Every day in the United States, 115 people die after overdosing on opioids. The American government has stated that opioid addiction and misuse are “a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare.” While the crisis is less acute in the rest of the world, opioid use has become more widespread and addiction and overdose deaths are increasing in frequency all across the globe. As health authorities around the world are scrambling to ways to cope with the opioid crisis, a powerful tool for fighting opioid addiction has emerged from an unlikely place.
What is Ibogaine?
Ibogaine is the root bark of the tabernanthe iboga shrub, which grows primarily in the Central African countries Gabon and Cameroon. It is a potent psychedelic which has been used in local religious ceremonies for thousands of years. In the 1960s American Howard Lotsof, a habitual heroin user who was experimenting with psychedelics to treat his addiction, found that Ibogaine essentially eliminated his cravings and withdrawal symptoms. He credited his newfound sobriety to the treatment, and spent decades researching the drug and advocating for its clinical use.
Recent Studies
Dr. Thomas Kingsley Brown performed a 12-month study on ibogaine treatment for opioid addiction in 2017, at a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico. The study had 30 subjects, and Brown focused on withdrawal symptoms during the first month, then followed up for the next 11 months to monitor the effects of the treatment on family, social, and legal status, as well as drug use severity. According to Brown “we found that yes, it’s effective for both detox and reduction in drug use for 12 months.”
Brown went on to state that the Mexican study was “sort of a worst case scenario” for Ibogaine treatment. Ibogaine was administered, and then the participants were sent back into the environments in which they had been using drugs within a few days. The treatment showed its effectiveness even without any of the after-care or follow up that is common in drug treatment. Brown, among others, is excited to see how effective the drug can be if the initial treatment is coupled with after-care, whether through psychotherapy, micro-dosing, or alternative treatments.
Another recent study was conducted in New Zealand in 2016. The researchers followed a group of 14 subjects through a 12 month period and attempted to measure the long-term effects of the treatment on opioid addicts. The authors concluded that “a single ibogaine treatment reduced opioid withdrawal symptoms and achieved opioid cessation or sustained reduced use in dependent individuals as measured over 12 months.” The researchers concluded that Ibogaine “can be effective in significantly reducing opioid withdrawal, craving and depressed mood, and reducing or ceasing opioid use.” They went on to note that, given the extensive administration, significant risk, and modest success of current treatment models, coupled with the “significant increase in opioid dependence globally”, it seems “prudent to more seriously examine the place of ibogaine in the context of treating this intractable problem.”
We should note that one of the subjects in the New Zealand study died during treatment. Ibogaine is not without its risks, which should be reviewed carefully by those seeking treatment. While in this case, a coroner found that the treatment provider failed in their duty of care, Ibogaine use can have dangerous side-effects and we recommend that the drug should only be used in a safe, medical setting.
Personal Testimony
The website Psymposia has a fascinating 11 part series on Ibogaine’s usefulness in fighting opioid addiction. The series concludes with the powerful testimony of Amy, a Canadian nurse who has used Ibogaine while battling opioid addiction. After her first treatment, she reports that she felt the benefits for almost a full year following treatment, and was free from cravings. Then, after being re-introduced to painkillers by a doctor, her addiction spiraled out of control once again. Amy notes that, while Ibogaine treatment freed her from cravings, she still had trouble “coping well” and “didn’t know how to deal with [her] issues in a healthy way.”
Amy notes that “I think the first time I went into ibogaine treatment, I didn’t really have a healthy outlook on what I was hoping to achieve. I just wanted an easy detox from the drugs because, at the time, I still believed that quitting the drugs was the solution to my problem. I couldn’t see any further than that. I didn’t think there was any more work to be done afterwards.” Amy eventually underwent Ibogaine treatment a second time with a long-term plan, which for her included micro-dosing the drug at intervals. She has been sober since and is an advocate for the effectiveness of the treatment.
The necessity of aftercare is emphasized by those who have undergone the treatment, and also by all responsible care providers. Ibogaine isn’t a magic bullet, and most addictions are driven by trauma, depression, anxiety and a lack of social connections. Therapy and strong social support networks are keys to maintaining sobriety for every addict, and no drug can reduce their importance.
How Ibogaine Treatment Works
Ibogaine has been described as an “opioid antagonist”, meaning that it binds with dopamine and serotonin receptors in the brain and dramatically reduces the symptoms of opioid withdrawal and self-administration of opioids. It is claimed by many that the treatment resets the dopamine and serotonin receptors to a “pre-addicted state”, disrupting the mental patterns which trap the addict in a self-destructive cycle. Advocates of ibogaine treatment claim that it causes an interruption to the cycle of addiction which allows addicts to deal with the emotional and psychological factors which have caused them to rely on drugs. The intensely introspective mental state that Ibogaine induces creates an ideal opportunity to reflect on the roots of one’s addiction, and to plan for a sober future.
Promise That Must Be Explored
In light of the studies proving the treatment’s efficacy, thousands of powerful testimonials from individuals who have gained health, well-being, and sobriety through Ibogaine, and the failures and dangers associated with traditional treatments such as methadone, we would urge governments and health authorities to explore the potential of Ibogaine. As the death toll from the opioid crisis mounts, and as more and more addicts destroy their health, financial stability, and families, it seems negligent to marginalize a treatment option that shows immense promise in dealing with the opioid epidemic.
For further information visit www.tabularasaretreat.com or call PT +351 965 751 649 UK +44 7961 355 530