The resurgence of psychedelic medicine brings with it the promise of addiction treatment that is magnitudes more effective than the conventional ones we have today. While several psychedelic compounds have shown clinical efficacy in addiction treatment, Ibogaine is rapidly gaining popularity for its powerful ability to interrupt addiction, eliminate withdrawals and even prevent cravings for some time after taking it.
From special addiction clinics using the compound to companies like MindMed trying to craft safer, more effective analogs, Ibogaine is quickly gaining attention for its ability to combat addiction.
What is Iboga & What is Ibogaine?
Derived from the tabernanthe Iboga shrub native to West Africa, Ibogaine is an indole alkaloid that can be extracted from the Iboga plant itself or created semi-synthetically from precursor compounds. Although its introduction into the western world came much later, the origins of its use date back to the Pygmy peoples, who then passed these traditions to the Bwiti tribe native to Gabón in West Africa. The Iboga plant contains many alkaloids, including Ibogaine, the primary constituent of interest when using it to treat addiction. This unique psychedelic also contains dissociative properties like ketamine and works on a variety of brain receptor systems, including the NMDA receptor system (the same system ketamine exerts its effects on).
Ibogaine hydrochloride can be extracted and purified to create a powerful extraction of the pure compound. Today, some clinics offer pure Ibogaine HCl, total alkaloid or TA (which contains other alkaloids including Ibogaine), or, less commonly for addiction treatment, root bark can also be used.
What Does Ibogaine Feel Like?
The psychedelic trip brought on by Ibogaine is dose-dependent and very unique compared to other psychedelic compounds. Low doses have been commonly used for their reported stimulant-like effects and are used by the ingenious peoples of Gabón and other parts of Africa for their powerful stimulant-like effects.
There are also higher “flood doses” used for drug detox, addiction treatment, and coming of age rituals by the Bwiti, which can cause total ataxia (loss of full control of bodily movements) and are generally considered to be split into two phases: the visionary phase and the introspective one. This visionary phase is characterized by a dream-like or oneirogenic state and can last anywhere from four to six hours. Following this, the introspection phase allows individuals to face negative emotions and conquer fears. This phase can last several hours, making the entire journey a long one, clocking in at around 10-12 hours total.
Oftentimes, individuals feel quite stimulated even after the acute effects have worn off, which can cause difficulty sleeping the first night or two following the treatment. For heavier opiate users using Ibogaine detox from drugs like heroin and morphine, this difficulty sleeping may last for several days.
What Does Ibogaine Feel Like When Used for Opioid Detox?
The Ibogaine journey is a truly unique experience, unlike any other psychedelic compound. While individual experiences insofar as visions and the degree to which someone experiences them varies widely with Ibogaine, its therapeutic ability to stop, and subsequently eliminate opioid withdrawals is fairly standard across patient populations using it for opioid addiction treatment.
Thus, it’s worth mentioning the effects of Ibogaine on opioid-dependent patients using it for detox due to its remarkable efficacy in eliminating most if not all acute withdrawals from short-acting opiates, such as heroin, OxyContin, morphine, and more. For these patients, perhaps the most surprising sensation is the rapid elimination of withdrawals after consuming the Ibogaine or Iboga-containing preparation. Not only that, but following the trip, the brain has seemingly “reset” itself and, with the help of Ibogaine, frees oneself from the shackles of opiate dependence.
Additionally, it’s been speculated that Ibogaine’s active metabolite, noribogaine, is responsible for preventing cravings for several months following a flood dose. Therefore, Ibogaine’s ability to interrupt the active cycle of addiction by simultaneously eliminating withdrawals and cravings from opiates is what makes it shine as a therapeutic. However, as beneficial as these qualities of Ibogaine are, unlike other more traditional psychedelic drugs, Ibogaine comes with the potential for some serious cardiac toxicities, which providers must carefully screen for before administering this medication to prospective patients.
A Note About Ibogaine Cardiotoxicity & Safety
While the majority of psychedelic drugs have an incredibly strong safety profile, this is not the case with Ibogaine. The drug has been shown to cause QT prolongation in the heart, which can be dangerous for patients with a history of cardiac illness or abnormalities. The QT prolongation is suspected to be caused by the blocking of hERG potassium channels in the heart.
While Ibogaine has indeed resulted in a small number of fatalities, experienced providers will note that such adverse events can be avoided entirely by proper pre-screening protocols (most importantly using an EKG). Other important safety considerations include having a nurse present during a flood dose session to assist patients should they need to use the bathroom (due to severe ataxia), as well as to monitor their vital signs during the experience.
A Look Ahead for Ibogaine Therapeutics & Its Impact on Addiction Treatment
Today, several earnest efforts are being made to take advantage of Ibogaine’s powerful anti-addictive properties. Innovative efforts are also being made to combine plant medicines, like Ibogaine, with allopathic remedies, such as utilizing naltrexone implants (an opioid blocker) in combination with ibogaine treatment. The team at Lasting Fix Bahamas does just that, in fact, skillfully combining effective Western pharmacotherapies with tried and tested plant medicine rituals.
Thanks to the psychedelic renaissance, and with so much still being researched and explored about Ibogaine’s therapeutic qualities, the future of addiction treatment is certainly looking very promising.