Ibogaine and Kratom have been hyped for their alleged abilities to ease opioid withdrawals and reduce the likelihood of relapses. However, these drugs are far from a miracle addiction cure. Ibogaine does have some promising possibilities in the field of recovery science. But these remedies are not miracle solutions to quit opioids cold turkey. Neither do they prevent life-threatening side effects during withdrawals and can actually cause harm. Learn what the science says about both substances and why detox should always be done under medical supervision.
What is Ibogaine?
Ibogaine is a psychoactive alkaloid that has been used as a West African medicine for over a hundred years. Its reputation for being anti-addictive is compelling, making Ibogaine the focus of recent studies examining its effectiveness. Ibogaine appears to act on opioid receptors in the brain. The plant may even restore genes and neuroreceptors to a pre-addiction state.1
Can You Use Ibogaine for an Addiction Cure?
While it would be wonderful if Ibogaine were the answer, the truth is always more complicated than preliminary study results make it seem. Unfortunately, despite Ibogaine’s hype as a miracle addiction cure, it is not.
Ibogaine itself is hallucinogenic, which means it may cause many unpleasant side effects during use even if it does mitigate some of the effects of withdrawal. Worse, Ibogaine has life-threatening complications and may result in sudden death, potentially from cardiac arrhythmias.2
In particular, women appear to be more sensitive to Ibogaine than men and are at a much higher risk of a potentially fatal overdose.1
While you shouldn’t take Ibogaine at home without medical assistance, it does show promise for the future if it can be synthesized into safer forms and under medical supervision. Researchers aim to combine Ibogaine with other anti-addiction drugs to boost its benefits and hopefully mitigate some of its dangers.
What is Kratom?
Before Ibogaine began to be promoted as a “do it yourself” detox treatment, Kratom was most renowned as an herbal withdrawal treatment. An extract from a Southeast Asian evergreen tree, vendors sell Kratom as a dietary supplement to reduce withdrawal symptoms. It does this by provoking a euphoria that can make the uncomfortable detox process more tolerable.3
Can You Use Kratom for a Reliable Addiction Cure?
Unfortunately, Kratom appears to create a new dependency rather than curing one. One six-month study of people not addicted to opioids found the subjects developed cravings and withdrawal symptoms similar to those with opioid addiction. Kratom can result in overdose and death similar to opioids and even requires the same overdose and withdrawal treatment medications as opioids do.3 A Kratom overdose, for example, can be reversed with Narcan, just like a heroin overdose if caught in the early stages before too much damage occurs.
Even if a person quits opioids successfully using Kratom, they might still become addicted to this opiate-like drug. Kratom does have the potential to cause severe health problems, including death.
Initially, pregnant women addicted to opioids were hopeful that they could substitute Kratom for opioids during pregnancy. Their goal was to spare the newborn adverse effects of opioid addiction by mitigating withdrawal symptoms via Kratom. Sadly, this is another area where Kratom seems to mimic opioids rather than curing the habit. Babies born to mothers who used Kratom during pregnancy often experienced withdrawal symptoms after birth.
Spring Gardens Recovery Offers Safer and More Reliable Options for Alternative Treatments.
Spring Gardens Recovery understands that not everyone wants to follow the traditional medical detox plans. But sadly, there is no such thing as a natural miracle addiction cure.
Suppose you’re interested in a more natural approach and have considered trying Ibogaine or Kratom for addiction. In that case, you might be interested in the holistic healing practices of Eastern medicine therapy that we offer at Spring Gardens. These practices are part of our evidence-based detox treatments.
Eastern therapies perfectly complement Western recovery practices. These wellness methods include meditation, yoga, acupressure, and Eastern massage. All of which support Western practices like methadone therapy, medical monitoring, pharmacological solutions for pain and cravings, and amino acid infusions to promote healing.
Harnessing both Eastern and Western practices provides the best of both worlds for your recovery. Natural solutions plus advanced medication and professional supervision by medical staff can improve detox and recovery. To learn more and ask our friendly, knowledgeable staff any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our experienced team.
Sources:
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/ibogaine [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4382526 [3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prescription-drug-abuse/in-depth/kratom-opioid-withdrawal/art-20402170
