Cardiac arrest after ibogaine intoxication.
Christian Steinberg, Marc W Deyell
Journal of arrhythmia August 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1002/joa3.12061 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA 61-year-old man ingested a large dose of ibogaine, a psychoactive herbal medication used for addiction treatment, and developed severe QT prolongation and ventricular flutter at 270 beats per minute, requiring defibrillation. The ingested dose of 65–70 mg/kg is the highest survived ibogaine dose reported. Due to ibogaine's long plasma half-life, the patient's QT interval took 7 days to normalize. The case demonstrates that ibogaine intoxication can mimic Long-QT syndrome and lead to life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | 61-year-old man who ingested a large dose of ibogaine |
| Intervention | Ibogaine |
| Dose | 65-70 mg/kg |
| Topics | Ibogaine |
| Keywords | Delayed qt recovery Drug‐induced qt prolongation Long‐qt Ventricular arrhythmia Ibogaine toxicity ibogaine |
| Citations | 18 |
| Key finding | Ibogaine intoxication can cause massive QT prolongation and ventricular flutter, requiring defibrillation, with QT normalization taking 7 days due to the drug's long half-life. |
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.