Cardiac arrest after ibogaine intoxication.
Journal of arrhythmia – August 01, 2018
Source: PubMed
Summary
A 61-year-old man survived the highest reported ibogaine dose, highlighting its cardiac risks. This case report details how ingesting the psychoactive herb ibogaine led to severe drug-induced QT prolongation, mimicking a long-QT condition. The patient experienced a life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia, requiring defibrillation. Crucially, his delayed QT recovery took seven days, emphasizing the drug's prolonged impact on heart rhythm.
Abstract
Ibogaine is a psychoactive herbal medication with alleged antiaddiction properties. We report a case of ibogaine intoxication mimicking Long-QT syndrome resulting in ventricular flutter and nearby cardiac arrest. A 61-year-old man experienced massive QT prolongation and ventricular flutter at a rate of 270 beats per minute requiring defibrillation after ingestion of a large dose of Ibogaine. The ingested dose of 65-70 mg/kg represents the highest survived ibogaine dose reported to date. As a result of the long plasma half-life of ibogaine, it took 7 days for the patient's QT interval to normalize.