Ayahuasca has been found to be incompatible with some drugs and medications. This means that should you not have another drug or substance in your system when you take Ayahuasca and other medicinal plants.
Please take the time to read through our medical guidelines below. For your own safety and the safety of others it is imperative that you give your body sufficient time to purge street drugs and certain medications from your system. This is necessary to guarantee your safety and the safety of others.
We recommend you stop the use of prescription drugs and recreational drugs, as well as certain herbs (some supplements listed below may contain ingredients that could react with the DMT in the plant) two weeks prior to your retreat. You are REQUIRED to stop the use of drugs and certain supplements 4 days before you retreat.
If you are currently taking prescribed medications that you are concerned will conflict with our sacred plant medicines, please consult the substances listed below and speak with your doctor well before your departure. If you are unsure about anything that we have outlined, please contact us as soon as possible.
Cocaine and Amphetamines, including MDMA (ecstasy) when used together with our sacred medicines can prove fatal. Stimulants such as those listed above contain Monoamine Oxidase inhibitors and when taken lead to an increased heart rate and raised blood pressure. Ingesting these alongside Ayahuasca can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack and cerebral hemorrhaging. It is vital that you ensure your system is free from any street drug that may have the potential to cause you and others great harm when taken alongside our sacred medicines in the weeks leading up to retreat.
If we suspect that you have taken a prohibited drug or consumed alcohol upon or immediately prior to your arrival we reserve the right to prevent you from participating in our programs.
Physical Safety The alkaloids present in Ayahuasca interact with the serotonergic system in different ways: the beta-carbolines, for example harmine, are inhibitors of the MAO enzyme, which has its role 2 in the degradation of serotonin and other neurotransmitters. Therefore, the use of Ayahuasca in combination with other serotonergic pharmaceuticals, such as antidepressants, can potentially cause adverse reactions such as the ‘serotonin syndrome’, which theoretically can have serious consequences for one’s health. While the possibility of such adverse event occurring has not been confirmed, we advise that people that receiving treatment with medication (including natural products), or under the effect of any drug that acts on the serotonergic system, are extremely cautious when considering taking Ayahuasca.
It is important to take psychological safety into consideration. While there are not many reported cases of adverse events, some cases have been documented of episodes of panic or psychosis following the use of Ayahuasca. Therefore, people with personality disorders or a history of mental disorders (such as borderline, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc.) are at risk if they use Ayahuasca. In general, a pre-selection that evaluates the presence of some of the mentioned risk factors, a psychological preparation of the individual and a controlled context in which the Ayahuasca is taken, as well as an adequate integration of the experience, are keys to reduce the Ayahuasca related risks.
Contraindications: Drugs and Medications
Any medication that contains MAO inhibitors (MAO-Is) are known to cause dangerous side effects when taken in conjunction with Ayahuasca and should be suspended. Any medication that has an effect on the serotonin system, including Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), can induce serotonin syndrome with Ayahuasca. We advise that SSRI medications be suspended two weeks prior to a retreat to allow the system to clear in time. Some of these drugs may cause side effects when you stop taking them so you should allow plenty of time for these to subside and always consult your physician before changing your medical schedule.
PLEASE NOTE: The following list is by no means complete. We will review any medications or supplements you are taking before we confirm your booking.
Pharmaceutical drugs found dangerous to combine with Ayahuasca (MAOIs) •
Abilify •Actifed • Adderall • Alaproclate • Albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin) • Amantadine hydrochloride (Symmetrel) • Ambien • Amineptine • Amitriptaline • Amoxapine (Asendin) • Atomoxedine • Baclofen •Befloxetone • Belsomra •Benadryl • Benylin • Benzedrine • Benzodiazepine• Benzphetamine (Didrex) • Bicifadine • Brasofensine • Brofaromine • Bupropion (Wellbutrin) 3 • Buspirone (BuSpar) • Butriptyline • Carbamazepine (Tegretol, Epitol • Chlorpheniramine • Chlor Trimeton • Celexa •Cimoxetone • Citalopram • Clonidine • Clonazapem • Clomipramine (Anafranil) • Codeine • Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) •Cyclizine (Marezine) • Cymbalta• Dapoxotine • Desipramine (Pertofrane, Norpramin) • Desvenlafaxine • Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) • Dextromethorphan (DXM) • Diazepam • Diethylpropion ) •Dibenzepin • Dienolide kavapyrone desmethoxyyangonin • Diethylpropion • Diphenoxylate Disopyramide (Norpace) • Disulfiram (Antabuse) • Dopamine (Intropin) • Dosulepin • Doxepin (Sinequan) • Duloxetine • Emsam • Ephedrine • Epinephrine (Adrenalin) • Escitalopram • Femoxitine • Fenfluramine (Pondimin) • Flavoxate Hydrochloride (Urispas) 4 • Fluoxetine (Prozac) • Fluvoxamine • Furazolidone (Furoxone) • Guanethedine • Guanadrel (Hylorel) • Guanethidine (Ismelin) • Hydralazine (Apresoline) • Hydrocodone • 5 Hydroxytryptophan • Imipramine (Tofranil) • Iprindole • Iproniazid (Marsilid, Iprozid, Ipronid, Rivivol, Propilniazida) • Iproclozide • Isocarboxazid (Marplan) • Isoniazid (Laniazid, Nydrazid) • Isoniazid rifampin (Rifamate, Rimactane) • Isoproterenol (Isuprel) • L dopa (Sinemet) • Lamictal •Levodopa (Dopar, Larodopa • Linezolid (Zyvox, Zyvoxid) • Lithium (Eskalith) • Lofepramine • Loratadine (Claritin) •Lorazepam• Lunesta• Luvox •Lyrica •Maprotiline (Ludiomil) • Maxalt •Medifoxamine • Melitracen • Meperidine (Demerol) • Metaproterenol (Alupent, Metaprel) • Metaraminol (Aramine) • Methadone• Methamphetamine (Desoxyn) • Methocarbamol• Methyldopa (Aidomet) • Methylphenidate (Ritalin) • Mianserin • Milnacipran • Minaprine 5 • Mirtazapine (Remeron) • Moclobemide • Montelukast (Singulair) • Naltrexone • Nefazodone • Nialamide • Nisoxetine • Nomifensine • Norepinephrine (Levophed) • Nortriptyline (Aventyl) • Oxybutynin chloride (Ditropan) • Oxymetazoline (Afrin) • Orphenadrine (Norflex) • Pargyline (Eutonyl) • Parnate • Paroxetine (Paxil) • Pemoline (Cylert) • Percocet • Pethedine (Demerol) • Phendimetrazine (Plegiline) • Phenergen • Phenmetrazine • Phentermine • Phenylephrine (Dimetane, Dristan decongestant, Neo Synephrine) • Phenylpropanolamine (in many cold medicines) • Phenelzine (Nardil) •Phenibut • Plaquenil •Pregablin •Procarbazine (Matulane) • Procainamide (Pronestyl) • Protriptyline (Vivactil) 6 • Pristiq • Prozac•Pseudoephedrine • Oxymetazoline (Afrin) • Quinidine (Quinidex) • Rasagiline (Azilect) • Reboxetine • Remeron • Reserpine (Serpasil) • Risperidone • Robaxin• Salbutemol • Salmeterol • Selegiline (Eldepryl) • Sertraline (Zoloft) • Seroquel •Sibutramine • Suboxone• Subutex•Sumatriptan (Imitrex) • Terfenadine (Seldane D) • Tegretol • Temaril • Tesofensine • Theophylline (Theo Dur) • Tianeptine • Tizadine •Toloxatone • Tramidol • Tranylcypromine (Parnate) • Trazodone • Tricyclic antidepressants (Amitriptyline, Elavil) • Trimipramine (Surmontil) • Triptans • Vanoxerine • Venlafaxine (Effexor) • Viloxezine • Vraylar •Welbutrin• Yohimbine • Zimelidine • Ziprasidone (Geodon) • Zoloft
These drugs and medications can be dangerous with Ayahuasca:
▪ other MAOIs ▪ SSRI’s (any selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) ▪ antihypertensives (high blood pressure medicine) ▪ appetite suppressants (diet pills) ▪ medicine for asthma, bronchitis, or other breathing problems; antihistamines, medicines for colds, sinus problems, hay fever, or allergies (Actifed DM, Benadryl, Benylin, Chlor-Trimeton, Compoz, Bro- marest-DM or -DX, Dimetane-DX cough syrup, Dristan Cold & Flu, Phenergan with Dextromethorphan, Robitussin-DM, Vicks Formula 44-D, several Tylenol cold, cough, and flu preparations, and many others — any drug containing dextromethorphan/ DXM or with DM, DX or Tuss in its name.) ▪
Please avoid the following herbs:
• St. Johns Wort • Kava • Kratom • Ephedra • Ginseng • Yohimbe • Sinicuichi • Rhodiola Rosea • Kanna • Boswellia • Nutmeg • Scotch Broom • Licorice Root • Cannabis • Phenibut
~Using stimulants with MAO-Is is particularly dangerous and can be potentially fatal. ~
Using cocaine, amphetamines or MDMA (Ecstasy) with MAO-Is may cause a severe increase in blood pressure, increasing the chances for stroke and cerebral hemorrhage and making it possible to overdose on a relatively small amount of cocaine. (A fatality has been recorded involving combining Peganum harmala and cocaine. Fatalities resulting from combining amphetamines with pharmaceutical MAO-Is are recorded in medical literature.)
