Ibogaine (1a), one of the psychoactive indole alkaloids found in the root bark of the West African shrub, Tabernanthe iboga, has purported efficacy in treating multiple forms of drug abuse. A single oral treatment with ibogaine or its salts, in the doses of 6 to 19 mg / kg, or a series of four treatments may, respectively, eliminate addictive behavior for up to 6 months or three years In rats,...
Ibogaine has aroused expectations as a potentially innovative medication for drug addiction. It has been proposed that antagonism of the NMDA receptor by ibogaine may be one of the mechanisms underlying its antiaddictive properties; glutamate has also been implicated in ibogaine-induced neurotoxicity. We here report the effects of ibogaine on [3H]glutamate release and uptake in cortical and...
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ‘ecstasy’) is one of the most prevalent illegal drugs of abuse among European adolescents, a population not generally experienced with respect to ‘hard’ drugs such as cocaine. We, therefore, determined the reinforcing effect of intravenously self-administered MDMA in a fixed ratio 1 time-out 150 s schedule of reinforcement in rats that were truly drug...
Ibogaine (IBO) is an indole alkaloid from the West African shrub, Tabernanthe iboga. It is structurally related to harmaline, and both these compounds are rigid analogs of melatonin. IBO has both psychoactive and stimulant properties. In single-blind trials with humans, it ameliorated withdrawal symptoms and interrupted the addiction process. However, IBO also produced neurodegeneration of...
In this study, we measured conditioned place preference (CPP) responses to cocaine following subchronic administration of the recreationally abused drug (+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were given either vehicle (1 ml/kg of distilled water, s.c.) or MDMA (20 mg/kg, s.c.) twice a day for 4 consecutive days. Two weeks later, CPP...
This study investigated possible interactions between alcohol and hallucinogens in 22 lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and/or psilocybin users through retrospective structured interviews. Of those who had used LSD with alcohol, 86;7 per cent reported a complete blockade of subjective alcohol effects, while the remaining cases reported a diminished response. In addition, 60 per cent of...
Human experimental research with hallucinogenic drugs is potentially able to identify linking variables between the psycho(patho)logical conditions and neurobiological alterations involved in both pharmacologically induced and naturally occurring acute psychotic states. A number of methodological aspects should be considered when planning modern experimental studies with hallucinogenic drugs....
Ketamine is a prescription drug used for general anesthesia. In subanesthetic doses, it induces profound psychedelic experiences and hallucinations. The subanesthetic effect of ketamine was the hypothesized therapeutic mechanism in the authors' use of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for alcoholism. The results of a controlled clinical trial demonstrated a considerable increase in efficacy of...
The hedonic properties of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) were assessed using the place conditioning, taste reactivity, and taste avoidance tests. LSD produced a conditioned place preference, but only at the highest dose tested (0.2 mg/kg). A single preexposure to the conditioning chamber (latent inhibition) prevented the establishment of a place preference. When paired with sucrose, doses of...
Psychotherapeutic treatment with hallucinogens, usually called psycholytic treatment, was used at Modum Bads Nervesanatorium (MBN) on inpatients from 1961 to 1976. The hallucinogens used were LSD, psilocybin, and CZ 74. The indications and the treatment procedure at MBN are described. From 1961 to 1976, 379 patients received 2205 psycholytic treatments, mostly with LSD. From 1970 to 1976, only...