7-OH Users Are Stockpiling and Doing Reddit Detoxes to Prep for Ban
Users of the opioid-like compound 7-OH are stockpiling the substance ahead of a planned DEA ban that will classify it as a Schedule I drug. Many users, including those managing chronic pain, fear the loss of access to a substance they claim is essential for their daily functioning.
Why it matters
The regulation of kratom-derived compounds highlights the ongoing tension between public health safety and the needs of individuals managing chronic pain.
The 36-year-old upstate New York resident woke up hospitalized in late September after a month in a coma. “I broke every rib, every vertebrae. My pelvis was completely shattered,” says Cam, who asked to be identified by his first name because he is discussing drug use. He needed a spinal fusion and was unable to return to his job in car parts manufacturing.
“I was in pain 24/7,” Cam says.
He needed serious painkillers, and he says the 15 milligrams of oxycodone a day he was prescribed wasn’t cutting it.
“I didn't sleep for months. I would literally scream in agony, like crying, screaming uncontrollably,” he says. (Dosing for opioids can vary greatly depending on a person’s tolerance and pain level, but 15 mg is not considered a high dose—and Cam notes he used to take “20 times that” when he struggled with addiction in the past.)
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