Evaluating the toxicity and therapeutic potential of ibogaine in the treatment of chronic opioid abuse
Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology June 18, 2021 DOI: 10.1080/17425255.2021.1944099 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstractAbstract
Ibogaine is a psychoactive indole alkaloid isolated from the West African shrub Tabernanthe iboga. It has been used by indigenous cultures to combat fatigue, hunger, and thirst, and to induce hallucinations during religious ceremonies. First isolated in 1901, ibogaine was initially recommended for use in asthenia at doses of 10 to 30 mg per day [1,2]. Semi-synthetic ibogaine came into use in 1939 and was marketed in France through 1970 under the trade name Lambarène as a ‘neuromuscular stimulant’ in 8-mg tablets for indications including fatigue, depression, and recovery from infectious illnesses [1]. Anecdotal reports concerning the beneficial effects of ibogaine for the treatment of opioid abuse and other drug dependencies appeared starting in the early 1960s [2], while the World Health Assembly classified ibogaine as a ‘substance likely to cause dependency or endanger human health’ and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assigned ibogaine to Schedule I classification. Despite these restrictions, ibogaine became available as an ‘addiction interrupter’ in countries that had not specifically prohibited its use. Although the benefit-risk ratio in opioid withdrawal management appears to be favorable if ibogaine is administered under qualified medical supervision [1], reports on drugrelated deaths and other safety concerns in the published literature continue to hinder drug development.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ibogaine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelics as medicines for substance abuse rehabilitation: evaluating treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca. | 2014 | Review | |
| The Anti-Addiction Drug Ibogaine and the Heart: A Delicate Relation Humans, animals | 2015 | Review | |
| Ibogaine in the treatment of substance dependence. | 2013 | Review | |
| Ibogaine, an anti-addictive drug: pharmacology and time to go further in development. A narrative review. | 2008 | Review | |
| Registered clinical studies investigating psychedelic drugs for psychiatric disorders. Registered clinical trials on clinicaltrials.gov evaluating psychedelics for... | 2021 | Review | n = 70 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 26
- The adverse events of ibogaine in humans: an updated systematic review of the literature (2015-2020). Psychopharmacology June 1, 2022
- IUPHAR - invited review - Ibogaine - A legacy within the current renaissance of psychedelic therapy. Pharmacological Research April 1, 2023
- Ibogaine/Noribogaine in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders: ASystematic Review of the Current Literature Current Neuropharmacology October 20, 2022
- The novel non-hallucinogenic compound DM506 (3-methyl-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydroazepino[4,5-b]indole) induces sedative- and anxiolytic-like activity in mice by a mechanism involving 5-HT2A receptor activation. European Journal of Pharmacology March 5, 2024
- Psychedelic iatrogenic structural dissociation: an exploratory hypothesis on dissociative risks in psychedelic use. Frontiers in Psychology March 4, 2025
and 21 more in the library
Cites 14
- The ibogaine medical subculture. Journal of Ethnopharmacology January 4, 2008
- A preliminary investigation of ibogaine: case reports and recommendations for further study. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 1994
- Treatment of opioid use disorder with ibogaine: detoxification and drug use outcomes. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 2018
- Ibogaine treatment outcomes for opioid dependence from a twelve-month follow-up observational study. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 2018
- The Anti-Addiction Drug Ibogaine and the Heart: A Delicate Relation Molecules January 29, 2015
and 9 more in the library