Feel Free is a wellness-marketed drink that contains kratom and kava. Kratom acts on opioid receptors and can cause dependence and withdrawal with regular use — even though Feel Free is sold over-the-counter at gas stations, smoke shops, and online. Many people have found stopping difficult after daily use. If that’s you, treatment exists.
What is Feel Free?
Feel Free Classic is marketed by Botanic Tonics as a kava-and-kratom product. It is sold in convenience stores, gas stations, smoke shops, and online. Botanic Tonics states that Feel Free Classic contains kava root and kratom leaf, and the company’s own warning says the product contains kratom, can become habit-forming, and should not be used by people with a history of substance abuse.
The marketing emphasizes plant-based wellness and social use. The label discloses kratom as an ingredient.
What does the kratom in Feel Free actually do?
Kratom contains alkaloids, including mitragynine and smaller amounts of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), that interact with mu-opioid receptors. At low doses kratom can be stimulating. At higher doses it produces opioid-like effects: relaxation, mild euphoria, pain relief, and sedation. FDA warns that kratom use has been associated with substance use disorder, tolerance, cravings, withdrawal, liver toxicity, seizures, and rare deaths — often involving other substances. At the same time, FDA also notes that well-designed human research on kratom remains limited, so claims should avoid overstating what is known.
The opioid receptor activity is also why kratom can produce physical dependence and withdrawal. People who use kratom-containing products daily can develop tolerance — needing more to get the same effect — and withdrawal symptoms when they stop. This pattern is described in case series, FDA communications, and patient reports.
What does the kava do?
Kava is different from kratom. It comes from the Pacific island plant Piper methysticum. It is not primarily an opioid-receptor product, and its safety profile is different. NCCIH reports that kava has been linked to rare but sometimes serious or fatal liver injury, digestive upset, dizziness, sedation, and harmful interactions with alcohol, benzodiazepines, and other sedating substances. Kava should not be combined with alcohol, benzodiazepines, or other sedatives.
In Feel Free, the kava contributes to the relaxing effect. The opioid-like dependence and withdrawal concern is mainly tied to the kratom component. Kava has separate safety concerns — especially sedation, drug interactions, and rare liver injury risk.
Can regular Feel Free use lead to dependence?
Yes, for some people. Daily or near-daily use of any kratom-containing product can lead to physical dependence. Patients commonly describe a pattern: started using occasionally for energy or relaxation, gradually increased frequency, started feeling withdrawal between doses, then needing the drink to feel normal.
Withdrawal from kratom typically includes muscle aches, anxiety, insomnia, sweating, irritability, and strong cravings. It can last days to weeks depending on how much and how long you have been using.
What if I want to stop?
Some people taper down on their own and do well. Many find that withdrawal pulls them back to using before the taper completes. This is not a willpower problem — it is a physiological response to the opioid receptor adaptation that kratom causes.
Buprenorphine has been used off-label in case reports and case series for some patients with kratom or 7-OH dependence. This is not the same as saying buprenorphine is FDA-approved for kratom use disorder — it is FDA-approved for opioid dependence/OUD treatment, and any kratom-specific use is off-label. The evidence base is smaller than it is for opioid use disorder, so the decision should be individualized by a clinician.
MyStreetHealth treats kratom and 7-OH dependence by telehealth in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, and DC. Same-day visits often available. Learn about treatment →
Will Feel Free show up on a drug test?
Standard drug screens may not always include kratom. However, specific urine tests for mitragynine — the main kratom alkaloid — do exist (Mayo Clinic and Ohio State’s clinical lab catalogs both list mitragynine/kratom urine testing). A positive mitragynine test indicates recent kratom exposure, but it does not reliably show the dose, the route, or the exact timing of use.
Are kava and kratom the same thing?
No. Kava comes from Piper methysticum and is generally used for calming or anxiolytic effects. Kratom comes from Mitragyna speciosa and contains alkaloids that interact with opioid receptors. Feel Free combines both, which is why the safety discussion needs to cover both ingredients separately.
Why are people searching for Feel Free price or Feel Free drinks near me?
Feel Free is sold online and in some retail settings, which is why people search for price, cost, and nearby availability. This page is not a buying guide. It is a safety guide for people who are using Feel Free, considering stopping, or noticing cravings, tolerance, or withdrawal.
