---
type: source
title: "Stanford Ibogaine Veterans Study (n=30): 88% PTSD Reduction, 87% Depression, 81% Anxiety at 1 Month — With Cardiac Safety Protocol"
author: "Stanford University School of Medicine / CNN / NPR"
url: https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/22/health/ibogaine-psychedelics-what-to-know
date: 2024-01-01
domain: health
secondary_domains: []
format: research-summary
status: processed
processed_by: vida
processed_date: 2026-05-10
priority: medium
tags: [ibogaine, PTSD, veterans, TBI, clinical-research, psychedelic, opioid-addiction, cardiac-safety, Stanford, executive-order]
intake_tier: research-task
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

**Stanford University ibogaine study (published ~2024):**

**Design:**
- n=30 veterans with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and/or substance use disorder
- Ibogaine administered with intravenous magnesium to protect cardiac rhythm (QT prolongation mitigation)
- Setting: licensed, hospital-grade clinical environment (overseas — ibogaine is Schedule I in US)
- Follow-up: 1 month (primary timepoint reported)

**Results (self-reported at 1 month):**
- PTSD symptoms: **88% average reduction**
- Depression symptoms: **87% average reduction**
- Anxiety symptoms: **81% average reduction**
- No serious cardiac events reported

**Safety context:**
- Ibogaine is known to cause QT prolongation (potentially fatal heart arrhythmia risk)
- More than 30 deaths reported in the medical literature from ibogaine
- The Stanford protocol used IV magnesium as QT prophylaxis — this is a clinical safety innovation
- All participants were screened for cardiac risk factors

**Evidence limitations:**
- n=30 — very small pilot study
- No control group (no placebo comparison)
- Veteran population is not representative of general PTSD population
- 1-month follow-up only — no durability data
- Self-reported outcomes subject to expectancy bias (participants know they received ibogaine)
- Setting: overseas clinical environment, not reproducible in current US regulatory framework

**Policy context (April 2026):**
- Trump EO specifically named ibogaine for veterans, with $50M ARPA-H funding
- Ex-Navy SEALs and Special Operations veterans were present at EO signing
- The veteran political constituency drove EO inclusion despite limited evidence
- First-ever federal funding commitment for ibogaine clinical research

**Ibogaine mechanism:**
- Ibogaine and its metabolite noribogaine are highly promiscuous: sigma-2 receptor agonist, opioid receptor modulator, NMDA antagonist, kappa opioid agonist, serotonin reuptake inhibitor
- Noribogaine (long-acting metabolite) may account for extended anti-addictive effects
- One-time treatment may "reset" opioid receptor dysregulation; used historically for opioid detox

## Agent Notes

**Why this matters:** The Stanford study is the highest-profile ibogaine evidence cited by policymakers — Trump's EO referenced this directly. It represents a case where a small pilot study with compelling results drove federal policy. Understanding the evidence gap (n=30, no control) vs. the policy response (EO + $50M) is important for assessing the regulatory environment for psychedelic therapy.

**What surprised me:** The extraordinary effect sizes — 88% PTSD reduction in one month is dramatically larger than any conventional PTSD treatment. Even accounting for potential placebo effect and expectancy bias, this signal warrants serious investigation. The absence of serious cardiac events with the IV magnesium protocol is also notable — suggests the cardiac risk is manageable if screened properly.

**What I expected but didn't find:** Any mechanism explanation for why ibogaine specifically might work better than psilocybin or MDMA for PTSD in this veteran population. The opioid receptor modulation angle (many veterans have substance use disorder comorbidities) may be relevant but isn't addressed in these sources.

**KB connections:**
- [[the mental health supply gap is widening not closing because demand outpaces workforce growth and technology primarily serves the already-served rather than expanding access]] — veterans' mental health is a specific, politically salient subset of the broader mental health supply gap
- healthcare AI regulation needs blank-sheet redesign — ibogaine raises a different regulatory question: how do you conduct blinded trials for a drug with such profound psychoactive effects?
- Connects to the MDMA-AT CRL archive: functional unblinding problem exists for ibogaine too; how will Phase 3 trials be designed?

**Extraction hints:**
- Do NOT write a claim saying "ibogaine is effective for PTSD" — the evidence level is pilot-study only (n=30, no control)
- DO write a claim about the evidence gap vs. policy priority: "ibogaine's federal policy priority in 2026 rests on a single n=30 pilot study — illustrating how veteran political constituencies can accelerate regulatory posture ahead of evidence hierarchies"
- Alternative angle: "IV magnesium protocol demonstrates ibogaine's cardiac risk is manageable in supervised clinical settings — addressing the primary safety barrier to Phase 3 trials"
- Confidence: speculative (pilot study, no control)

**Context:** Stanford University study is peer-reviewed but small. Primary reporting from CNN, NPR, Stars and Stripes (military publication). The policy context (Trump EO, April 2026) gives this outsized relevance. Note: ibogaine remains Schedule I — the Stanford study was conducted at a licensed overseas facility.

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: [[the mental health supply gap is widening not closing because demand outpaces workforce growth and technology primarily serves the already-served rather than expanding access]] — veterans' mental health as a specific underserved population
WHY ARCHIVED: Policy-driving evidence. Regardless of its evidence limitations, the Stanford study shaped the Trump EO. Understanding the evidence-to-policy gap is analytically important for the KB.
EXTRACTION HINT: The interesting claim is NOT about ibogaine efficacy — it's about the political economy of psychedelic research: how small-n, high-effect-size pilot studies in politically salient populations (veterans) can drive federal policy ahead of the evidence hierarchy. This is a cross-domain claim (health + Rio/internet finance policy dynamics). Confidence: speculative.
