Sunday Nov 30, 2025
175 Melanie Returns to Celebrate a Year Off 7-OH
Melanie (episode 110 from January 2025) returns to celebrate a year off 7-OH (quit date October 27, 2024). She is one of our first guests to discuss getting addicted specifically to 7-hydroxymitragynine products. Melanie also did not have any previous history of disordered substance use prior to this addiction. In follow-up questions after the interview, she texted Charlie the following responses - Melanie:
- Got up to spending $75 to $100 per day on 7-OH right before quitting.
- Took three and half days off of work during her detox.
- Never had withdrawals from mitragynine extract because she never took those daily.
- Getting laid-off from work six months after quitting was not related to her 7-OH addiction, though she did temporarily drink a little more to cope the first month she was unemployed.
Several Statement Clarifications & Sources from Episode
A. Charlie refers to 7-OH being “13 times more potent than morphine”
The often-cited idea that 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) is “~13 times more potent than morphine” comes from receptor-level and animal data, not direct human dose equivalence. It refers to higher potency at the mu-opioid receptor and stronger analgesic effects in preclinical models.
Source: Obeng S. et al. 7-Hydroxymitragynine Is an Active Metabolite of Mitragynine and a Key Mediator of Its Analgesic Effects. ACS Central Science, 2019.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acscentsci.9b00141
B. Melanie and Charlie talk about 7-OH’s “half-life of 3 hours”
Human pharmacokinetic data show that 7-OH has a relatively short half-life (on the order of a few hours, depending on dosing and conditions), so “around three hours” is a reasonable simplification for listeners.
Source: Obeng S. et al. Human Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine Pharmacokinetics after Oral Dosing of a Mitragynine-Rich Kratom Extract. Molecules, 2024; 29(5):984.
https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/29/5/984
C. Melanie says “it’s basically like heroin / legal heroin”
This reflects Melanie’s personal subjective experience with high-potency 7-OH extract products. While 7-OH acts on opioid receptors and can cause dependence and withdrawal, kratom alkaloids differ from heroin in chemical structure, potency, and overdose profile.
Source: Gorelick DA. Kratom: Substance of Abuse or Therapeutic Plant? Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 2022; 45(3):415–430.
https://www.psych.theclinics.com/article/S0193-953X(22)00027-2/fulltext
D. Charlie and Melanie discuss “synthetic kratom”
Kratom leaves naturally contain mitragynine, and after drying and oxidation, trace amounts of 7-OH. Many 7-OH products contain synthetic or semi-synthetic analogs not found in the plant. These products can be far stronger than traditional kratom powder and carry different risks.
Source: Prevete E. et al. A Preliminary Inventory of Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) Products and Vendors on the Darknet and Cryptomarkets. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2024; 56(4):485–495.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2023.2242361
E. Charlie compares 7-OH as “the cocaine of coca”
This analogy is meant to illustrate the difference between a traditional plant product and its purified, concentrated alkaloid such as 7-OH. Coca leaves contain low levels of cocaine alkaloids and have historically been used in relatively mild ways, while cocaine is a chemically isolated, highly potent derivative. By analogy, ultra-potent 7-OH kratom extracts/synthetics are to kratom leaf what cocaine is to coca leaf: a conceptual comparison, not a direct pharmacological equivalence.
Source:
Naranjo PL. Social Function of Coca in Pre-Columbian America. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 1981; 3(2–3):161–172.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0378874181900520
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2 months ago
I mean first and foremost, congrats on kicking the habit either way! I’m not sure this interview hits the more tenured audience but it’s a matter of perspective for the evilness called 7oh and decade’s worth of leaf caps and powders. I would love to get a chance to genuinely talk about this substance and the impact it had/still does in areas, but I’d love to share my knowledge or At least share my experiences which were decades of daily usage and turning to the hardest substance you can get