Research library / Observational study
Ibogaine treatment outcomes for opioid dependence from a twelve-month follow-up observational study
Noller GE, Frampton CM, Yazar-Klosinski B. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 2018;44(1):37-46
Ibogaine is legally available as a prescribed treatment in New Zealand, which let this study follow people with opioid dependence for a year after a single ibogaine treatment. Fourteen people enrolled, half of them women. Withdrawal symptoms dropped right after treatment. Among the eight who completed every follow-up interview, drug use scores and depression scores were significantly lower at 12 months than at the start, and those with partial data also showed reduced drug use. One participant died during treatment. The numbers are very small, many people were not followed to the end, and there was no comparison group, so the study cannot show that ibogaine caused the improvements or how often it would. The death is a reminder that ibogaine carries serious medical risks.
What it found
- Among the 8 who completed all interviews, ASI-Lite drug-use scores fell significantly from baseline to 12 months (p = 0.002).
- Depression (BDI-II) scores were also significantly lower at 12 months (p < 0.001).
- Opioid withdrawal scores fell right after treatment in all 14 participants (p = 0.015).
- One participant died during treatment.