Sustained abstinence in severe ketamine use disorder following ibogaine treatment case report
Frontiers in Psychiatry July 20, 2026 Sergio R. Pérez Rosal, Sonya C. Faber, Markus Backmund
A 30-year-old man with severe polysubstance dependence on ketamine, cocaine, and alcohol, along with recurrent depression, underwent ibogaine-assisted treatment in a 13-day residential program in Mexico. He received an initial 800 mg ibogaine HCl dose (10.1 mg/kg) and two 300 mg booster doses (3.8 mg/kg) under medical monitoring. He reported immediate cessation of cravings for all substances. Over 17 months of follow-up, including a later medically supervised ibogaine intervention, toxicology and psychometric assessments showed continued abstinence from all substances and significant improvements in depression, anxiety, and quality of life. This is the first documented case of sustained abstinence in severe ketamine use disorder following ibogaine treatment.