CA2942638C — Method for noribogaine treatment of addiction in patients on methadone

USPTO Abstract

We have found giving noribogaine to a mammal concurrently being administered methadone surprisingly exacerbates methadone's negative side-effects, and increases risk of death. Therefore, prior to noribogaine treatment, a patient on methadone therapy undergoes a period of methadone abstinence to wash out the methadone. Surprisingly, noribogaine does not react negatively to morphine. Therefore, the methadone regimen is replaced with morphine prior to noribogaine treatment. The present disclosure includes use of noribogaine or a noribogaine derivative, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate of each thereof, for treating an opioid-dependent human subject on opioid replacement therapy using methadone, wherein the noribogaine or the noribogaine derivative, or the pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate of each thereof, is for administration to the subject in an amount of from 60 mg to 240 mg after at least a seven day methadone washout period of time, during which time the subject has been administered morphine.