Quick Answer: Kratom overdose symptoms include extreme drowsiness, slow or shallow breathing, bluish lips, confusion, a racing heart, and seizures. Call 911 right away if someone can’t be woken, struggles to breathe, or has a seizure. For anything less severe, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, any time, day or night.

Why Is a Kratom Overdose So Easy to Miss?

Kratom affects the body differently depending on the dose and the product.

At lower doses, many people feel more alert and talkative. At higher doses, kratom’s main compound, mitragynine, acts on the brain’s opioid receptors, the same ones targeted by drugs like oxycodone. That’s when it causes pain relief, heavy sedation, and slowed breathing.

Because of this, an overdose doesn’t look the same in everyone. One person might seem wired and panicky, with a pounding heart. Another might seem like they’re simply very tired. The second is often more dangerous, because people let someone “sleep it off” while their breathing slows.

What Are the Symptoms of a Kratom Overdose?

Kratom overdose symptoms depend partly on the dose and the product. Most serious cases involve the body slowing down, but some people become agitated instead. Someone who mixed kratom with alcohol or other drugs may show signs of both.

Signs the body is slowing down:

• Extreme drowsiness, or being hard to wake
• Slow or shallow breathing
• Pale, gray, or bluish lips and fingertips
• Very small pupils
• Confusion

Signs of agitation:

• Restlessness or anxiety
• A racing or pounding heart
• Sweating
• Shaking or tremors

Nausea and vomiting can happen with either.

Doctors and Poison Control staff may call this kratom poisoning or kratom toxicity. Kratom poisoning symptoms are the same signs listed above.

Call 911 immediately if the person:

• Can’t be woken up, or keeps drifting off while you talk to them
• Is breathing slowly, irregularly, or making gurgling or snoring sounds
• Has bluish or gray lips or fingertips
• Has a seizure
• Collapses, even if they come around quickly

For milder symptoms, like nausea, jitteriness, or a fast heartbeat in someone who is awake and talking, call Poison Control. Experts there can tell you whether the person needs the ER. If anything gets worse while you wait, call 911.

Are Kratom Extracts and 7-OH Products More Dangerous?

Yes. Many recent overdoses involve 7-OH products rather than traditional kratom leaf. 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) is a compound found in tiny amounts in the kratom plant. It’s also made in the body as kratom is broken down. Manufacturers now concentrate it into tablets, gummies, and liquid shots.

People who switch from leaf powder to a 7-OH product often keep their old habits, such as taking a similar number of doses. With a far stronger product, that can be enough to slow breathing.

The risk is higher when kratom is combined with other sedating substances. Mixing kratom or 7-OH with alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, or sleep medications can slow breathing even further.

In October 2026, the DEA issued updated proposals to temporarily classify certain concentrated 7-OH products as Schedule I substances, while distinguishing them from traditional botanical kratom.

When Should You Call 911, and What Should You Do While Waiting?

Call 911 first, even if you don’t know what the person took or how much. You don’t need to be sure it’s an overdose to make the call.

When the dispatcher answers, tell them what’s happening.

For example: 

“My friend may have overdosed on kratom. They’re not waking up. They took a 7-OH tablet about an hour ago, and they may also have been drinking.” 

Mention the product name and anything else they may have taken, if you know.

Keep the packaging with you. The product name and strength help paramedics and ER staff.

While you wait for help:

1. Give naloxone (Narcan) if you have it. Use it if the person is unresponsive or breathing abnormally, following the package instructions.
2. Follow the dispatcher’s instructions. They may walk you through rescue breathing or CPR.
3. Put them on their side if they’re breathing but not awake. This keeps the airway clear if they vomit.
4. Stay with them and watch their breathing. Don’t leave them alone to “sleep it off.”
5. Don’t make them vomit or give them food, drinks, or coffee. These don’t help and can cause choking.

Does Naloxone Work on Kratom?

It can help. Naloxone blocks opioid receptors, so it can reverse the slowed breathing caused by kratom’s opioid-like effects. It won’t stop a seizure, calm a racing heart, or undo the effects of alcohol or other sedatives mixed in.

Naloxone can also wear off before kratom or 7-OH does. Someone can wake up, seem fine, and stop breathing well again an hour later. That’s why anyone who needs naloxone should still go to the emergency room, even if they insist they feel better.

How Is a Kratom Overdose Treated in the Emergency Room?

There’s no antidote made specifically for kratom, so kratom overdose treatment focuses on keeping the body stable while the drug wears off.

Depending on the kratom overdose symptoms, ER staff may:

• Monitor breathing, oxygen levels, heart rhythm, and blood pressure.
• Give oxygen or, in severe cases, breathing support.
• Give more naloxone if breathing slows again.
• Treat seizures, agitation, or a racing heart with medication.
• Keep the person for observation, especially after breathing problems.

Kratom and 7-OH usually don’t show up on standard hospital drug screens. A negative test doesn’t mean kratom wasn’t involved. That’s why the product name, the amount, and the timing you give the ER team matter so much.

If you’re worried this could happen again, Wise Path’s admissions team can talk through what happened, confidentially, at 866-860-9772.

Can a Kratom Overdose Be a Sign of Addiction?

It can be. For people who use kratom regularly, kratom overdose symptoms may point to growing dependence. 

Signs include:

• Needing more kratom, or a stronger product, to feel the same effect.
• Switching from leaf powder to 7-OH tablets, gummies, or shots.
• Taking kratom to avoid withdrawal rather than for how it feels.
• Trying to cut back and not being able to.

How Wise Path Recovery Centers Helps People Stop Using Kratom

Wise Path Recovery Centers is a Joint Commission-accredited treatment provider that helps adults across West Virginia stop using kratom and other substances safely. Our team includes physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, and licensed clinical social workers.

Stopping kratom suddenly after heavy use can bring on opioid-like withdrawal. Our medically supervised detox in Morgantown and Williamson manages those symptoms around the clock. After detox, care continues through residential, outpatient, and virtual IOP programs, with care for depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns in the same plan.

You don’t need to be in crisis or have decided to quit before calling. Our admissions team can answer questions confidentially and check your insurance, including West Virginia Medicaid. Call 866-860-9772 today.

FAQs About Kratom Overdose