Drugs and Medication Policy
You will absolutely need to be free of the following substances prior to your visit, or you will not be admitted:
- Cocaine and Crack – 30 days
- Methamphetamine, Adderall, Ritalin, etc. – 14 days
- Alcohol – 3 days (if alcohol addict, 14 days)
- Suboxone and Methadone – 30 days
- Lamictal and Gabapentin – 14 days
- All antidepressants and antipsychotics – 30 days
- Heroin and prescription opiates – 30 days
- Psilocybin – 14 days
- LSD – 30 days
It is recommended to discuss all medications, drugs, supplements, and psychedelics taken within the past 3 months with the facilitator to ensure a safe practice. Failure to do so may put you and your health at risk.
In general, one should not be taking any other substances or medications, including herbal medicines, when taking plant medicine, dieting, or using other medicinal plants, both for your safety and to not interfere with the efficacy of the plants or their energies.
All prescription medications, certain supplements, and illegal drugs should be ceased at least 1 to 4 weeks prior to drinking plant medicine, depending on the specific type of medication or supplement.
Synthetic hormones taken for hypothyroidism are an exception. You may continue to take your hypothyroid medication during your course of plant medicine, but are still required to inform us that you are taking the medication. Many over-the-counter medications, such as antihistamines, require only 24 hours of non-use prior to plant medicine, although we still recommend ceasing them 1 week in advance. Specific medications, such as MAOIs and SSRIs, pose substantial health complications in conjunction with plant medicine and therefore require an extended cessation period.
Please consult the comprehensive (but not exhaustive) list below for detailed descriptions of specific medications and the recommended cessation period. And remember, always consult your doctor when ceasing any prescription medication. Some medications have moderate to serious withdrawal effects, so added time might be necessary to wean yourself off your medication(s) safely. When consulting your doctor, please inform them that you will be taking a reversible MAOI.
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs): 4 weeks prior Plant medicine is a very potent natural MAOI and should not be used in combination with other MAOIs. Combining MAOIs can lead to complications in the regulation of neurotransmitters and digestion, such as hypertensive crisis, convulsive seizures, fever, delirium, coma, and circulatory collapse. Withdrawal symptoms are possible when ceasing prescription MAOIs, so it is important to consult a doctor as to how to taper off one’s dosage.
Why?
Monoamine oxidase is an enzyme responsible for clearing certain neurotransmitter chemicals from the brain. When the activity of this enzyme is inhibited, the brain has more norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine available to send important messages and regulate mood states. This enzyme is also important in the digestive process
MAOI Medications:
- Marplan (isocarboxazid)
- Nardil (phenelzine)
- Emsam
- Eldepryl
- Zelapar (selegiline)
- Parnate (tranylcypromine)
- Aurorix and Manerix (moclobemide)
- Pirazidol (pirlindole)
- And any other MAOIs not listed here
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): 4 weeks prior, 4 weeks after
The combination of plant medicine (an MAOI) and SSRIs is potentially life-threatening. Any medication which has an effect on the serotonin system, such as SSRIs can induce serotonin syndrome in conjunction with plant medicine. It is extremely important that you give themedication enough time to leave your system and give yourself time to adjust to not being on your medication as side effects from stopping your medication may arise. Prozac requires stoppage 6 weeks prior to drinking plant medicine due to its longer half-life. All other SSRIs require 4 weeks. Do not stop taking your medication without consulting your doctor first.
Why?
Plant medicine is an MAOI that allows for certain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, to become more available in the brain. SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin. The combination of these two substances will cause excess and/or overload of serotonergic activity in the central nervous system and peripheral serotonin receptors.
SSRI Medications
- Celexa (citalopram)
- Lexapro
- Cipralex (escitalopram)
- Luvox (fluvoxamine)
- Paxil and Seroxat (paroxetine)
- Prozac (fluoxetine)
- Zoloft and Lustral (sertraline)
- And any SSRIs not listed here
Other Antidepressants: 4 weeks prior, 4 weeks after
Antidepressants other than SSRIs, such as serotonin-norepinephrine inhibitors (SNRIs), serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs), norepinephrine inhibitors (NRIs), norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs), noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NaSSAs), and serotonin modulator and stimulators (SMSs) can pose serious complications in conjunction with drinking plant medicine. If combined with an MAOI, one can have an overload of the neurotransmitter leading to serious health complications. It is extremely important that you give the medication enough time to leave your system and give yourself time to adjust to not being on your medication as side effects from stopping your medication may arise. Do not stop taking your medication without consulting your doctor first. Why? Plant medicine is an MAOI that allows for certain neurotransmitters to be more available in the brain. Other antidepressants also alter brain neurochemistry leading to possible serious health complications when combined.
Antidepressant Medications
SNRIs
- Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)
- Cymbalta (duloxetine)
- Fetzima (levomilnacipran)
- Ixel and Savella (milnacipran), Effexor (venlafaxine)
- And any other SNRIs not listed here
SARIs
- Axiomin and Etonin (etoperidone)
- Serzone and Nefadar (nefazodone)
- YM-992, YM-35,995 (lubazodone),
- Desyrel (trazodone)
- And any other SARIs not listed here
NRIs
- Strattera (atomoxetine)
- Edronax (reboxetine)
- Vivalan (viloxazine)
- Wellbutrin
- Zyban (bupropion
- And any other NRIs not listed here
TCAs
- Elavil and Endep (amitriptyline)
- Evadene (butriptilina)
- Anafril (clomipramine)
- Norpramin and Pertofrane (desipramine)
- Prothiaden (dosulepin, dothiepin)
- Adapin and Sinequan (doxepin)
- Tofranil (imipramine)
- Prondol (iprindole)
- Feprapax
- Gamanil
- Lomont (lofepramine)
- Pamelor (nortriptyline)
- Insidon (opipramol)
- Vivactil (protriptyline)
- Surmontil (trimipramine)
- And any other TCAs not listed here
TeCAs and NaSSAs
- Asendin (amoxapine)
- Ludiomil (maprotiline)
- Lumin
- Bolvidon
- Norval
- Tolvon (mianserin)
- Remeron (mirtazapine)
- And any other TeCAs or NaSSAs not listed here
SMSs:
- Viibryd (vilazodone)
- Brintellix (vortioxetine)
- And any other SMSs not listed here
Anti-depressant or other drug containing MAO inhibitors or SSRIs
- Prozac
- Seroxat
- Zoloft
- Effexor
- Paxi
- Wellbutrin (bupropion) also sold as Zyban as aid therapy to the urge to smoke – or similar medication.
- Anti-stress medication such as Valium, Xanax, and similar substances.
- And any other MAO inhibitors or SSRIs not listed here
Antibiotic therapy may cause potentially adverse reactions with the use of plant medicine. Discontinue the use of this medication and any of the following for at least 1 week before and until 1 week after taking the plant medicine: Phenylalanine, non-prescription drugs like antihistamines, systemic vasoconstrictors or decongestants, both natural (ephedrine) and synthetic formulations( Pseudoephedrine and similar) normally used in case of cold & flu, asthma inhalers, or drugs with high content of caffeine. Narcotics, sedatives, tranquilizers, antihypertensive agents (used to treat high blood pressure only in chronic cases), analgesics like meperidine, anti-parkinson drugs like Levodopa, drugs used to treat heart conditions, like Dopamine (brand name: Intropin), neurological prescriptions like Carbamazepine (a drug that eliminates seizures), and sympathomimetic drugs (substances
that mimic the effects of the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline) like amphetamine and tyrosine. Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, crack, mescaline, or Phenethylamines (homologs of Amphetamines),
Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants (and sleeping pills): 2 weeks prior
CNS depressants, such as certain anti-anxiety medications and sleeping aids, should not be used in conjunction with plant medicine due to serious health risks. The use of plant medicine can increase the depressant effects of CNS depressants leading to
slower brain activity, heart rhythm, and respiration. CNS depressants include benzodiazepines, sleep medications, and barbiturates. CNS depressants have a shorter half-life and therefore can be ceased 2 weeks prior to drinking plant medicine. Dependency on CNS depressants can arise easily, so withdrawal symptoms may arise when ceasing your medication. Please consult your doctor for help.
CNS Medications
Benzodiazepines
- Valium (diazepam)
- Xanax (alprazolam)
- Halcion (triazolam)
- ProSom (estazolam)
- Non-benzodiazepine sleep medications
Barbiturates
- Mebaral (mephobarbital)
- Luminal Sodium (phenobarbital)
- Nembutal (pentobarbital) and any otherbarbiturate
- Lunesta (eszopiclone)
- Sonata (zaleplon)
- Ambien (zolpidem)
Psychedelics: 30 days prior
- LSD
- Psilocybin
- MDMA
- Ketamine
- Mescaline
- DMT
- Cannabis
*While we recommend 30 days off for Cannabis before participating in plant medicine, we understand that this may not be possible for some who use it for medical purposes. Please inform us about your situation with Cannabis so we can evaluate your case.
Contraindicated Supplements
Below is a list of commonly used supplements/herbs and the respective time periods to discontinue before participation in herbal support therapy. Because many interactions between supplements and plant medicine are unknown, it’s best to discontinue all supplements for two weeks prior to arrival:
- 5-HTP: 30 days
- GABA: 14 days
- Kratom: 14 days
- Ashwagandha: 14 days
- Cordyceps: 14 days
- Lion’s Mane: 14 days
- Kava: 30 days
- Ginseng: 14 days
- St. John’s Wort: 14 days
- Magnolia Officinalis bark: 14 days
- Ginkgo Biloba: 7 days (may reduce ayahuasca efficiency)
- L-Tyramine: 7 days