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Underground ibogaine use for the treatment of substance use disorders: A qualitative analysis of subjective experiences

Publicated to:Drug And Alcohol Review. 42 (2): 401-414 - 2023-01-01 42(2), DOI: 10.1111/dar.13587

Authors: Rodríguez-Cano BJ; Kohek M; Ona G; Alcázar-Córcoles MÁ; Dos Santos RG; Hallak JEC; Bouso JC

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Abstract

Ibogaine is one of the alkaloids naturally found in plants such as Tabernanthe iboga, which has been traditionally used by members of the Bwiti culture. Since the discovery of its anti-addictive properties by Howard S. Lotsof in 1962, ibogaine has been used experimentally to treat substance use disorders (SUD), especially those involving opioids. We aim to provide a detailed understanding of the underlying psychological aspects of underground ibogaine use for the treatment of SUD.Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13 participants with SUD, which motivated their self-treatment with ibogaine. The data were analysed using the grounded theory approach and considered the context of the treatment, and the nature of the occurring hallucinogenic and cognitive phenomena during the treatment experience.We identified several psychological effects that the study respondents experienced, which seem to play a substantial role in the therapeutic process concerning SUD. The evoking of interpersonal and transpersonal experiences, autobiographical memories, and preparation, integration and motivation for a lifestyle change are important components that participants reported during and after ibogaine intake.Ibogaine is increasingly being used for the treatment of SUD, due in part to the limited treatment options currently available. Its beneficial effects seem to be related not only to its complex pharmacology but also to the subjective experience that ibogaine induces. The main aspects of this experience are related to autobiographical memories and valuable personal insights, which together appear to help individuals cope with their SUD.© 2022 The Authors. Drug and Alcohol Review published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Keywords

detoxificationibogapsychedelicqualitative analysissubstance use disorderswithdrawalHallucinogenicIbogaOpioid use disorderPsychedelicQualitative analysisSubstance use disorders

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Drug And Alcohol Review due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2023, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Health (Social Science).

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 3.2, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions Jun 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-06-08, the following number of citations:

  • Scopus: 5
  • OpenCitations: 5

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-06-08:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 37.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 34 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 2.7.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 4 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Brazil.

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: Last Author (Bouso JC).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been Bouso JC.