To document the long-term abstinence achieved in a patient with severe ketamine use disorder following ibogaine treatment.
Approach:
Patient Profile: A 30-year-old male with a five-year history of severe polysubstance dependence, including daily intranasal ketamine use, cocaine, and alcohol, comorbid with recurrent depressive disorder.
Treatment Protocol: The patient underwent a 13-day residential program in Mexico, receiving an 800 mg ibogaine HCl flood dose followed by two booster doses of 300 mg, with continuous medical and ECG monitoring.
Follow-up: Approximately 17 months of follow-up included a medically supervised fractionated ibogaine intervention and serial toxicology and psychometric assessments.
Key Findings:
The patient reported an immediate cessation of cravings for all substances post-treatment.
Serial assessments indicated continued abstinence from ketamine, cocaine, alcohol, and other substances over 17 months, with PHQ-9 scores improving from 0 to 3 and WHOQOL-BREF scores increasing from 55 to 71.
Significant improvements in depression and quality of life were observed.
Interpretation:
This case provides evidence for ibogaine's effects in treating chronic ketamine dependence.
Limitations:
The study is based on a single case report, limiting generalizability.
The lack of controlled clinical trials limits the ability to substantiate findings.
Conclusion:
This case highlights the findings related to ibogaine treatment for severe ketamine use disorder.
