Questions to ask before you pay a deposit

The programs on this site differ on a handful of things that decide how safe the week is. Each question below names the programs that answer it in writing, so you can tell a real answer from a reassuring one.

1. Who is in the room when I am dosed, and what is their licence?
   Programs range from a cardiologist and an emergency physician at the bedside (Ibogaine Treatment MX, Transcend) to a nurse and a paramedic (IbogaQuest) to facilitators with a first-aid certificate (the ceremony retreats). Ask for names and licence numbers, not job titles. Transcend publishes its physicians' cédula numbers; most programs do not.
2. Will a physician read my EKG before I travel, and what QT value would make you refuse me?
   A 12-lead EKG is the single most important screen, because the deaths are cardiac. New Roots publishes QT limits; Ibogaine Treatment MX says its cardiologist reads the EKG. If the answer is "we check vitals on arrival", that is not the same thing.
3. Which blood tests do you require, and when?
   Potassium, magnesium and liver function are the ones the published protocols name (Ambio, Iboga Wellness Institute, Tabula Rasa, Ibogaine Treatment MX). Low electrolytes raise the arrhythmia risk.
4. How far is the nearest hospital, and is there a written transfer agreement?
   Ibogaine Treatment MX states 9 minutes and a written agreement. Clear Sky called itself a private hospital. Most programs say nothing. Ask for the hospital's name.
5. Is there a defibrillator and a crash cart where I will be dosed, and who is trained to use them?
   Transcend, Tabula Rasa and Root Healing state a defibrillator on site; IbogaQuest keeps an ambulance on dosing days. Ask who holds ACLS certification.
6. What exactly will you give me: ibogaine HCl, a total alkaloid extract, or root bark? Where does it come from, and can I see a certificate of analysis?
   The form changes the dose and the predictability. Bassé states HCl "99.7% pure" and lab tested; Clear Sky used HCl for the flood dose and TA for boosters; Root Healing and the Costa Rica retreats use whole root bark; Pangea used all three in small repeated doses. Few programs name their supplier.
7. I am on methadone, Suboxone or Sublocade. What do you require before dosing, and for how long?
   The medical programs require a switch to a short-acting opioid for weeks: New Roots says 4 to 6 weeks off methadone, Tabula Rasa at least 4 weeks or a 12 to 14 day detox stay, Iboga Treatment Center up to a month of pre-care, Ibogaine Treatment MX "no dosing until long-acting opioids clear". A program that says a switch is unnecessary is at odds with the fatality literature.
8. I have been using fentanyl. Do you test for nitazenes and xylazine, and how long will I be stabilised first?
   After its January 2026 death, Ambio set a 21-day minimum stay for fentanyl users and the Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance warned that nitazenes and xylazine evade standard drug screens.
9. How long will I be monitored after the dose, and with what?
   Continuous ECG and pulse oximetry for 24 hours or more is what the clinics with cardiac staff describe (MindScape: chest-strap monitoring; Ibogaine Treatment MX: continuous ECG and pulse ox). Ask whether anyone watches the monitor overnight.
10. Has anyone died or been hospitalised at your program? What changed afterwards?
    Beond (2022), IbogaQuest (2025) and Ambio (2026) have press-documented deaths and, in Ambio's case, a published protocol change. The honest answer is on the safety record page; compare it with what you are told.
11. What licence does the facility hold, and what is the number?
    Only one Mexican program on this site publishes a COFEPRIS licence number (Sanctuary Tulum). "Licensed" and "accredited" without a number means nothing until you see the document.
12. What happens if you screen me out after I arrive?
    Ibogaine Treatment MX refunds the deposit if the patient is screened out. Most programs do not publish a refund policy. Get it in writing before the deposit.
13. What does the price include, and what will I pay on top?
    Flights, a companion, extra tests, extra nights and pre-treatment stabilisation weeks are the usual extras. The cost guide lists who publishes what.
14. What aftercare do you provide, for how long, and who delivers it?
    Ranges from "an integration session" to 90-day plans (MindScape), weekly calls to day 90 with a summary for your home doctor (Ibogaine Treatment MX), or a 30-day course (Bassé). Ibogaine ends withdrawal for a time; it does not by itself keep anyone off opioids.
15. If you cannot treat me, who would you send me to?
    A program that will say "not us, for your heart" or "not you, on methadone" is one that screens. The alternatives for someone who cannot or should not take ibogaine are on the comparison page, including a hospital-based option in the United States.

Program statements referred to above are quoted from their sites as read on October 20, 2026 and are linked from each profile. Not medical advice.