Episode 17: Ibogaine and Opiate Detox with David
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In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with David and his experience in treating his addiction to opiates with Ibogaine and other plant medicines. Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive plant medicine with dissociative properties and is often used to treat opioid addiction. His story is large…but his audio…was a little rough. Please bear with it, it’s worth it. One thing to know, David’s path is not one like a typical 12-step program. His use of these plant medicines was purposeful, with intention, not recreational and helped him get to the core of his trauma. He also works at a plant medicine recovery program called Inscape, helping others along their paths. Okay, let’s get to it. Please enjoy this episode, with David.
We discussed:
- Found the center in Mexico
- Tapered off of suboxone
- Suicidal thoughts
- Loss of father
- Limited amount of recreational use of mushrooms, LSD before this
- One entheogenic experience: salvia divinorum; mind blowing, scary; several days after, no interest in using drugs; stayed clean for a bit
- Iboga root bark not strong enough for opiate addiction
- Ibogaine: loose ceremonial context; medical people to keep safe
- Ibogaine’s down side is very toxic compound to people with cardiovascular and liver issues; they should stay away
- QT interval; drug interactions; need medical people keeping an eye on it
- Fast, rapid opiate detox
- Responsible practitioner; test dose
- 3-day experience; ataxia, come can be in bed for 3 days
- Visions of how he’d been poisoning himself; more of an observer than emotional
- Some vomiting, but really a gentle opiate detox
- Planned to stay a week; but couldn’t go back home, to work, etc.
- Needed to find an after-care program
- A lot of stuff stirred up; needed to work on it
- Living Clean Ibogaine in Mexico; integrate; use other plants; 6 weeks
- Don’t sleep after Ibogaine; drug withdrawal; difficult time; after-care SO important; it’s a rough and important period
- Deep work with Ayahuasca
- Worked with the doctor; body traumas; chemistry; fine tuned for prolonged recovery
- Coming back was difficult; even driving was hard; running business (role)
- Wife did Ibogaine flood dose; moved away from codependent relationship to its original, healthy relationship
- Continues plant medicines during recovery; Mexico; Peyote in CO; the more plant medicines he did, the less he wanted to do — opposite of alcohol and drugs; the plants told him to space it out and integrate; 1x/2x a year, gives space to talk to therapist, integrate it, work it out
- Plant medicines served as a beacon, a lighthouse — wanted to share
- The plants will find you when it’s time
- DSM V Hallucinogen use & abuse disorder
- Medical management, replacing drugs with drugs
- Johns Hopkins psychedelic research
- Inscape Recovery ibogaine aftercare; that aftercare time is vital; integration coaching
- Meditation & breathwork are part of his recovery plan today; fundamental, foundational practice
- We can only keep what we have by sharing it
