Ibogaine Treatment And Drug Addiction
Ibogaine is still being researched on whether it does help treat addictions. Researchers do hope that ibogaine does have the ability to aid in addiction treatment because the opioid crisis is killing many Americans each day.
What Is Ibogaine?
Ibogaine is found in a plant called iboga. This plant is native to the West Africa area. It has been used mostly in rituals surrounding the Bwiti religion. Ibogaine is a psychedelic substance that is used by some to treat addictions to substances like opioids. It has not been approved by the FDA, most likely because it is thought to be a highly addictive substance.
How Does Ibogaine Treatment Help?
It has been discovered by some people that taking a larger dose of ibogaine assists in reducing the effects of opiate withdrawal. It is also supposed to help subside the craving for substances. Smaller doses, however, solely act as a stimulant. In some patients who took larger doses of ibogaine, they did not begin abusing substances for a few years after.
What Are the Risks of Ibogaine?
Just like anything else, ibogaine will have some risk factors. Ibogaine treatment may have more risks than the average treatment, but that is only because ibogaine is still being studied by researchers.
Some of the risks include:
- Seizures
- Ataxia
- Heart complications
- Dizziness
- Schizophrenia
- Psychosis
- Relapse
Is Ibogaine Safe?
Ibogaine treatment is still in the research process, and therefore not available to be prescribed to the public due to the last of knowledge we have on the treatment. Researchers are actively testing the treatment to see if the benefits outweigh the risks. Researchers are driven to find a way to make ibogaine treatment work for everyone because it would be a great resource to fight the opioid crisis.
How To Be Successful Using Ibogaine Treatment
Ibogaine treatment found the best results when the patients partaking in the treatment also used other forms of treatment as well. If a patient also goes to therapy or to a rehab treatment center while taking ibogaine treatment, they have a lot higher chance of not relapsing.
Another huge thing is not returning to the environment that you became addicted to substances in. For example, if you abused substances often at a friend's house, stay away from that friend's house to prevent relapsing. If you abused substances at your own house, it may be best to stay with a friend or family member, or if possible, move.
To learn more information about ibogaine treatment, reach out to a counseling professional near you.
