Episode 17: Ibogaine and Opiate Detox with David

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