Dynamic Topic Modeling of Kratom Use and Experiences: Insights on 13 Years of Reddit Discussions

Traditionally used in Southeast Asia for common ailments, kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is increasingly being adopted in other regions for the self-treatment of pain and mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder) in absence of clinical supervision and with several toxicities. To gain better insight into the experiences, the motivations, and the patterns underlying kratom use, previous studies have analyzed material shared among users on social media. However, these investigations often employed manual labeling and categorizations, which constrain scalability and make it difficult to analyze larger datasets. The present work aimed to further enhance the current knowledge in the field by utilizing a natural language processing approach (BERTopic) to extract prominent topics of discussion from a large dataset of kratom-related Reddit posts made between 2010 to 2023 (n = 188,139 posts). Dynamic Topic Modeling was also implemented to analyze how discussions about these topics evolved over time. From the results, users discussed topics including usage of other substances for unsupervised management of kratom withdrawal symptoms, drug testing for kratom use, kratom consumption methods, logistic issues (e.g., bringing kratom on flights and receiving kratom via mail), tapering off the use of kratom, and providing support to others who are in the process of quitting kratom. The current study supports the need of clinical trials as well as new ecological insights into experiences of kratom users, while supporting the implementation of new policies to regulate its usage.