|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research > Ibogaine Therapy for Drug Addiction
|
|
MAPS is currently studying the long-term effects of ibogaine treatment on patients presently undergoing therapy at independent ibogaine treatment centers in Mexico and New Zealand.
MAPS is collecting observational data for the first prospective ibogaine outcome study in order to contribute to the growing scientific literature about ibogaine as a treatment for drug addiction.
Ibogaine is a psychoactive alkaloid naturally occurring in the root bark of the West African shrub iboga. While ibogaine is a mild stimulant in small doses, in larger doses it induces a profound psychedelic state. Historically, it has been used in healing ceremonies and initiations by members of the Bwiti religion in various parts of West Africa. People with problem substance use have found that larger doses of ibogaine can significantly reduce withdrawal from opiates and temporarily eliminate substance-related cravings.
Although first-hand accounts of ibogaine therapy indicate that ibogaine is unlikely to be popular as a recreational drug, ibogaine remains classified as a Schedule 1 drug in the United States (it is also scheduled in Belgium and Switzerland). Yet despite its classification as a drug with a “high potential for abuse” and “no currently accepted medical use,” people who struggle with substance abuse continue to go to international clinics or underground providers to undergo ibogaine treatment.
By some estimates, ibogaine use has a mortality rate of about 1 in 300. Deaths from ibogaine have been attributed to bradycardia (slowing of the heart), lethal combinations with other substances, liver problems, and other conditions. Since untreated drug addiction can also involve serious health risks (including death), some people decide that ibogaine treatment is worth the risk while others do not. Anyone interested in using ibogaine to treat substance abuse should carefully weigh the risks and benefits of such treatment, and should make sure that medical assistance is available during the session.
For more information about the risks and benefits of ibogaine treatment, see ibogaine.co.uk.
For media coverage of MAPS' ibogaine research and other projects, see MAPS in the Media.
MAPS-Supported Ibogaine Research
Observational Study of the Long-Term Efficacy of Ibogaine-Assisted Therapy (Mexico)
Observational Study of the Long-Term Efficacy of Ibogaine-Assisted Therapy (New Zealand)
Ibogaine Research News Timeline
Ibogaine-Related Documents and Resources
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|