Ibogaine for Use in Addiction Recovery

A Sacred Plant from Gabon Yields Addiction Interruption Properties

Jan 26, 2009

This little known medicine has been sidelined in the United States as a treatment for addictions. In countries where it can be used, the results have been promising.

Ibogaine is an NMDA receptor antagonist. It binds to dopamine receptors and cross-talks with serotonin receptor cells but does not produce euphoria. It has the effect of resetting cells damaged by severe chemical dependence to their previous functionality. Its long-term antidepressant effects can last up to 90 days.

The History of Ibogaine

The original plant source of Ibogaine is the Tabernanthe iboga plant which grows mainly in the Gabon region of Africa. It has been used in a coming-of-age ritual within the Bwiti tribe. The plant’s root bark is boiled with other herbs into a tea. This root bark can be refined to create the medicine Ibogaine.

In 1939, this medicine was first prescribed as a treatment for fatigue and depression in the tablet form Lambarene. During the 1960s, it was used as a treatment for opiate withdrawal. The new discovery of its anti-addictive property came from underground research by Howard Lotsof. A former heroin addict, he was able to painlessly withdraw from years of abuse. After seeing six of his closest addicted friends become fully rehabilitated after just one Ibogaine session he set out to make this substance an accepted tool for the treatment of heroin withdrawal. In 1970, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency discovered that dealers were cutting heroin with Ibogaine and classified it as a Schedule 1 substance.

The Legal Status and Safety of Ibogaine

To be included in Schedule I, Ibogaine has to show a lack of accepted safety for the use under medical supervision. There have been eight deaths that occurred during underground administration of Ibogaine. “In the autopsies performed after these eight deaths, it was found that cause of death inconclusive or not specifically attributed to Ibogaine or Ibogaine toxicity. All of these deaths could have been avoided with proper screening,” said Rick Doblin PhD, president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. MAPS is currently sponsoring research into the effectiveness of Ibogaine in countries where it is legal.

“The effective dose of Ibogaine is 100 to 300 milligrams. It has been used safely by the African shamanic rituals at levels four hundred times this,” says Dr. Jeffrey Kamlet, president of the Florida Society for Addiction Medicine, in a presentation to the California Society of Addiction Medicine Conference, Oct. 9, 2003.

The Therapeutic Effects of Iboga, Ibogaine

On his website, Eric Taub, founder of I Begin Again Treatment Center, states he has done more than 650 Ibogaine sessions and they each follow the same pattern, “… a 36-hour psychoactive experience where thousands of pictorial gestalts were reviewed in the person’s mind, basically the person spending that time awake with their eyes closed, in bed, reviewing mostly pictures having to do with an unleashing of repressed memories from childhood.” For this reason, it is necessary to have a therapist experienced with Ibogaine ready to help the patient with difficult issues. It is during this stage that the patient will see the harm that his substance abuse has caused to himself and loved ones and will often experience an enlightenment about his addiction. This becomes a very poignant foundation for the following recovery period.

This 36-hour initial phase also is accompanied by ataxia. Moving to do things, such as walking to the bathroom, becomes very difficult. Therapists advise patients to lay still in the darkest environment possible, sometimes with soothing music for relaxation.

As Ibogaine becomes metabolized by the liver it is turned into NorIbogaine and can remain active for 90 days. This time is the chance for an addict to find the resources necessary to continue life drug free without having to deal with the physical withdrawal symptoms commonly associated in drug detoxification.

Ibogaine has been found to disrupt even the most serious chemical addictions. It is not a cure, but a method to incorporate recovery and rehabilitation into the life of a patient.

The copyright of the article Ibogaine for Use in Addiction Recovery in Substance Abuse Recovery is owned by Kevin Gustina. Permission to republish Ibogaine for Use in Addiction Recovery in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.