Between 1990 and 2008, nineteen individuals died within 1.5 to 76 hours after taking ibogaine, a plant alkaloid used for opioid detoxification. The deaths did not show a characteristic pattern of nerve damage. In 12 of the 14 cases with sufficient autopsy data, advanced preexisting medical conditions—mainly heart disease—or the presence of other abused drugs explained or contributed to the death. Additional risk factors included seizures from alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal and use of unregulated traditional forms of ibogaine.
Between 1997 and 2000, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner recorded 22 deaths in which MDMA (ecstasy) was detected. Thirteen of these deaths resulted from acute drug intoxication, seven from mechanical injuries such as blunt trauma or gunshot wounds, and two from a combination of natural disease and drug intoxication. Recent opiate or cocaine use was found in seven of the acute intoxication deaths but in none of the traumatic or combined natural disease and intoxication deaths. All decedents were White, aged 17 to 41 years, and 18 of the 22 were men.