The antiaddictive effects of ibogaine: A systematic literature review of human studies
This systematic review (2017) examined the antiaddictive effects of ibogaine (420 -; 2030mg/70kg) in humans and identified seven open-label studies that indicated that ibogaine/noribogaine significantly reduced opiate/opioid withdrawal symptoms and that many subjects remained drug-free for several days after treatment. However, these results were largely heterogeneous and the only additional clinical trial performed failed to find significant reductions in opiate/opioid withdrawal symptoms in response to noribogaine.
Authors
- Jamie Hallak
- Rafael dos Santos
- José Carlos Bouso
Published
Abstract
Background and aims: Ibogaine is a naturally occurring hallucinogenic alkaloid with a therapeutic potential for reducing drug craving and withdrawal. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review was previously performed assessing these effects. Thus, we conducted a systematic literature review of human studies assessing the antiaddictive effects of ibogaine.
Methods
Papers published up to July 2, 2016 were included from PubMed, LILACS, and SciELO databases following a comprehensive search strategy and a pre-determined set of criteria for article selection.
Results
Two hundred and fifty-nine studies were identified, of which eight met the established criteria. Seven studies were open-label case series with ibogaine and one study was a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial with noribogaine. Case series suggest that a single dose or a few treatments with ibogaine may significantly reduce drug withdrawal, craving, and self-administration in dependent individuals lasting from 24 h to weeks or months. No significant effects of noribogaine on opiate/opioid withdrawal were observed in the clinical trial.
Conclusions
Considering the necessity of new drugs that may produce fast-acting and sustained effects in opiate/opioid and cocaine dependence, the potential beneficial effects of ibogaine/noribogaine should be further investigated in controlled trials.
Research Summary of 'The antiaddictive effects of ibogaine: A systematic literature review of human studies'
Introduction
Ibogaine is a naturally occurring indole alkaloid obtained from the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga, traditionally used in Central African rituals. Earlier research and anecdotal reports suggested that ibogaine and its major metabolite noribogaine may reduce drug craving, withdrawal and self-administration across several substances, and animal studies showed reduced opiate/opioid, cocaine and ethanol self-administration. However, the pharmacology of ibogaine/noribogaine is complex and incompletely understood, involving multiple receptor systems (for example NMDA antagonism, modulation of serotonin and dopamine systems, κ- and μ-opioid activity) and putative neurotrophic effects; safety concerns including cardiac arrhythmias, psychosis and fatalities have also been reported, particularly in uncontrolled settings. Santos and colleagues therefore undertook a systematic literature review to identify and synthesise human studies that evaluated the antiaddictive effects of ibogaine or noribogaine. The aim was to compile available clinical evidence, characterise study designs, doses and outcomes, and evaluate safety signals, given the absence of a prior systematic review on this topic and the growing interest in these compounds for treating substance dependence.
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dos Santos, R. G., Bouso, J. C., & Hallak, J. E. C. (2017). The antiaddictive effects of ibogaine: A systematic literature review of human studies. Journal of Psychedelic Studies, 1(1), 20-28. https://doi.org/10.1556/2054.01.2016.001
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Ona, G., Berrada, A., Bouso, J. C. · Transcultural Psychiatry (2021)
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