Side+Effects

Side Effects
Since the 1960s, many addicts have reported that even a single dose of ibogaine, a hallucinogenic alkaloid extracted from the root of an African shrub, helps them kick their habit by reducing their cravings for drugs. Ibogaine was first introduced as a potential treatment for opiate addiction by Howard Lotsof, who took the drug in 1962 looking for a psychedelic experience, and awoke 30 hours later with no cravings and no withdrawal symptoms. One of the first noticeable effects of large dose of ibogaine ingestion is a difficulty in coordinating muscle motion which makes standing and walking virtually impossible without assistance. Xerostomia (dry mouth), nausea, and vomiting may also occur.

Ibogaine is sometimes administered by enema which is the procedure of introducing liquids into the rectum and colon through the anus to help the person avoid vomiting up the dosage of the ibogaine. Some studies also suggest the possibility of the cause of heart conditions. In one study of canine subjects, ibogaine was observed to increase the normal change in heart rate during respiration. Ventricular entropy which is an extra heartbeat starting in the lower chamber of the heart, has been observed in a many of the patients during ibogaine therapy.

It has been proposed that there is a risk of QT-interval prolongation which is irregular electrical activity of the heart following the use of ibogaine.Ibogaine is known to be antagonistic to //N//-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. These receptors are thought to sort out some of the small effects of drugs of abuse but by blocking them one may block the development of compulsive drug. With some people who use ibogaine they can and will lose all signs of identity. He then enters the stage that the Bwiti tribe in Central Africa called the dream stage where he talks of bazaar things like spaceships and daisies. At lower doses ibogaine has the ability to increase energy and mental alertness and appears to decrease the desire for food and drink. Higher doses of ibogaine has a larger psychoactive property, and is used ritualistically in initiation rites for its powerful hallucinogenic properties.

These side effects reduce the attractiveness of ibogaine as a recreational drug at therapeutic doses, however, at lower doses ibogaine is known to have stimulant effects. In addition to reducing craving, ibogaine often promotes a sense of wellbeing that can last from weeks to months. First, when the substance is taken, the body produces a chemical called noribogaine. Noribogaine blocks the brain's receptors that control cravings. Noribogaine also increases dopamine and serotonin levels, which elevate feelings of wellbeing. Ibogaine enables the patient to focus on the underlying causes of addiction without going through the intense withdrawal symptoms. Studies show that ibogaine has the ability to drastically relieve drug withdrawal in all patients and, in 90 percent of treated patients during one case study, to interrupt the patient's craving to continue drug use for periods of time ranging from as short as two days to as long as two and a half years from a single treatment.