Clare Wilkins gives a talk at the Psychedelic Science conference 2017 titled “A novel approach to detoxification from methadone using low, repeated and cumulative administering of ibogaine”
Clare is the director of Pangea Biomedics where they work with ibogaine alongside many supporting therapies.
In this talk Clare talks about how ibogaine treatments have changed in her clinic over time and a case study of detoxing someone with methadone.
Problems with treatments in the early days.
“In the early days conventional treatment was risky as it was done in a short space of time with little trust built up between clients and providers”
• There was a lack of preparation, fortification, stabilization and agency
• Traumatic Flood doses (large doses of ibogaine)
• Metabolic Stress. Physical dependency and ibogaine both cause metabolic stress
There is a lot of fear about ibogaine because:
• Ibogaine effects the heart. It is pro-arrhythmic, bradycardia inducing, QT prolonging, potassium channel blocking, cardio stimulant
• There is a need for medical interventions or to pause ibogaine administration due to bradycardia, prolonged QT interval, panic attacks and hypertension issues.
• Ibogaine stimulates the heart a lot even though it usually lowers blood pressure and heart rate.
For more information of the dangers of ibogaine we recommend you visit https://ibogainehotline.com/the-dangers-of-ibogaine-treatment/
Contraindications and Complex Cases
• Obesity, blood clots, arrhythmias, Crohn’s disease, gastro-intestinal issues, liver disease, high blood pressure, etc
• Poly-substance dependencies and benzos
• This is the demographic! These people are 4 times more likely to have an adverse reaction than a non-drug-dependent person.
For more information on contraindications with ibogaine we suggest you visit https://ibogainehotline.com/ibogaines-medical-contraindications/
Adaptogenic Use
Clare started using ibogaine as an adaptogen (something that results in homeostasis).
• Smaller amounts of ibogaine create a sense of balance. At these doses it acts as an adaptogen.
• Used alongside Orthomolecular medicine and adjunct therapies
• Including other adaptogens and amino acids such as Gaba, Mucuna Dopa, 5-HTP, valerian and L-tryptophan.
Traditional Low Dose Use
Clare also sited the following traditional uses of low dose iboga
• Ombiwiri – they use low doses in diagnosis and healing
• Bwiti Womens Initiations build up slowly in the system over 1 month
Low Dose Ibogaine Treatment for Methadone Addiction
Clare talked through a case study that was conducted alongside ICEERS in Spain.
• The candidate was a 47-year-old woman that had been on methadone for 17 years. She had Hepatitis C but was in overall good health.
• The objective was to detox without using short acting opiates (such as morphine, oxys, heroin) as normally clients on methadone, Subutex, suboxone etc are asked to swap to a short acting opiate for the weeks or months prior to ibogaine administration and this causes other problems if they are already stable on methadone.
• 5 small doses of ibogaine were administered progressively getting larger at the same time as the dose of methadone got progressively smaller over a 6-week period.
• The dosage sizes of the ibogaine HCL were 150mg, 300mg, 400mg, 500mg, 600mg
• After each dose of ibogaine her methadone was cut in half. She started at 36mg, this was reduced as follows after each ibogaine administration: 18mg, 9mg, 4.5mg, 2.25mg
• Ibogaine was only administered when the withdrawals become physiologically evident.
• 3-7 days between each dose of ibogaine.
• After the final dose of 600mg her withdrawal symptoms did not return.
• At time of filming this woman is 20months free of methadone and feeling marvellous.
• Her liver enzymes went down (related to improved liver function / Hepatitis C)
• Supplemental small micro-doses used after for post-acute withdrawals
• Note: a micro-dose is so small you can’t really feel it, so you can go to work etc
Notes on treatment protocols
• Vitals measured every 30mins for first 4 hours, then every hour until stable
• ECG monitoring of the QTc every 60 mins during first 8 hours, then at 10 hours, 12hours, 16 hours, 20 hours, 24 hours
• Client was glad to have a rest between doses due to sleep deprivation
• QTc did not raise above the safe clinical scores (the highest it got to was a QTc of 444)
The Need for Change in how we Administer Ibogaine
Clare then went on to outline the changes she says we need to make in how ibogaine is administered for the following reasons:
• Incomplete Treatments
• Persistent withdrawals and cravings
• Asking clients to return to short acting opiates is controversial as they often have to return to illegal outlets to obtain them
• Continuing health risks
• Expectations anticipated of profound perspective shift may not be achieved and the client feels let down
Clare Wilkins: A Novel Approach to Detoxification from Methadone Using Ibogaine
You can see Clare’s presentation at the Psychedelic Science conference 2017 here:
What is ibogaine?
For those that don't know, ibogaine is a psychedelic from Africa that is famous for treating substance abuse as well as reportedly helping with underlying trauma and psychological issues. It has spectacular results, including pain free detox from opiates, but it must be used correctly and is only suitable for some people.
For more information on ibogaine visit:
http://www.ibogainehotline.com
Pangea Biomedics
Clare Wilkins is the director of Pangea Biomedics - an ibogaine clinic in Mexico specialising in low dose treatments and supporting treatments.
https://www.pangeabiomedics.com/
Ibogaine Hotline
This article has been provided by Ibogaine Hotline - an information service setup to give the facts on ibogaine treatment, safety and how to find a good provider or clinic.
http://www.ibogainehotline.com