The medical team closely tracks vital signs, including blood pressure, respiratory rate, and heart rhythm, to quickly identify potential complications related to QT interval prolongation. Following the ingestion of the ibogaine dose, continuous medical observation is an integral part of the safety protocol. Lower doses (1 to 5 milligrams per kilogram) may be used later as “booster” doses to manage residual withdrawal symptoms. The procedure must take place in a specialized clinical setting equipped with emergency medical resources, including ICU proximity and staff trained in advanced cardiac life support.
In the United States, although some cities and states have decriminalized psychedelic chemicals, plants and mushrooms, ibogaine has had minimal legislation, and remains illegal under federal law, as of 2023. As of 2024update, the legal status of ibogaine varies widely among countries, as it may be illegal to possess or use, may be legalized, may be decriminalized, or is under consideration for future legislation. Many of these effects appeared sustainable over a one-month post-discharge follow-up. Cappendijk et al. demonstrated reduction in cocaine self-administration in rats in 1993, and Rezvani reported reduced alcohol dependence in three strains of “alcohol-preferring” rats in 1995.
Injecting Drugs: Health Risks and Social Consequences
They reported reduction in withdrawal symptoms and cravings. One article was a survey describing 27 subjects with an average age of 35 years (gender not reported) suffering from SUD (alcohol or drugs-not specified) taking ibogaine in a home/clandestine setting at an unspecified dosage and mode of intake. Regarding the setting, eleven articles reported intake in a home/clandestine context 45, 46, 59, 50-57, while only five were in medical/clinical settings 4, 47-49, 60. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager Software v 5.4 , comparing ibogaine with any other treatment in DBRCT studies.
They should be aware of the potential for dangerous interactions with other substances, including over-the-counter medications, narcotics, and supplements. Given these risks, individuals considering ibogaine therapy must be thoroughly screened for pre-existing health conditions, particularly those related to the heart and liver. However, large-scale clinical trials are necessary to conclusively support ibogaine’s efficacy and safety.
How is ibogaine used in mental health treatment?
Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment for opioid use disorder, co-occurring substance use disorders, and other ibogaine-responsive conditions. Data demonstrating ibogaine’s efficacy in attenuating opioid withdrawal in drug-dependent human subjects was published by Alper et al. in 1999. The preceding findings suggest a role of opioid receptors but not the NMDA receptor in the effects of ibogaine. In addition, whereas ibogaine and noribogaine bind to κ-opioid receptors, harmala alkaloids like harmine and harmaline show no affinity for these receptors. As with the case of ibogaine, the psychedelic DOM partially substitutes for harmaline and this further supports a role of serotonin 5-HT2A receptor activation in the effects of ibogaine as well as of harmala alkaloids.
- So, are you ready to dive into this fascinating treatment process and take that crucial first step towards change?
- The experience of ibogaine treatment can be psychologically intense, often described as providing deep psychological insights into the root causes of one’s addiction.
- Before you begin, qualified professionals will conduct a thorough health evaluation.
- Orlando Recovery Center offers comprehensive addiction treatment for drug and alcohol addictions and co-occurring mental health conditions.
- Unfortunately, the current legal status of ibogaine has severely limited its research .
Young people and antidepressants: What the science says
The first treated 27 adult subjects, 21 males and 6 females (mean age was 41.2 yrs) suffering from opioid use disorder. Two articles were double-blind, placebo-controlled studies 61, 62. Finally, in terms of adverse events recorded, the most significant reported ones were cardiac adverse events, many of which resulted in death as the main outcome. Death was also a highly represented outcome 45, 50, 52, 54, 55, 57, 58 followed by significant cardiac adverse effects 46, 51, 56, 59. One article reported the intake of 1, 550 mg on day 1 and subsequent inhalation of 5-MeO-DMT on day 3 . In most articles, psychiatric comorbidity was not mentioned; however, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 47, 49, 53, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , and depression were reported.
Sleep and mental health: What the science says
Ibogaine has never been shown to be effective for detoxification in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Union drug-approved clinical trials 34, 35 due to consistent concerns about cardiovascular safety and potential drug interactions , so further research development has been prevented 36, 37. A substantial “medical subculture” has sprung up around ibogaine, and it is currently used to treat addiction in clandestine practices or clinics in countries where it is legally prescribed (New Zealand and Canada) or where its use is unregulated (e.g., Mexico, Thailand, the Netherlands) 12, 33. Indeed, both ibogaine and noribogaine can competitively block the dopamine active transporter (DAT) while they noncompetitively inhibit the serotonin transporter (SERT) 10, 11, showing a high potency as serotonin reuptake inhibitors 5, 12. Ibogaine and noribogaine are psychedelic substances with dissociative properties naturally occurring in plants of the Apocynaceae family. So far, research has primarily focused on its potential benefits through open-label studies, where all participants were aware of the treatment they were receiving.
Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. The study was independently funded by philanthropic gifts from Steve and Genevieve Jurvetson. “I think it targets a unique set of brain mechanisms and can help us better understand how to treat other forms of PTSD, anxiety and depression that aren’t necessarily linked to TBI.” “In addition to treating TBI, I think this may emerge as a broader neuro-rehab drug,” Williams said. The initiative — one of the largest government investments in psychedelic therapy — will provide matching state funds to private investments in ibogaine trials that may lead to FDA approval. I just thought I’d had my bell rung a few times — until the day I forgot my wife’s name,” said Craig, a 52-year-old study participant from Colorado who served 27 years in the U.S.
Understanding Ibogaine Treatment for Addiction: Efficacy and Risks
In 2008, Mačiulaitis and colleagues stated that in the late 1960s, the World Health Assembly classified ibogaine as a “substance likely to cause dependency or endanger human health”. In humans, the elimination half-life of ibogaine is about 7 hours whereas the half-life of noribogaine is 24 to 50 hours. Both ibogaine and noribogaine have Ibogaine treatment a plasma half-life around 2 hours in rats, although the half-life of noribogaine is slightly longer than that of the parent compound. Noribogaine, but not ibogaine, produces psychoplastogenic effects in vitro in preclinical research.
Ibogaine has not received comprehensive research as a medication to help with mental health disorders, but there is limited evidence that it may be effective for some conditions. Some of these can be positive images, but other users will experience scenes of extreme trauma or violence. Emotionally, some users will experience a dreamlike state, possibly with the sensation of dying. It also prevents nicotine from stimulating dopamine release, reducing the pleasurable effects of smoking. Antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) treat depression by reducing the amount of serotonin that is reabsorbed into cells.
Lessons for PTSD, depression and anxiety
More research is needed before decriminalization or legalization for any medical or recreational use is a possibility in the United States. Although the coroner did not report a defined cause of death, they supported an earlier ruling of a “failed duty of care by the treatment provider.” It’s important to note that one participant died during the study period.
- As with the case of ibogaine, the psychedelic DOM partially substitutes for harmaline and this further supports a role of serotonin 5-HT2A receptor activation in the effects of ibogaine as well as of harmala alkaloids.
- This purified form allows for precise, weight-based dosing, which is necessary for managing the substance’s powerful effects and mitigating risk.
- Importantly, there were no serious side effects of ibogaine and no instances of the heart problems that have occasionally been linked to ibogaine.
- An open-label study reported 27 subjects diagnosed with opioid or cocaine use disorder, treated using ibogaine orally at doses of 500 to 800 mg, showing decreased depressive symptoms and craving.
- Traditionally used by Central African foragers, it has undergone controversial research for the treatment of substance use disorders.
High doses of ibogaine in rats have been shown to damage Purkinje cells in the cerebellum and cause tremors. As a plant extract, ibogaine cannot be patented, meaning that companies can’t recoup the money they would spend researching and testing it. There has been relatively little rigorous scientific research into using ibogaine therapeutically. Ibogaine remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance within the US. Regulations vary, and some clinics offer qualified medical supervision while others do not. Therefore, these results should be interpreted with caution, and additional research is needed to understand how ibogaine may affect humans.
How To Change Addictive Thinking
Many centers currently providing ibogaine worldwide do not have sufficient qualified medical staff to conduct high-quality scientific research. Noting these adverse effects in animals illustrates why human studies are typically pursued after animal safety has been verified. This makes it much more difficult (and expensive) to study than drugs that have their primary effect through a single action. Unlike most pharmaceutical drugs, ibogaine appears to work in many different ways at once. This makes it difficult to find money to research the effects of ibogaine. Research has continued into ibogaine outside of typical clinical settings, including with patients taking ibogaine in hotel rooms while being observed by researchers.
Efficacy of Ibogaine Treatment: Success Rates and Studies
Blood work is also required to assess liver and kidney function, ensuring the body can safely metabolize and eliminate the drug and its active metabolite, noribogaine. Due to its potent pharmacological effects, ibogaine administration is a rigorous, multi-stage medical procedure. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) began funding clinical studies of ibogaine in the United States in the early 1990s, but terminated the project in 1995.
For the study published in January of 2024, Williams and his colleagues at Stanford Medicine teamed up with VETS, Inc., a foundation that helps facilitate psychedelic-assisted therapies for veterans. “Our goal was to characterize those improvements with structured clinical and neurobiological assessments.” “There were a handful of veterans who had gone to this clinic in Mexico and were reporting anecdotally that they had great improvements in all kinds of areas of their lives after taking ibogaine,” Williams said. With mainstream treatment options not fully effective for some veterans, researchers have sought therapeutic alternatives. Traumatic brain injury is defined as a disruption in the normal functioning of the brain resulting from external forces — such as explosions, vehicle collisions or other bodily impacts. The new study expands on a study published online Jan. 5 in Nature Medicine.
In 2025, researchers at the University of California, Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics reported the total synthesis of ibogaine, ibogaine analogues, and related compounds from pyridine. One recent total synthesis of ibogaine and related drugs starts with 2-iodo-4-methoxyaniline which is reacted with triethyl((4-(triethylsilyl)but-3-yn-1-yl)oxy)silane using palladium acetate in DMF to form 2-(triethylsilyl)-3-(2-((triethylsilyl)oxy)ethyl)-1H-indole. After ibogaine ingestion in humans, noribogaine shows higher plasma levels than ibogaine and is detected for a longer period of time than ibogaine. Ibogaine may be deposited in fat and metabolized into noribogaine as it is released. Ibogaine is metabolized in the human body by cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) into noribogaine (more correctly, O-desmethylibogaine or 12-hydroxyibogamine).