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Ibogaine Methadone Addiction Treatment
Methadone Addiction Treatment
Methadone is a long acting opiate, typically used as a part of a mainstream treatment programme, as a substitute for street heroin. Methadone-assisted-treatment can help provide stability and safety, enabling people with addiction to lead more functional lives away from participating in criminal activities by buying illegal drugs.
However, the reality is that people on methadone programmes are still living with an addiction, albeit often in a more controlled and manageable situation. For some, this is tolerable and certainly better than the dangers of buying heroin off the street. For many others, life on methadone can ultimately be just as miserable an existence as before on heroin. They can feel restless, irritable, tired, nauseous and depressed, and in the worst cases, suicidal. In addition, many on methadone continue to use other drugs or pharmaceuticals to achieve the desired state of euphoria that methadone denies.
What makes methadone even more problematic is trying to come off it. The cold turkey is even worse than coming off heroin, lasting up to a month with full blown withdrawal symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, runny nose, anxiety, insomnia, muscle aches, agitation, sweating and goose bumps.
How does ibogaine work for methadone addicts?
methadone - does ibogaine work on methadone?
Ibogaine offers a real solution for those who want to break the chains of methadone addiction. Ibogaine rests the reward pathways in the brain, whether these have been conditioned by heroin or methadone addiction. It is common for ibogaine to eliminate withdrawal symptoms within 30 minutes of consumption.
Ibogaine treatment for methadone requires careful planning and preparation, and your provider must have the necessary experience. Since methadone is a long acting opiate, you cannot simply be treated with ibogaine immediately after stopping the methadone. Instead, patients are switched to short acting opiates immediately prior to ibogaine treatment.*
It can take up to two months on the short acting opiate for the level of methadone in the system to drop sufficiently. This time varies by individual and depends partly on the length of the time previously on methadone. This pre-treatment period will be discussed, designed and monitored with our experts. We will ensure your body is ready for your ibogaine treatment.
Ibogaine addresses the physiological changes caused by the drug using and is able to remove the two main obstacles for quitting like withdrawal symptoms and cravings. The success rate of the ibogaine treatment for methadone is very high.
after ibogaine methadone treatment
It takes around 4-8 weeks of time on the SAO so the level of the methadone in the system can drop sufficiently. The time needed to prepare for the ibogaine methadone treatment is individual and depends on the length of the time using methadone. This should be discussed individually with your ibogaine treatment provider so the right treatment program for you can be chosen.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to the fact that methadone is a long acting opiate (LAO) you cannot undergo ibogaine treatment while taking methadone or even shortly afterwards. Combining opiates and ibogaine can be lethal. It is mandatory to conduct a switchover to short acting opiates (SAO) such as morphine sulphate while carefully calculating the LAO half life and ensuring ALL LAO is out of your system completely prior to arrival to our clinic (this process should be performed under supervision of your doctor ideally). We can not conduct switchover from LAO to SAO in our clinic as by the law we can not use opiates in any way.
If you would like to find out more on how we can help you please contact us or fill out an application form to get started.