A naturally occurring hallucinogenic plant alkaloid, ibogaine has been used as an adjuvant for opiate withdrawal for the past 50 years. In the setting of an escalating nationwide opiate epidemic, use of substances such as ibogaine may also increase. Therefore, familiarity with the mechanisms and potential adverse effects of ibogaine is important for clinicians. We present the case report of a man whose use of ibogaine resulted in cardiac arrest and death, complemented by a review of the literature regarding ibogaine's clinical effects. A 40-year-old man who used ibogaine for symptoms of heroin withdrawal suffered acute cardiac arrest leading to cerebral edema and brain death. His presentation was consistent with ibogaine-induced cardiotoxicity and ibogaine-induced cardiac arrest, and a review of the literature regarding the history, mechanisms, risks and clinical outcomes associated with ibogaine is presented. The case presented underscores the significant potential clinical risks of ibogaine. It is important the healthcare community be aware of the possible effects of ibogaine such that clinicians can provide informed counseling to their patients regarding the risks of attempting detoxification with ibogaine.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
2
4%
Nursing and Health Professions
2
4%
Other
8
15%
Unknown
19
36%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 389. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 10 July 2026.
All research outputs
#99,348
of 34,307,719 outputs
Outputs from Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
#7
of 464 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#1,313
of 450,151 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
#1
of 13 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,307,719 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 464 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 26.5. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 450,151 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 13 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 92% of its contemporaries.
