Warnings spread on TikTok about ‘Feel Free’ drinks that contain kratom, which has opioid-like effects
The drink with opioid-like effects being sold over the counter
- Social media users and experts are warning about the opioid-like substance kratom, found in products like Feel Free tonics, which are increasingly available in various retail outlets.
- The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned against kratom's use for self-treatment and its potential for abuse, with addiction medicine specialists reporting numerous cases of dependency.
- Personal accounts, including viral TikTok videos, highlight severe addiction to Feel Free tonics, with one user detailing hospitalisation due to withdrawal symptoms.
- Botanic Tonics, Feel Free's maker, denies widespread addiction claims. In 2023, it settled an $8.75 million lawsuit for failing to warn consumers about kratom's risks but did not admit wrongdoing by settling the lawsuit.
- While the FDA recommends controlling a concentrated kratom byproduct, natural kratom leaf products are unaffected; however, rare deaths have been associated with kratom, including a case where a family attributes their son's death to it.