Feds approve ibogaine research for PTSD, addiction

Well, veterans who are struggling with PTSD, substance abuse, and other disorders may have more help coming their way. The federal government just approved millions of dollars towards U.S.-based studies on ibogaine. It's a controversial psychedelic drug. Our FOX 13's Brianna Arradondo has been looking into this one for us tonight. So, Brianna, people are traveling out of the country to actually be treated with this psychedelic drug? Yeah, Ali, so the DEA actually classifies ibogaine as a Schedule I drug, meaning that there's currently no accepted medical use for it and there's a high potential for abuse. And that's in the same category as heroin, LSD, and marijuana. Now, just yesterday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared that the federal government approved $4.9 million toward research on ibogaine to treat PTSD and substance abuse. And Kennedy says to get started, they're going to be going over data from the Texas-based company, Beyond They treat patients in Cancun, Mexico with Ibogaine. It will allow us to assess the clinical data, help government research, evaluate Ibogaine's safety, the dosing protocols, the effectiveness, and the duration of any benefits. So Ibogaine comes from the root bark of a shrub native to West Africa, and it's considered controversial as a treatment because it can cause hallucinations, cardiac events and seizures. Now, clinics outside of the U.S. are using it to help with detoxing. And today I spoke with the treatment facility that Secretary Kennedy mentioned there Beyond about their work with Ibogaine. And they say that it requires strict protocols by trained physicians, which they do. I myself, I'm a veteran, I'm a combat veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and I came to Beyond two and a half years ago for my own alcohol use and chemical dependency, plus PTSD and depression, and this medicine, it completely changed and I would say saved my life. So my first hope is we can show that it's safe, and then right after that we can show the effects. We can show that the efficacy of plant medicines or alternative therapeutic approaches works, and it works well, most importantly, the durability of it. That's Beyond Clayton Smith, and he tells me that the focus on veterans is much needed in this research. He says those suffering from PTSD have a higher rate of substance abuse and suicide. And it's not a one-size-fits-all situation either, but for those who support it, they say that Ibogaine offers another option for that potential treatment. Let me ask you this, Brianna. What research has been done on this drug and how do you think it'll play out? Yeah, so there have actually been several academic studies on Ibogaine, Ali, including one by Stanford Medicine that tracked veterans with PTSD and also traumatic brain injuries. And it found that Ibogaine was effective in helping those veterans. But this move by the feds is going to be helping to establish a framework for clinical trials and also for manufacturing this drug for patients. Okay, Brianna Arredondo in our control room Tonight, Brianna, thank you.