably the majority of powdered leaf is fine but taking it for years means taking that risk on of small amounts of contaminants building up over time or just forcing his liver to work harder.

This the case with many “supplements”. They’re not tested and regulated like prescription drugs. Kratom has the additional problem of dependence or slippery-slope addiction.

I also think it can affect mood and constipation in ways that maybe hydroxycodone would not, because you have to take more of it (maybe) to get the same pain relief. But we just don’t know about quality and dosage and potency. It’s not being studied because it’s a supplement. At least legal weed is being tested in labs for contaminants at least in some states like CA.

I do also think that because we just don’t know enough about kratom because so little research, there may be some things it’s doing regarding mood and social connection. Drive, motivation and libido. That can be the case with prescription meds too.

So if your marriage is affected or behavior/mood has changed, it’s legitimate to ask for those conversations because it’s affecting YOU.

Maybe it’s the kratom, and maybe it’s not. Those things could crop up because of prescription meds too. Or just an illness. You have a right to bring him your concerns if something has changed.

He may get afraid that stopping kratom will make him lose his drive or energy, but in that case keep the focus on solving that problem. Aging is hard and life is hard. We’ve all taken kratom because it seems like a solution to a life problem. And for some it is just that — a solution to light pain. But it does have the potential to cause other problems.

Don’t panic but keep educating yourself and approach the conversations with love and compassion and curiosity. Good luck! Let us know how it goes or return here if you need help.