WARNING: This article contains discussion of medications that some readers may find distressing.
A MUM has issued a warning after her son died after taking a popular ‘natural’ supplement for just six weeks.
Robert ‘Wyatt’ Wheeler, 27, tragically passed away in October 2022, less than two months after he began using the popular supplement Kratom.
And this wasn’t the first death linked to the supplement, healthy 37-year-old Jordan McKibban was another unfortunate victim.
Kratom is a plant considered part of the coffee family, grown in Southeast Asia. It is often used by people to self-treat conditions such as anxiety, depression, opioid misuse, or withdrawal symptoms.
While some have had success using it in low doses, others have faced disastrous results. Kratom has been nicknamed ‘gas station heroin’ due to the risks associated with it and its widespread availability in the United States, where it can be found at gas stations, vape stores, and online.
Although Kratom is considered dangerous, it is still widely sold in the United States (Getty Stock).
The plant is banned in the UK, but manufacturers have avoided the restrictions by identifying it as a food, despite the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) making it clear that it is ‘not suitable for use as a dietary supplement’.
The DEA also classified the substance as a “drug and chemical of concern,” saying it can lead to addiction.
And now Wyatt’s mother, Patti, has teamed up with a documentarian to create a new film. Kratom: May Contain Side EffectsShe and other affected families share the loss they have suffered from the controversial supplement.
Jordan McKibban also died after taking kratom (mctlaw)
Speaking to PEOPLE, she said: said: “He sought out this kratom alternative to give himself an edge during parties. We had no way of knowing if it was as addictive as it was.”
Just two weeks after Wyatt put his mother’s mind at ease after discovering supplements in her bathroom, he suffered a seizure and died as his twin brother desperately tried to save his life.
The FDA has likely encountered a wide range of side effects associated with the supplement, listing potential problems including nausea, itching, sweating, dry mouth, constipation, increased urination, tachycardia, vomiting, drowsiness, and loss of appetite. Kratom users have also experienced anorexia, weight loss, insomnia, hepatotoxicity, seizures, and hallucinations.
Patti said: “It’s not pretty at all. It’s cramping…people are biting their tongues and it’s bleeding. I’ve heard the stories. I know what my son Gannon went through that day.”
Although she faced some backlash from supplement supporters, she made it clear that she would not be deterred because she was convinced her warning could help save lives.
“I’m in this to save lives. I want to avoid that for other people. I don’t want them to follow the path my son did. I want people to be able to identify kratom,” she said.
