How Does Ibogaine Treat Opiate, Heroin, and Other Addictions?

Opiates comprise several drugs—both legal medicine like codeine, morphine and fentanyl as well as illegal substances such as opium and heroin. Whether as a result of legal or illegal use, opiate addiction has become a big issue in the United States. Prescription opiate addiction is one of the biggest drug issues Americans currently face. This is mostly due opiate medications being so easy to obtain. A prolonged use of these opiate medications puts the user at the risk of addiction, even when used according to the doctor’s prescription.

Those who have been using opiates tend to have some addiction cycle normally triggered as they develop a tolerance towards the drugs. What this means is that the effect experienced with the same drug amount continues to be less and less effective. At this point, users continue to take a higher dose to trigger the desired response. This leads to a potential risk for addiction and in some cases overdose.

In an effort to treat opiate addiction, ibogaine treatment has been growing as an effective solution. Ibogaine is a psychoactive substance that causes hallucinogenic effects. This substance is found in the Iboga plant, specifically the Iboga root bark, which grows in West Africa. It has conventionally been used for religious initiations in Cameroon and Gabon but has found other uses in recent years. Today, it is considered as a treatment for addiction and withdrawal symptoms from opiates, such as prescriptions pills and heroin, as well as alcohol, cocaine, and other strong addictions.

The Treatment of Withdrawal Symptoms Using Ibogaine

There is still a strong need for more research data and evidence into how Ibogaine treats opiate addiction. Because this drug is illegal in many nations around the globe, like the United States, research has been limited. However, many Ibogaine treatment centers in Mexico have utilized Ibogaine as effective tool in the treatment of opiate addiction especially with such opioid drugs as heroin. What we do know is this: Ibogaine is an opioid antagonist in that it binds to Mu and Kappa opiate brain receptors. During the process of addressing and repairing receptor damage, Ibogaine also helps to naturalize serotonin and dopamine levels. With these interactions, it is able to disrupt strong cravings and minimize withdrawal symptoms caused by opiate drugs.

How it Works: Ibogaine Use and Effects

Based on the dosage ingested Ibogaine can have various effects on the addict. It could produce minor aphrodisiac effects, deep spiritual effects, and also high mental activity levels. It has now been used by some treat drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The substance works by alleviating the withdrawal symptoms of addiction to opiates. It resets and refreshes the receptor sites of the opiate elements. It has not yet been completely understood how this is done. However, there is no other known drug that has shown this type of action. After the process is complete, the user should discontinue Ibogaine intake.

Ibogaine functions in the same way as treatments used to block or that reside in receptor sites that usually dock chemical substances. However, Ibogaine is different in the way it works since its non-addictive unlike other options such as Suboxone and Methadone. Actually, users don’t need to take it on a continuous basis. Ibogaine is useful in the treatment of various chemical dependencies through resetting the neurochemistry of the brain.

The substance deals with cravings originating from the metabolite Noribogaine. It will typically require the addict to be clean for a number of days before Ibogaine can be used to treat alcohol and stimulant addictions. Ibogaine will work to bring balance to the chemistry of the brain and level out serotonin, adrenaline, dopamine, and endorphins among other elements.

The intake of Ibogaine for those addicted to opiates is much faster, particularly when compared to those who try to detox on their own. It can take some time, say weeks or months to get back the balance in the brain’s neurotransmitters following discontinued use. Those who have been using anti-depressants could also experience this. From the little research and evidence gathered in this field, these pharmaceutical drugs, as well as illegal drugs, can be the most difficult to overcome.

Opiate medications go deep into the mind and body and create emotional and physical attachment. They also leave the user with a mental dependency. There is still some amount of physical recovery that is required to realize this balance following its loss due to opiate addiction. Ibogaine therapy is considered the most effective when used alongside a healthy lifestyle. For chemical dependency and craving, however, the change will be realized immediately.

It is also important to note that Ibogaine may also be beneficial for other psychological addictions, such as sexual addiction or gambling. And these types of behavior are often accompanied by illicit drug use. Sexual expression is usually a prevalent motivator that leads many to using drugs. Once ibogaine is ingested, it is converted in the liver to form a Noribogaine that gets stored up in the body fat cells. Although testing and research have been limited, there have been some studies that have shown Ibogaine to be effective for treating these addictions. It has also been well-documented that Ibogaine can have an anti-depressive outcome that can help lead those struggling with mental health issues to an improved state of comfort and well-being.

Conclusion

Ibogaine treats opiate addiction by eliminating the opiate addiction withdrawal symptoms. This works through neurobiological actions where the induced metabolite Noribogaine prevents the tolerance effects and erases the opiates chemical memory hence bringing to an end the withdrawal symptoms. This process happens in the neural receptor sites located in the human brain. These receptor sites, Kappa and Mu cause the drowsiness, analgesia, euphoria, metabolic functions and slowed respiration associated with the use of opiates.

Noribogaine will, therefore, work to prevent the effects of this type of detoxification by resetting the Kappa and Mu receptor sites. Ultimately, this will end tolerance effects that dictate the release of the neural agents that regulate mood and physical welfare. The receptor site will then allow the opiates effects originating from the receptors to be removed while at the same time enabling the preservation of the original neural abilities, enhancing pragmatic memory recall and improving the ability to have formative impressions imbedded consciously through real-life events.