DavidPerlmutterMD · 2026-03-31 · David Perlmutter (host), Will Van Derveer
The Radical Idea Changing Mental Health Treatment | Will Van Derveer, MD
28 claims checked against research: 3 contradicted 2 overstated 4 needing context 15 supported 4 unverified
2 Overstated
Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that a GLP-1 agonist completely halted the progression of Parkinson's disease.
"in my new book, I actually talk about research that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine showing a complete cessation of progression of Parkinson's disease in uh individual treated with a GLP-1 agonist." (said at 0:47:20)
A phase 2 randomized controlled trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Meissner et al., 2024) evaluated the GLP-1 receptor agonist lixisenatide in 156 patients with early Parkinson's disease over 12 months. On the primary outcome—the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part III motor score—the lixisenatide group had essentially no change in score (-0.04 points) compared to a 3.04-point worsening in the placebo group (difference: 3.08 points, P = 0.007). However, characterizing this as demonstrating a 'complete cessation of progression of Parkinson's disease' overstates the findings. The study evaluated motor disability scores over a 12-month period in early disease, secondary endpoints did not show substantial differences, and the authors noted that larger and longer trials are required to establish whether GLP-1 receptor agonists genuinely modify or halt underlying disease progression.
Ibogaine provides therapeutic benefit for opioid use disorder and alcohol addiction in individuals who have failed other treatments.
"opiate use disorders in particular seem to be um highly benefited from Ibogaine when nothing else worked. HOST: And alcohol, too. GUEST1: And alcohol. Yeah." (said at 1:04:00)
While observational cohort studies and case series suggest that ibogaine can acutely reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms and decrease substance use in individuals with refractory opioid use disorder (who often had multiple prior treatment failures), evidence supporting its efficacy is limited to open-label, uncontrolled studies with high risk of bias. There are currently no completed randomized controlled trials establishing its efficacy or safety for opioid use disorder or alcohol use disorder. Furthermore, clinical evidence for alcohol use disorder is largely restricted to preclinical animal models and small naturalistic cohorts, and ibogaine carries serious safety risks, particularly cardiotoxicity (QTc prolongation and fatal arrhythmias).
- supports: Treatment of opioid use disorder with ibogaine: detoxification and drug use outcomes. (The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse 2018) · cited 158x in the literature
"Ibogaine was associated with substantive effects on opioid withdrawal symptoms and drug use in subjects for whom other treatments had been unsuccessful, and may provide a useful prototype for discovery and development of innovative pharmacotherapy of addiction." (abstract, conclusions, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi) - context: The therapeutic effects of psychedelics for opioid use disorder: A systematic review of cl… (Psychiatry research 2025) · cited 5x in the literature
"Findings indicate few studies completed using serotonergic psychedelics, with most investigating ibogaine or ketamine. In addition, findings are limited by many studies of weak design focused on opioid withdrawal, and few double-blind or placebo-controlled trials with considerable methodological heterogeneity making comparisons difficult across compounds. Most studies were found to have a high risk of bias mostly related to lack of randomization, blinding, and blinding of assessment outcomes." (abstract, results, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi) - context: Ibogaine: Therapeutic Potential, Cardiac Safety, and Translational Perspectives in the Tre… (Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) 2026) · cited 1x in the literature
"However, the clinical translation of ibogaine remains substantially constrained by fragmented and heterogeneous evidence, the absence of regulatory frameworks in several jurisdictions, limited phytochemical validation and standardization of available formulations, and unresolved concerns regarding cardiac safety." (abstract, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi)
Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.