He Gambled His Life on Ibogaine, and Lost

For some, ibogaine is a wonder drug, a psychedelic that can help cure addiction and eliminate any symptoms of withdrawal in one dose. It's also illegal in the US, and can be deadly, as detailed by Mattha Busby in a lengthy piece for Rolling Stone. His story revolves around a man he calls David, a 49-year-old New Yorker who relapsed in February 2022 and was using fentanyl, cocaine, Suboxone, and Valium. His teeth were also starting to fall out, and he had just inherited millions from his father. He wanted to be done with his addiction, and he turned to the Cancun-based ibogaine clinic Beond two months later to do so. There, patients pay roughly $12,500 for a 10- to 14-day stay, which includes one ibogaine journey, prep, and aftercare. Busby shares glowing quotes ("this is the work of angels") and stats about Beond.

Ibogaine is the primary alkaloid in root bark from central Africa called iboga. Busby details how it's been handled since the start of the 20th century and dives into the limited studies that exist—some entirely positive, including a small Stanford study that found it can ease the effects of traumatic brain injury. It can also cause death, in most cases due to cardiac arrhythmia; that can make it especially risky for users of long-acting opiates like Suboxone. Still, "the trip may be a gamble worth taking, especially for those who have not succeeded with other treatments," writes Busby. It was for David, but it was a gamble he lost: Two days after his ibogaine trip, and shortly after receiving a "booster" dose at Beond, David was dead; a cause of death was never established, though his ex-wife says she was told he had a heart attack. (Read the full piece for much more here.)