You’ve watched someone you love disappear into addiction, trauma, or depression. You’ve tried everything—rehabs, therapies, medications. Nothing’s worked. Now you’re researching ibogaine therapy, equal parts hopeful and terrified.
This guide answers every question families ask about ibogaine treatment.
Is Ibogaine Safe for My Loved One?
The question that keeps you awake.
Honest answer: Ibogaine administered properly is remarkably safe. Administered improperly can be deadly.
The critical difference: medical screening and supervision.
Zero Deaths in Proper Settings
A comprehensive review of ibogaine fatalities found zero deaths occurred in properly screened, medically monitored facilities following clinical guidelines. All deaths involved unscreened cardiac conditions, lack of supervision, or impure products.
Required Safety Protocols
For your loved one’s safety, demand:
- Pre-treatment EKG (cardiac screening is non-negotiable)
- Continuous medical monitoring during treatment
- Licensed physicians/nurses present 24/7
- Emergency equipment on-site
- Electrolyte optimization (magnesium reduces cardiac risk)
Learn about our safety standards.
What Will Actually Happen: Timeline for Families
Before Treatment (1-4 Weeks)
Comprehensive screening including:
- EKG and blood work
- Medical history review
- Medication assessment
- Mental preparation coaching
Your role: Help facilitate appointments, ask questions, ensure they don’t skip steps.
Treatment Day (Day 3-4)
This is the hardest day—for them and for you.
They’ll receive ibogaine and enter a 12-24 hour visionary state. They’ll be:
- Lying down with eyes closed
- Processing internally (visions, memories, insights)
- Continuously monitored (every heartbeat tracked)
- Never alone (medical staff present constantly)
For addiction patients: Withdrawal symptoms disappear rather than worsening—remarkable to witness.
What you’re feeling: Terror. Even knowing they’re monitored, you’ll worry. This is normal.
What’s actually happening: They’re safer than they’ve been in years. More supervised than when at home where you couldn’t watch 24/7.
Integration Phase (Days 5-7)
Acute effects fade. Many describe feeling “reset.”
For addiction: Cravings dramatically reduced or gone.
For PTSD: Trauma memories less emotionally charged.
For depression: Emotional heaviness lifts.
They’ll receive therapy, bodywork, integration support. Explore our comprehensive programs.
Coming Home (Week 2+)
Your role becomes critical. They need:
- Patience as they integrate changes
- Support without enabling
- Help maintaining boundaries
- Recognition that healing is a process
What Does Research Show About Success?
For opioid addiction:
- 60-70% maintain long-term sobriety
- 80% report dramatic withdrawal reduction
- Significantly better than conventional treatment (5-10% success)
Source: Ibogaine Treatment Outcomes
For PTSD (Stanford study):
- 88% reduction in symptoms
- 87% reduction in depression
- Sustained at 6-month follow-up
Source: Stanford PTSD Research
For Parkinson’s (preliminary data):
- 70% average symptom reduction
- Improvements in tremor, mobility
- Effects lasting weeks to months
The Conversation: How to Approach It
Don’t:
- Pressure or threaten
- Present as last resort
- Focus on how they’ve hurt you
Do:
- Share information without pressure
- Offer to help research together
- Acknowledge their fears
- Emphasize it’s their choice
- Connect them with others who’ve done it
Script: “I found something that might help. No pressure—just information. Would you be willing to read about it or talk to someone who’s done it?”
Vetting Providers: Your Due Diligence Checklist
Protect your loved one by verifying:
✓ Required pre-treatment EKG
✓ Licensed physicians on staff (verify credentials)
✓ Continuous cardiac monitoring
✓ Emergency equipment and protocols
✓ Transparent safety record
✓ Will refuse treatment if medically unsafe
✓ Follows Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance guidelines
Red flags that mean walk away:
- No cardiac screening required
- Only “facilitators” (no licensed medical staff)
- Pressure for immediate booking
- Significantly cheaper than reputable providers
- Won’t answer safety questions directly
The Cost Reality
Most ibogaine treatment programs cost $4,000-$15,000+. This seems expensive until you consider:
- Traditional 30-day rehab: $20,000-$50,000+
- Maintenance medications: $200-400/month indefinitely
- Years of therapy and psychiatric care
- Emergency interventions and hospitalizations
Ibogaine is one-time (plus travel). For families who’ve spent tens of thousands on treatments that failed, the math shifts.
The real question: Can you afford NOT to try the most effective option available?
If They’re Not Ready Yet
Hard truth: You can’t force them. They have to choose it.
What you can do:
- Plant the seed, then back off
- Keep communication open
- Take care of yourself (you can’t help them if you’re destroyed)
- Set boundaries about what you will/won’t tolerate
- Stay connected so when they’re ready, you’re there
The waiting is agony. Sometimes people must get worse before they’re willing to try something different. That’s not your fault.
Your Next Step
If you’re ready to explore whether ibogaine therapy could help your loved one—or if you just have questions—we’re here.
Free family consultation: We’ll explain how ibogaine works for their specific condition, answer all safety questions, and help you determine if they’re a good candidate.
Sources:
You’ve fought too hard to give up now. Contact Iboga Wellness Institute for confidential family consultation.
