New research shows that veterans who suffered from traumatic brain injury (TBI) experienced “dramatic and life-changing” improvements to their cognitive function and symptoms immediately following treatment with psychedelic Ibogaine.
The Stanford University researchers who conducted the study and published it in Nature Medicine last Thursday, studied 30 veterans with symptoms of TBI, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic distress. They also had a past of being exposed to repeated blasts or combat.
The team assessed veterans’ mental health before and after they received ibogaine treatments in Mexico. They found that there were profound improvements in their mental health with minimal side-effects.
Before treatment, each veteran met the criteria of clinically significant disability. Twenty-three veterans had PTSD diagnosis, fourteen had anxiety disorder, fifteen had alcohol use disorder, and 19 were suicidal.
The symptoms were immediately “remarkable” and “large” after receiving magnesium, which was given to prevent heart-related complications.
Ibogaine “resulted both in significant improvements of functioning immediately after treatment as well as in PTSD depression and anxiety 1 month following treatment.” “There were no unexpected or severe adverse events.”
After a week, the average disability rating of veterans dropped from 30.2 down to 5.1. They no longer qualified as disabled. The veterans also experienced an average reduction in PTSD symptoms, depression and anxiety of 81 percent. Cognitive assessments show improvements in “concentration and information processing as well as memory and impulsivity.”
Nolan Williams said, in a Stanford press release, that “no other drug has been able alleviate the neuropsychiatric and functional symptoms of traumatic head injury.” The results are impressive, and we plan to continue studying this compound.
“No other drug has ever been able to alleviate the functional and neuropsychiatric symptoms of traumatic brain injury.” – @NolanRyWilliams, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences#TBI #Researchhttps://t.co/nopnhgVHWl
Stanford Medicine (@StanfordMed 8 January 2024
The veterans were forced to travel to Mexico because ibogaine was classified as Schedule I controlled substances in the U.S.
Ibogaine could be a powerful treatment for transdiagnostic symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts and feelings that may arise after a TBI or repeated exposure to blasts or combat.
Williams stated that “these men were extremely intelligent and high-performing individuals, who suffered a life-altering disability due to TBI while in combat.” They were willing to try anything they thought would help them get back their lives.
Stanford plans to expand on its initial findings and possibly incorporate brain scans in order to better understand the effects of psychedelics on cognition.
Williams stated that the drug could be used to treat TBI and other neuro-rehab conditions. “I believe it targets a variety of brain areas and could help us better understand other forms of PTSD and anxiety that aren’t necessarily related to TBI.”
This is the first study that reports evidence of a single drug treatment to improve chronic disability due to repeated TBIs from blast/combat exposures.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in response to an increased demand for research has proposed a dramatic escalation of the production quotas for ibogaine, and other psychedelic substances by 2024.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently released a Request for Applications to Conduct In-Depth Research on the Use of the Psychedelics psilocybin and MDMA To Treat PTSD and Depression.
Recent survey results showed that two-thirds of active military and veterans respondents (64%) supported allowing VA doctors to recommend psychedelics .
In November last year, a U.S. House Subcommittee held a First-ever Congress Hearing on Psychedelics. The panel focused on how substances such as psilocybin or MDMA could aid in the treatment of military veterans with mental health issues.
A psychedelics drug development company has asked the Food and Drug Administration to review a request to approve MDMA for prescription treatment of PTSD, after identifying convincing results from a phase 3 clinical trial.
Illinois Marijuana Retailers sold $2 billion worth of legal products in 2023, including a new monthly record in December
Image courtesy of Flickr/Scamperdale.
The post Stanford Study: Military Veterans With PTSD and Depression Who Received Ibogaine Treatment Saw a ‘Dramatic Improvement’ In Their PTSD And Depressive Disorders first appeared on Marijuana moment.
