Can Ibogaine Help People with Parkinson’s?
At the 2022 Governors Awards ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, actor Michael J. Fox received an honorary Oscar for his work helping patients affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD), a debilitating neurological condition he has lived with for three decades. Since 2000, the Michael J. Fox Foundation has raised millions of dollars to fund medical research into this illness, and some of these projects have focused on ibogaine. Along with a few other psychoactive substances, ibogaine holds promise for the treatment of Parkinson’s, but more research is needed.
Parkinson’s Disease & Ibogaine
The prospect of using ibogaine to treat PD came about from pharmacology research that shows certain biochemical compounds could increase the production of specific proteins. PD is a degenerative condition caused by the decay of dopaminergic neurons, which in turn causes brain damage as well as many neurological issues. The protein in question is known as glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and it appears to regenerate the fibers of decayed dopaminergic neurons. In the United States, the National Institutes of Health became interested in this research during the late 1980s, but political pressure from factions that supported the “War on Drugs” prevented funding of research projects.
Anecdotal Evidence of Ibogaine’s Effectiveness in the Treatment of PD
In 2012, researchers from Florida State University monitored the health of a male PD patient who agreed to take ibogaine on an experimental basis. The observation period lasted two years, and the administration of ibogaine hydrochloride was conducted by a clinic located outside the U.S. Unlike patients who take massive ibogaine doses to overcome opiate dependency, this patient was given small doses twice a day over four weeks, and his neurological improvement was significant. This was a 69-year-old patient who hadn’t been able to carry on a conversation or button his shirt for two years, and he was able to do both within a month after starting the experimental therapy.
Future Research Projects
With the support of the World Parkinson Coalition, researchers from Columbia University recently started a two-year project to study the ibogaine mechanisms that stimulate GDNF production. In the beginning, the research subjects will be laboratory rodents. Later, they’ll be primates. Formal clinical trials could follow in the near future.
Ibogaine Dosage for PD Therapy
There seems to be no correlation between the powerful hallucinogenic effects of ibogaine and the natural release of GDNF protein. What this means for potential PD treatment options is that patients wouldn’t have to endure hours of being under the influence of this psychedelic substance. Anecdotal cases limit the dose to 30 milligrams, which isn’t sufficient to cause hallucinations. In fact, it’s low enough to avoid most uncomfortable effects. Slight visual trails and a mild feeling of excitement are the only side effects reported by the few PD patients who have taken low doses of ibogaine.
Although ibogaine is gaining increasing attention as a possible treatment for a variety of physical and mental conditions, its use is still prohibited in the United States. Currently, for many people who choose to seek medical ibogaine treatments, Mexico is the closest and most convenient location where ibogaine therapy is legal.
