Changes in Withdrawal and Craving Scores in Participants Undergoing Opioid Detoxification Utilizing Ibogaine.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Uncontrolled prospective case series with pre- and post-treatment measurements.
PubMed 29608409 · doi:10.1080/02791072.2018.1447175
What was done
Fifty participants with opioid use disorder (OUD) undergoing a week-long detoxification protocol received ibogaine. Baseline addiction characteristics were evaluated using the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). The Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale (COWS), Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (SOWS), and Brief Substance Craving Scale (BSCS) were administered at 48 and 24 hours before ibogaine treatment, and again at 24 and 48 hours after treatment.
What was found
At 48 hours after ibogaine administration, withdrawal and craving scores were significantly reduced compared to baseline. Specifically, 78% of participants showed no objective clinical signs of opioid withdrawal, 79% reported minimal opioid cravings, and 68% rated subjective withdrawal symptoms in the mild range. Exact numerical baseline vs. post-treatment scale totals, variance estimates, and p-values were not provided in the abstract.
Why it matters
These observational data suggest that ibogaine may rapidly reduce acute opioid withdrawal and craving during detoxification, supporting further investigation in controlled clinical settings.
Limits
The study was a single-arm, open-label observational study (n = 50) without a placebo or active comparator group, making it vulnerable to placebo effects, expectation bias, and natural regression to the mean. Long-term abstinence, retention, safety parameters, and relapse rates were not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Treatments with psychedelics such as ibogaine or ayahuasca can rapidly shift a person's relationship with and desire for addictive substances like opiates or alcohol within 72 to 96 hours.