Opioid withdrawal
Iboga is used for opioid withdrawal due to its addiction-relieving and addiction-breaking effects. However, this procedure can also be very dangerous, which is why intensive care is essential. The painful withdrawal symptoms can be alleviated or even disappear completely during treatment with iboga. However, the aim of treatment is not only to enable pain-free opioid withdrawal, but also to free the addict from their psychological craving for opioids forever. The addict should therefore no longer feel the pressure of addiction after the therapy. This type of addiction therapy is actually very successful, but also harbours risks.
A follow-up study with 30 subjects who met the criteria for DSM-IV opioid dependence showed that 50% of the participants did not consume any opioids for 30 days after treatment with ibogaine (mean total dose: 1540±920 mg). After 3 and 12 months, a control was carried out again and it was found that many still maintained their discontinued opioid use, but the proportion decreased over these periods [1].
In a New Zealand study with 14 participants over an observation period of 12 months, a single treatment with ibogaine reduced the opioid withdrawal syndrome in all participants and led to discontinuation of the opioid or a sustained reduction in consumption in the dependent individuals. At the beginning of this study, 15 people were enrolled, but one participant died during treatment [2]. This also shows the importance of responsible use in conjunction with other indications.
In fact, there are many more studies and research papers on the potential medical benefits of ibogaine and ibogaine for opioid dependence.Addiction clinics that offer withdrawal with the natural drug almost exclusively use isolated ibogaine, as this substance is mainly involved in the addiction-relieving effect.
In Mexico, many treatment centres have specialised in addiction therapy with ibogaine, as the substance is not subject to any restrictions in this country.
One well-known clinic in Mexico, for example, is the "Iboga Quest" clinic in Tepoztlán, a small town south of Mexico City, The treatment start at $5000,-
Addiction therapy for other substance addictions
Iboga and ibogaine are not only said to make it easier to quit opioid addiction, but also various other substance addictions, such as cocaine, nicotine or alcohol addiction.Studies also indicate that ibogaine or other alkaloids contained in iboga, such as coronaridine, ibogamine, tabernanthine and desethylcoronaridine, can alleviate substance cravings.
A research report by S.D. Glick from 1994 describes how ibogaine reduces the self-administration of cocaine and morphine in rats. It was also shown that some other alkaloids found in Tabernanthe iboga (tabernanthine, R-coronaridine, S-coronaridine, R-ibogamine, S-ibogamine and desethylcoronaridine) also reduced cocaine and morphine uptake in a dose-dependent manner (2.5-80 mg/kg).
For some of the iboga alkaloids, a decrease in cocaine and morphine uptake was also observed the day after administration, such as for ibogaine, tabernanthine, ibogamine, desethylcoronaridine and the R-enantiomers of coronaridine.
Some rats even showed a sustained decrease in cocaine or morphine uptake after a single injection or after 2 or 3 weekly injections of one or other of these alkaloids [3].
Addiction treatment with ibogaine can be an effective treatment for addiction to stimulants and other non-opioid drugs. In a medically supervised setting and accompanied by psychotherapy, the use of ibogaine can facilitate longer periods of abstinence without the occurrence of death or complications.
One study evaluated the safety and efficacy of ibogaine (addiction therapy combined with psychotherapy) by conducting a retrospective study of 75 former alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and crack cocaine users. 61% of the participants were abstinent. Of the participants, 72% had previously engaged in poly-drug use. Participants who were treated with ibogaine only once reported an average of 5.5 months of abstinence and those who were treated multiple times reported an average of 8.4 months of abstinence. Both single and multiple treatments resulted in longer periods of abstinence than before the first treatment.