Although traditional addiction recovery comes with many benefits, it doesn’t always work. Even with all the improvements over the years, studies indicate that the relapse percentage is between 65% and 70%. Because of that, medical experts are always developing new methods that would help patients after they leave recovery centers.
Recently, ibogaine treatment has emerged as a potential substitute for traditional rehabilitation. Based on the clinical data, the plant might reduce craving in users as well as their withdrawal symptoms. According to some of the patients, ibogaine might produce a transformative effect, attacking addiction at its roots.
Still, due to limited data, there are many questions regarding this innovative treatment. How does ibogaine actually work? How does it stack against the traditional rehab? Read this article to learn more about the topic!
Ibogaine Therapy Basics
Ibogaine addiction therapy revolves around the Tabernanthe iboga plant, a native African species. The healing substance, ibogaine, is one of the plant’s alkaloids, and it has psychoactive properties. Despite people citing its potential side effects, there are those who praise it for its quick and effective results.
Ibogaine therapy is much different than traditional rehab. When you visit an ibogaine treatment center, you’ll receive a single high dose of the substance. According to users, the plant causes vivid visions that rewire the brain and help with retrospection. Many patients mentioned that iboga helped them reach new conclusions regarding their addiction.
However, there’s more to the plant than a single psychoactive episode. Experts think that ibogaine can heal the brain by optimizing neurotransmitter levels. This is why ibogaine treatment often reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
Precautionary Measures
Despite all the good things, ibogaine therapy raises some concerns. The biggest problem with ibogaine treatment is that it’s currently unregulated in the US. The plant doesn’t have a proper FDA approval, meaning that private and public uses are considered illegal.
As a result, many patients go abroad to receive the therapy. The problem is that ibogaine treatment is often unregulated in other countries, as well. As a result, you have to worry about inconsistent treatment protocols and other potential safety issues.
Traditional Treatment Basics
Although traditional rehab doesn’t always provide the best results, it is a highly structured process that has been around for decades. In most clinics, the treatment will include the following steps:
- Substance withdrawal under medical supervision.
- Full inpatient rehab with 24/7 support and therapy.
- Once you leave the clinic, you can receive extended medical support at your home.
- The traditional therapy may involve buprenorphine and methadone for cravings.
- CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) and counseling are commonly used to address trauma and identify triggers.
Perhaps the biggest issue with traditional therapy is that medical centers use a one-size-fits-all approach. Although there’s some leeway for experimenting with the framework, the process usually remains the same for all patients. As a result, traditional therapy often has high relapse percentages.
Ibogaine vs. Traditional Rehabilitation
In many ways, ibogaine therapy couldn’t be more different than traditional rehab. Although they serve the same purpose, clinics use different methodologies and support substances. They also differ in terms of duration. Here’s a breakdown of different features:
- Duration: You can finish the entire ibogaine therapy within a day or two. On the other hand, traditional rehab will take you weeks and even months.
- Methodology: Traditional rehab combines various types of medicines, talk therapies, and detox. Ibogaine helps a patient rewire neurotransmitters in the brain within a single session.
- Patient Support: Patients who go to rehab have a team of medical experts at their disposal. Besides immediate medical assistance at the clinic, ibogaine therapy doesn’t include continuous professional support.
- Withdrawal Management: When you visit a traditional clinic, you’ll immediately go into detox. Ibogaine therapy basically works as a detox by itself, reducing the natural craving in a short time.
- Effectiveness: Depending on the source, traditional therapy may have a success rate of 40% to 70%. We still lack clinical data on the success of ibogaine treatment. However, patients suggest that it’s highly effective.
- Medical Supervision: In traditional therapy, a patient will be continuously supervised by different staff members. Users often spend time in rooms with cameras, which is vital during detox. Medical supervision varies significantly in ibogaine treatment centers.
- Relapse Risk: The data we have so far indicates that ibogaine treatment has a lower relapse risk. However, we don’t have enough clinical data to give an advantage to one treatment over the other.
- Cost: Ibogaine treatments are generally more affordable, costing between $5,000 and $10,000. On the other hand, the traditional rehab will easily cost you from $20,000 and upward.
If you’re just looking to get the best results, ibogaine treatment seems like a cheap option with minimal risk. Traditional addiction rehabilitation requires a lot of time and money, while providing variable results.
Which Option Is Faster?
One of the bigger issues with traditional addiction rehab is that it takes so long. Some people stay in clinics for several months, completely derailing their careers and social lives. In fact, this is the reason why medical experts are looking for faster, more efficient alternatives.
Ibogaine treatment is usually done in a single sitting. You get to a medical facility, get a dose of ibogaine, chill for a day or two, and go your way. The results are supposed to be immediate, with the plant rewiring the neurons that control addiction.
However, it is worth noting that neither of the two options is bulletproof. The allure of drugs, alcohol, and nicotine is so strong that people relapse several times over. So, no matter which option you choose, you should curb your expectations. Most importantly, don’t falter if you don’t succeed on the first try.
Last Thoughts
If you’ve tried traditional addiction approaches and none of them worked, you might as well go with ibogaine therapy. The method has been accepted by many medical experts and lauded for its effectiveness. The best thing about it is that you get a quick fix for a problem that has been plaguing you for years.
