Detoxification from methadone using low, repeated, and increasing doses of ibogaine: A case report
Clare Wilkins, Rafael G. Dos Santos, Jordi Solà, Marc Aixalà, Pep Cura, Estefanía Moreno, Miguel Ángel Alcázar‐córcoles, Jaime E. C. Hallak, José Carlos Bouso
Journal of Psychedelic Studies April 1, 2017 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1556/2054.01.2017.005 via OpenAlex
Summary
A case report describes a woman who had been on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for 17 years and self-treated with low doses of ibogaine over six weeks. This approach successfully alleviated her withdrawal symptoms from methadone, with no serious adverse effects noted. By the end of the treatment, she had completely eliminated her withdrawal symptoms and was no longer on MMT twelve months later. This is the first report suggesting that low doses of ibogaine may help reduce withdrawal symptoms in patients on MMT.
Study at a glance
| Design | case study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | female patient on methadone maintenance treatment for 17 years |
| Key finding | Low and cumulative doses of ibogaine may reduce withdrawal symptoms in patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment. |
Abstract
Ibogaine is a natural alkaloid that has been used in the last decades as an adjuvant for the treatment of opiate withdrawal. Despite the beneficial results suggested by animal studies and case series, there is a lack of clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of ibogaine. Moreover, the majority of reports described cases of heroin-dependent individuals, with and without concomitant use of methadone, using high doses of ibogaine. Therefore, it is not clear if ibogaine at low doses could be used therapeutically in people on methadone maintenance treatments (MMT). Case report of a female on MMT for 17 years who performed a self-treatment with several low and cumulative doses of ibogaine over a 6-week period. The patient successfully eliminated her withdrawals from methadone with ibogaine. Each administration of ibogaine attenuated the withdrawal symptoms for several hours, and reduced the tolerance to methadone until all signs of withdrawal symptoms disappeared at the end of the treatment. No serious adverse effects were observed, and at no point did the QTc measures reach clinically significant scores. Twelve months after the treatment, she was no longer on MMT. To our knowledge, this is the first case report describing an ibogaine treatment using low and cumulative doses in a person on MMT. Although preliminary, this case suggests that low and cumulative doses of ibogaine may reduce withdrawal symptoms in patients undergoing MMT.