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4th February 2020

Iboga Safety: The Facts

Iboga Safety

Iboga treatment has been growing more popular with each passing year. Its profound beneficial effects on withdrawal symptoms and its remarkable ability to interrupt opioid addiction have changed thousands of lives, pushing addicts to break free from their crippling afflictions and easing them forward on the path to recovery. But like many powerful substances, its use comes with a number of legitimately frightening side effects and risks. While we at Iboga Tree Healing House are fervently committed to iboga safety in the treatment of addiction treat addiction, we are equally passionate about educating the public about the potential dangers that iboga treatment poses, and ensuring that anyone looking to use the substance knows absolutely everything about the healing and harm that iboga can potentially bring.

The Risks

THe Risk of Iboga

The Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance (GITA) has a comprehensive list of potential side-effects that can arise from iboga use, which includes all of the medical conditions that can be negatively affected by the substance. They’ve confirmed that 19 deaths were associated with ingestion of iboga between 1990 and 2008, all of which were “associated with a number of pre-existing conditions and factors that include pre-existing cardiac conditions, seizures resulting from acute withdrawal from alcohol or benzodiazepines” and the use of iboga alongside other “drugs of abuse.”

If you have a heart condition, impaired kidney or liver function, certain psychological conditions, or if you’re undergoing withdrawal from a variety of substances (such as methadone, benzos, alcohol, and others) you should absolutely avoid using iboga. Some studies have found that extremely high doses of the drug may induce seizures, although in smaller doses it acts as an anti-convulsive. Iboga is a very powerful psychoactive substance that substantially affects the central nervous system. Iboga can heal, but it can also harm.

Necessary Iboga Safety Precautions

supervised iboga administration

All conscientious providers of iboga therapy should exclude those with pre-existing heart conditions from treatment. Of the 19 iboga related deaths documented thus far, six were determined to have come from cardiac arrest, and in five of those cases, the deceased had been diagnosed with a heart condition. The one cardiac arrest death which occurred in a user with a healthy heart was the result of self-administration of iboga along with an unspecified “booster” which he had purchased on the internet.

There is debate on whether patients with HIV and certain psychiatric disorders can use iboga safely. The usual reason offered for the exclusion of these groups is a paucity of research into whether the substance can potentially exacerbate the symptoms of these diseases. Since there is no hard evidence that iboga therapy is harmful to patients with HIV, some treatment facilities continue to offer iboga to those suffering from the virus, but at Iboga Tree Healing House we have decided to err on the side of caution. For a full list of our inclusion and exclusion criteria, follow this link.

Mixing Iboga With Other Substances

Mixing Iboga With Other Substances

Beginning iboga therapy while other drugs of abuse are still in your system is extremely dangerous and must be avoided. Iboga can exponentially increase the effect of opiates, so it’s necessary for safe treatment that you must go through detox before you enter treatment. The intensely reflective state, reduction of cravings, neurological effects, and sense of well-being that iboga can provide have helped many alcoholics to recover from addiction, but withdrawal from alcohol must be completed before iboga can be safely administered. It is recommended that patients suffering from alcoholism complete at least 7 days of medically supervised withdrawal, or they’ll put themselves at risk of a host of side-effects including cardiomyopathy, delirium tremens, and seizures.

It should also be noted one side-effect of iboga is that it reduces substance users to a so-called “novice state.” Therefore, following treatment your tolerance to opioids and other substances will be dramatically lowered. While all addicts enter recovery with the intention to stay sober for the rest of their lives, it’s important that they are mindful of this in the event of a relapse, as vulnerability to severe intoxication or even an overdose will be greatly increased.

Providers and Iboga Safety

Providers and Iboga Safety

Any reputable and responsible iboga provider should be asking you for a great deal of medical information. This article offers a thorough breakdown of what a clinic needs from you to provide for your iboga safety. GITA also offers a comprehensive list of Clinical Guidelines for Iboga-Assisted Detoxification on their website. Iboga Tree Healing House takes every step possible to guarantee the safety of our patients, requiring our clients to take an EKG test, be free from stimulants (including coffee), undertake a comprehensive blood count and metabolic panel, and test liver and kidney function. We also measure levels of serum electrolytes and thyroid function for patients over 45 years old.

The most important piece of advice we can give you is this: if a clinic isn’t asking you for a detailed medical and psychiatric history and providing you with information about their emergency plan, turn around and walk away as fast as you can! This means that they’re more interested in your money than your health and iboga safety, or they are ignorant of and unconcerned with the potentially fatal harm the substance can cause when used irresponsibly.   

The Good News

Tabula Rasa Retreat pool

In spite of all of the associated risks, and even accounting for the fact that iboga is frequently used without adequate (and in some cases any) medical screening and supervision, it is still safer than methadone! 19 deaths have been temporally associated with Iboga use, and 14 of them have provided adequate post-mortem data. Of those 14, 12 cases involved either a pre-existing medical condition or the presence of other drugs of abuse in the system of the deceased. The other two occurred in settings without adequate medical supervision.

We will be the first to tell you that iboga is not completely safe, but we feel that each and every death associated with its use has been preventable and avoidable. Because we have seen its immense potential to re-build lives devastated by addiction and mental illness, we have become advocates not only for its benefits but also for providing the public with all the information we can give them about the risks and precautions necessary for using this remarkable plant. Irresponsible use can end lives. It can also keep this promising tool for fighting the opioid epidemic away from thousands of those who could reclaim their lives and health with safely administered and supervised iboga therapy.

18th July 2019

Ibogaine Risks: Keeping The Iboga Journey Safe

Iboga therapy has been rapidly increasing in popularity as an alternative to conventional addiction treatments, such as the use of methadone. Iboga’s powerful, positive effects on the symptoms of withdrawal and cravings for various drugs have changed countless lives, sending many down the path to recovery. But like many powerful substances, its use comes with a number of potential side effects and risks. While we at Iboga Tree Healing House are passionate advocates for Iboga's use in the treatment of addiction, we are equally passionate about educating prospective users about ibogaine risks and the potential dangers that go hand in hand with its benefits, and ensuring that providers and users are forewarned and forearmed against any and all potentially harmful side-effects that could occur.

The Risks

Ibogaine risks

The Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance has a laundry list of potential side-effects and ibogaine risks, as well as medical conditions that can be exacerbated by Iboga use. They report that between 1990 and 2008, 19 deaths were associated with the ingestion of Iboga, which were “associated with a number of pre-existing conditions and factors that include pre-existing cardiac conditions and seizures resulting from acute withdrawal from alcohol or benzodiazepines” as well as mixing iboga with other “drugs of abuse.”

It is recommended that people with heart conditions, impaired kidney or liver function, certain psychological conditions, and those experiencing withdrawal from a certain of substances (such as methadone, benzos, alcohol, and others) should avoid using Iboga. Some studies have found that abnormally high doses of the drug may induce seizures, although in smaller doses it acts as an anti-convulsive.

Mitigating the Risks

Any responsible provider should exclude those with pre-existing heart conditions from iboga therapy. Of the 19 Iboga-related deaths which have occurred, six were determined to have resulted from cardiac arrest, and in all but one of those cases, the deceased had a pre-existing heart condition. The one cardiac arrest death which occurred in a user with a healthy heart was the result of self-administration of Iboga along with an unspecified “booster” which he had purchased on the internet.

There is debate on whether patients with HIV and certain psychiatric disorders should use iboga. The main reason offered for excluding these groups is a lack of research into whether iboga use will exacerbate the symptoms of disease. As there is no evidence that the treatment is harmful to patients with HIV, some treatment facilities offer iboga to those suffering from the virus, but at Iboga Tree Healing House we prefer to err on the side of caution, as the data on the ibogaine health risks under these conditions is not conclusive. For a full list of our inclusion and exclusion criteria, follow this link.

Contraindicated substances

defining addiction

Using iboga while drugs of abuse are in your system is extremely dangerous, and must be avoided. Iboga can intensify the effects of opiates, so it’s imperative that they must be completely out of your system before you enter treatment. The intensely reflective state, reduction of cravings, neurological effects, and sense of well-being that iboga can provide have helped many recovering from addiction to alcohol, but withdrawal from this substance must be completed before iboga can be safely administered. It is recommended that patients dealing with alcoholism complete a minimum of 7 days of medically supervised withdrawal, or they risk a host of side-effects including cardiomyopathy, delirium tremens, and seizures.

It should also be noted that iboga reduces substance users to a so-called “novice state.” This means that following treatment, a users tolerance to opioids and other drugs of abuse is dramatically lowered. While addicts clearly intend to stay sober forever, it’s important that they are aware of this in the event of a relapse, as their vulnerability to overdose will be far greater.

Finding a Safe Provider

Iboga therapy

If you’re dealing with a responsible iboga provider, they will ask you for a great deal of medical information to assess your ibogaine health risks. This “Psychedelic Times” article offers a detailed breakdown of what a clinic needs from you to provide for your safety. At Iboga Tree healing House we go even further, requiring our clients to take an EKG test, be free from stimulants (including coffee), undertake a comprehensive blood count and metabolic panel, and test liver and kidney function. We also check and monitor levels of serum electrolytes and thyroid function for patients over 45 years old.

We cannot over-stress this: if a clinic doesn’t ask you for a detailed medical and psychiatric history, run! This means that either they value your money far more than they value your safety, or that they are ignorant of the significant harm iboga can do if used irresponsibly.   

The Iboga Tree Healing House Difference

In spite of all of these dangers, and in spite of the fact that iboga is frequently administered without adequate (and in some cases any) medical supervision, iboga remains safer than methadone! Of the 19 deaths temporally associated with Ibogaine use, 14 have provided adequate post-mortem data. Of those 14, 12 were associated with a pre-existing medical condition or the presence of other drugs of abuse. The other two occurred in situations without adequate medical supervision.

As we’ve written before, there are certain conditions under which iboga is not completely safe, but we feel that every single death resulting from its use has been avoidable. Because we have seen its immense potential to re-shape lives at risk, we have become advocates for educating the public about its risks, as well as its benefits. Irresponsible use has the potential to end lives, as well as making this promising tool for fighting the opioid epidemic away from multitudes who could use it to regain their health and well-being.

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