What Is Ibogaine? Presley Gerber Posted About Treatment - Newsweek

Presley Gerber, the model and son of Cindy Crawford, has died at the age of 27.

Gerber died on Sunday while at a rehab facility, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

In recent years, Gerber has spoken openly about his struggles with mental health and drug abuse.

In a post shared to Instagram in March of this year, Gerber wrote “Pre Ibogaine Flood Dose - quiet moment before everything changed.”

“I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, i started finding my way back to myself,” he said. “We shall see… Praying it’s the last time I have to come back.”

In that post, he included the hashtags, “iboga,” “ibogaine,” “rewire your brain,” “love yourself,” mental health.”

Crawford commented on that post, “You are a warrior! Walked thru the fire to find yourself! So proud!” Gerber’s younger sister, Kaia Gerber, who is also a model and actress, commented “that’s my brother I am so damn proud.”

Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive alkaloid compound. It is found in the West African shrub, Tabernanthe iboga.

It functions in small doses as a mild stimulant. Larger doses can cause a deep psychedelic experience, including hallucinations.

In the 1980s, Ibogaine gained popularity in the U.S. and Europe. However, it is still classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act.

Ibogaine is used as a pharmaceutical substance and can be administered for a number of health conditions, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

It is also used for substance use dependency, with research showing that it can help alleviate symptoms of withdrawal and curb cravings.

For example, a 2014 study by researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo in Brazil tracked 75 participants who had a history of using cocaine, cannabis, crack cocaine or alcohol, and were treated with Ibogaine.

Individuals who received a single treatment reported abstaining from drug use for an average of 5.5 months.

Those who received multiple treatments reported abstaining for an average of 8.4 months.

Ibogaine treatment for drug addiction is controversial because it is classed as a controlled substance.

Ibogaine is legal for medical use in some countries, but it is unregulated in Mexico.

Ibogaine can cause cardiovascular changes, including a slowed heart rate and blood pressure shifts. It can also cause neurological effects, including ataxia, tremor and mania.

There can also be rare but serious complications. These include arrhythmias and respiratory failure and can also include death, especially when combined with opioids in patients with underlying health conditions.

A review, published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment in 2022, identified 58 ibogaine-associated emergencies. This included 38 deaths.

Two of those deaths occurred in the setting of a clinical study.

This is a developing story. More to follow.