Ibogaine, a psychoactive drug, proves effective in treating head injuries in special operations military veterans

For veterans, many of the deepest wounds of war are invisible: head injuries resulting from head trauma or explosions are a leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and suicide among veterans. Few treatments have been effective in diminishing the long-term effects of head trauma, leaving many veterans desperate.

Now, Stanford researchers have discovered that the psychoactive herbal medication ibogaine, when combined with magnesium to protect the heart, safely and effectively reduces PTSD, anxiety and anxiety. depression and improves functioning in veterans with TBI. Their new study, published in Natural medicineincludes detailed data on 30 U.S. Special Forces veterans.

“No other medication has ever been able to relieve the functional and neuropsychiatric symptoms of head injury,” said Nolan Williams, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. “The results are spectacular and we intend to study this compound further.”

Alternative options

Traumatic brain injury is defined as a disruption of normal brain function resulting from external forces, such as explosions, vehicle collisions, or other impacts to the body. The trauma associated with head injury can lead to changes in brain function and/or structure, which in turn contributes to neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq have suffered head injuries in recent decades, and these injuries are suspected of playing a role in the high rates of depression and suicide seen among veterans. Because traditional treatment options are not fully effective for some veterans, researchers have sought treatment alternatives.

Ibogaine is a natural compound found in the roots of the African shrub iboga and has been used in spiritual and healing ceremonies for centuries. More recently, it has attracted interest from the medical and scientific communities for its potential in treating opioid and cocaine addiction, and research has suggested that it increases the signaling of several important molecules in the brain, including some have been linked to substance abuse and depression. .

Since 1970, ibogaine has been designated a Schedule I drug, preventing its use in the United States, but clinics in Canada and Mexico offer legal ibogaine treatments.

“A handful of veterans had gone to this clinic in Mexico and were reporting anecdotally that they had seen great improvements in all kinds of areas of their lives after taking ibogaine,” Williams said. “Our goal was to characterize these improvements with structured clinical and neurobiological assessments.”

Capture “before and after”

Williams and his colleagues at Stanford partnered with VETS, Inc., a foundation that helps facilitate psychedelic therapies for veterans. With support from VETS, 30 special operations veterans with histories of head trauma and repeated blast exposures, almost all of whom had clinically severe psychiatric symptoms and functional disabilities, had independently scheduled themselves for magnesium treatment and to ibogaine in a clinic in Mexico.

Before treatment, Stanford researchers assessed participants’ levels of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and functioning based on a combination of self-reported questionnaires and clinician-administered assessments. Participants then traveled to a clinic in Mexico run by Ambio Life Sciences, where, under medical supervision, they received oral ibogaine as well as magnesium to help prevent heart complications associated with ibogaine. The veterans then returned to Stanford for post-treatment evaluations.

“These men were incredibly intelligent, high-achieving individuals who suffered severe functional disability from head trauma during their time in combat,” Williams said. “They were all willing to try anything that they thought would help them get their lives back.”

At the start of the study, participants had clinically significant levels of disability, as measured by the World Health Organization Disability Rating Scale 2.0, which assesses disability across six functional domains, including cognition, mobility, personal care, social relationships, life activities and community participation. Additionally, 23 met criteria for PTSD, 14 for an anxiety disorder, and 15 for an alcohol use disorder. During their lifetime, 19 participants had been suicidal and seven had attempted suicide.

Life-changing results

On average, ibogaine treatment immediately resulted in significant improvements in functioning, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Furthermore, these effects persisted until at least one month after treatment, the endpoint of the study.

Before treatment, veterans had an average disability rating of 30.2 on the Disability Rating Scale, which equates to mild to moderate disability. One month after treatment, this score improved to 5.1, indicating no disability. Similarly, one month after treatment, participants experienced an average reduction of 88% in PTSD symptoms, 87% in depression symptoms, and 81% in anxiety symptoms compared to what they had been. before ibogaine treatment. Formal cognitive testing also revealed improvements in participants’ concentration, information processing, memory and impulsivity.

“I wasn’t willing to admit that I was dealing with head injury issues. I just thought I had been rung repeatedly, until one day I forgot my wife’s name.” , said Craig, a 52-year-old researcher. participant from Colorado who served 27 years in the United States Navy. “Since (the ibogaine treatment), my cognitive function has been fully restored. This has allowed me to grow at work and greatly improved my ability to talk to my children and my wife.”

“Before treatment, I was living in a blizzard with zero visibility and a feeling of cold, hopelessness and listlessness,” said Sean, a 51-year-old veteran from Arizona with six combat deployments, who participated under study and says ibogaine saved his life. “After ibogaine, the storm rose.”

It is important to note that there have been no serious side effects from ibogaine and no cases of heart problems sometimes linked to ibogaine. During treatment, veterans reported only typical symptoms such as headaches and nausea.

Lessons for PTSD, Depression and Anxiety

Williams and his team plan further analysis of additional data collected on veterans but not included in the current study, including brain scans that could help reveal how ibogaine led to improvements in cognition. They also hope to launch future studies to better understand how the drug could be used to treat TBI.

However, they believe that ibogaine’s drastic effects on head injuries also suggest that it has broader therapeutic potential for other neuropsychiatric conditions. “In addition to treating head injuries, I think this could become a broader neurorehabilitation drug,” Williams said. “I think this targets a whole host of different brain areas and can help us better understand how to treat other forms of PTSD, anxiety and depression that aren’t necessarily related to TBI.”