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Current Drug Abuse Reviews

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1874-4737
ISSN (Online): 1874-4745

Ibogaine in the Treatment of Substance Dependence

Author(s): Thomas Kingsley Brown

Volume 6, Issue 1, 2013

Page: [3 - 16] Pages: 14

DOI: 10.2174/15672050113109990001

Price: $65

Abstract

Ibogaine is a psychoactive alkaloid derived from Tabernanthe iboga, a plant used in initiatory rituals in West Central Africa. Largely because of ibogaine’s status as a Schedule I substance in the U.S., the development of ibogaine’s use in the treatment of drug addiction took place outside conventional clinical and medical settings. This article reviews the history of ibogaine’s use in the treatment of drug addiction, and discusses progress made towards, and obstacles blocking, the establishment of controlled clinical trials of ibogaine’s efficacy. Preclinical research has generally supported anecdotal claims that ibogaine attenuates withdrawal symptoms and reduces drug cravings. Concerns about ibogaine’s safety, as well as a dearth of solid data from human studies, have hampered progress in its development as an approved medication. This article outlines major findings from preclinical studies, discusses concerns about ibogaine’s safety, and details previous and ongoing research on ibogaine’s use as an anti-addictive treatment for humans.

Keywords: Addiction, addiction treatment, drug abuse, ibogaine, iboga alkaloid, psychedelics, substance-related disorders.


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