Ibogaine is probably the longest-lasting entheogen of the tryptamine family, with effects lasting from 36 hours up to an entire week, for high doses. Aside from effects like coordination problems, dry mouth, and nausea, which are present in many entheogens, ibogaine has been suggested to have negative effects on pre-existing heart conditions. One study shows that ibogaine use was associated with severe lengthening of the QT interval and ventricular tachyarrhythmias, which normalized after 42 hours of ingesting ibogaine. While there may be no real risk involved to a person with a well functioning heart, someone suffering from a heart condition may endanger their life by ingesting iboga.
Another very dangerous aspect to ibogaine, when used in the context of assisting over- coming addictions, is its ability to reset brain chemistry in such a way that tolerance for other substances drops to zero again. This means that previously “normal” doses of a compound, for example, heroin, could be lethal for someone who has undergone ibogaine treatment.
