Drug & supplement interaction

Iboga + Pirfenidone

Pirfenidone brand name: Esbriet.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Iboga and Pirfenidone in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Pirfenidone states a food rule worth keeping to, and the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Iboga and Pirfenidone

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Pirfenidone and Iboga in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Iboga safety at a glance

Iboga overall Avoid Iboga can cause dangerous heart rhythm problems and has been linked to deaths.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information; the risks make it unsafe during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid No safety data; avoid while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Pirfenidone and Iboga? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Pirfenidone

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Pirfenidone is filed under 4 classifications — including cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) substrates, cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) substrates, photosensitizing drugs. Iboga has documented interactions with 6 drug classes — the most serious being paroxetine (paxil) (major), anticholinergic drugs (moderate) and cholinergic drugs (moderate) — and none of Pirfenidone’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Iboga Does Interact With Other Medications

Iboga has 1 major, 501 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Pirfenidone isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 1 Moderate 501 No known interaction 2,328 (incl. Pirfenidone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Iboga

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Iboga. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Iboga and Pirfenidone May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Trouble sleeping / Dizziness Additional detail

    Iboga

    “Ibogaine, a constituent of iboga, taken orally in doses ranging from 10-32 mg/kg may cause confusion, dizziness, dream-like states, hallucinations, and headaches. Ibogaine in doses up to 25 mg/kg has been associated with cases of extreme sensitivity to color and sound, sweating, cold sensations, increased energy and appetite, insomnia, and a strong aphrodisiac effect.”

    Iboga · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in common cold.

    6 sources cited
    1. 89199. Schenberg EE, de Castro Comis MA, Chaves BR, da Silveira DX. Treating drug dependence with the aid of ibogaine: a retrospective study. J Psychopharmacol. 2014;28(11):993-1000. PubMed
    2. 105389. Davis AK, Barsuglia JP, Windham-Herman AM, Lynch M, Polanco M. Subjective effectiveness of ibogaine treatment for problematic opioid consumption: Short- and long-term outcomes and current psychological functioning. J Psychedelic Stud 2017;1(2):65-73. PubMed
    3. 111735. Mosca A, Chiappini S, Miuli A, et al. Ibogaine/Noribogaine in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2023;21(11):2178-2194. PubMed
    4. 92952. Sheppard SG. A preliminary investigation of ibogaine: case reports and recommendations for further study. J Subst Abuse Treat. 1994 Jul-Aug;11(4):379-85. PubMed
    5. 105383. 105383 Knuijver T, Schellekens A, Belgers M, et al. Safety of ibogaine administration in detoxification of opioid dependent individuals: a descriptive open-label observational study. Addiction 2021. PubMed
    6. 89183. O'Connell CW, Gerona RR, Friesen MW, Ly BT. Internet-purchased ibogaine toxicity confirmed with serum, urine, and product content levels. Am J Emerg Med. 2015; 33(7):985.e5-6. PubMed

    Pirfenidone

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Pirfenidone. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Diarrhea / Nausea / Vomiting reported in 12.8% of FDA reports for Pirfenidone Additional detail

    Iboga

    “Ibogaine, a constituent of iboga, taken orally may cause nausea and vomiting in some individuals. Doses up to 25 mg/kg have been associated with diarrhea. In one case report, a 61-year-old male developed hypokalemia following heavy vomiting and diarrhea within 6-12 hours of ingesting a single dose of 5.6 grams of ibogaine.”

    Iboga · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    6 sources cited
    1. 89199. Schenberg EE, de Castro Comis MA, Chaves BR, da Silveira DX. Treating drug dependence with the aid of ibogaine: a retrospective study. J Psychopharmacol. 2014;28(11):993-1000. PubMed
    2. 92951. Alper KR, Lotsof HS, Frenken GM, et al. Treatment of acute opioid withdrawal with ibogaine. Am J Addict. 1999 Summer;8(3):234-42. PubMed
    3. 92952. Sheppard SG. A preliminary investigation of ibogaine: case reports and recommendations for further study. J Subst Abuse Treat. 1994 Jul-Aug;11(4):379-85. PubMed
    4. 105383. 105383 Knuijver T, Schellekens A, Belgers M, et al. Safety of ibogaine administration in detoxification of opioid dependent individuals: a descriptive open-label observational study. Addiction 2021. PubMed
    5. 105386. Steinberg C, Deyell MW. Cardiac arrest after ibogaine intoxication. J Arrhythm 2018;34(4):455-457. PubMed
    6. 105389. Davis AK, Barsuglia JP, Windham-Herman AM, Lynch M, Polanco M. Subjective effectiveness of ibogaine treatment for problematic opioid consumption: Short- and long-term outcomes and current psychological functioning. J Psychedelic Stud 2017;1(2):65-73. PubMed

    Pirfenidone

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Pirfenidone, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Headache Additional detail

    Iboga

    Recorded for Iboga in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Diarrhea / Nausea / Vomiting above.

    Pirfenidone

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Pirfenidone. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Iboga but not commonly for Pirfenidone: an irregular heartbeat, seizures, hallucinations and low potassium.

Effects for Pirfenidone come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Iboga come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 40,089 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Pirfenidone that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Pirfenidone Products Have a Food Rule — Iboga Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Pirfenidone says to take it with food. If you take Iboga on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Pirfenidone with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Pirfenidone products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Take with food.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Pirfenidone — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Pirfenidone

This page covers Iboga only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Pirfenidone page lists 115 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Adrafinil (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate), Alfalfa (moderate) and Angelica Archangelica (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 80 moderate · 34 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Pirfenidone page

“Pirfenidone (Esbriet) slows the lung scarring of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and when a drug is doing that kind of work, this is not a list to skim. Most of the 115 ingredients on file touch CYP1A2, the liver enzyme that clears pirfenidone, so they can push its blood level up (more nausea and liver strain) or drag it down and quietl…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Pirfenidone interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Iboga and Pirfenidone Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Iboga
Top half

#605 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Pirfenidone
Top half

#760 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Iboga reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Iboga and Pirfenidone records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Iboga

What is Iboga?

Iboga
  • Drug and alcohol addiction
  • Opioid withdrawal
  • Spiritual and ceremonial rituals
  • Fatigue and stimulant effects
  • Mood and emotional issues

Iboga is a Central African shrub whose root bark contains ibogaine, a powerful hallucinogenic compound studied mainly for addiction. It carries serious safety risks, including dangerous heart rhythm changes and deaths, and ibogaine is illegal in the United States and many other countries. We do not recommend its use outside of tightly controlled research settings.

Tabernanthe iboga · Apocynaceae · Root bark · Root bark powder, capsules, extracts; the isolated alkaloid ibogaine (a controlled substance in many countries)

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Iboga is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Iboga record says about it on its own.

Iboga: dosing

There is no established safe or standard dose of Iboga or ibogaine for any condition. Because the compound is unpredictable and can harm the heart, doses cannot be recommended here.Ibogaine is a controlled substance in the United States, so it cannot be legally bought or used as a supplement. Do not attempt to dose yourself with Iboga.

From our Iboga monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Iboga monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Pirfenidone

What Is Pirfenidone Used For?

Brand name: Esbriet

Pirfenidone — available as capsules and tablets under the brand name Esbriet, as well as generic pirfenidone products — is indicated for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic, progressive disease in which scar tissue builds up in the lungs and makes breathing increasingly difficult.

Esbriet capsules and tablets, pirfenidone capsules, and pirfenidone tablets are each specifically approved for IPF. No other uses are supported by the available product labels.

See full Pirfenidone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Iboga

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Iboga — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

1Major
501Moderate
0Minor
2,327No known interaction
1 Major 501 Moderate 2,327 No interaction
Major

1 interaction

Moderate

501 interactions

Showing 60 of 501 moderate interactions — see all 501 on the Iboga page.

No interaction 2,327 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Iboga against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,327 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Iboga list.

See the full Iboga interactions page
See every supplement checked against Pirfenidone, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Iboga References

The 26 references that drive our Iboga monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Glick SD, Maisonneuve IS. Mechanisms of antiaddictive actions of ibogaine. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1998;844:214-26.
  2. Singhal AB, Caviness VS, Begleiter AF, et al. Cerebral vasoconstriction and stroke after use of serotonergic drugs. Neurology 2002;58:130-3. PubMed
  3. Marta CJ, Ryan WC, Kopelowicz A, Koek RJ. Mania following use of ibogaine: A case series. Am J Addict. 2015;24(3):203-5. PubMed
  4. O'Connell CW, Gerona RR, Friesen MW, Ly BT. Internet-purchased ibogaine toxicity confirmed with serum, urine, and product content levels. Am J Emerg Med. 2015; 33(7):985.e5-6. PubMed
  5. Vlaanderen L, Martial LC, Franssen EJ, van der Voort PH, Oosterwerff E, Somsen GA. Cardiac arrest after ibogaine ingestion. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2014;52(6):642-3. PubMed
  6. Asua. Growing menace of ibogaine toxicity. Br J Anaesth. 2013;111(6):1029-30. PubMed
  7. Hoelen DW, Spiering W, Valk GD. Long-QT syndrome induced by the antiaddiction drug ibogaine. N Engl J Med. 2009;360(3):308-9. PubMed
  8. Jalal S, Daher E, Hilu R. A case of death due to ibogaine use for heroin addiction: case report. Am J Addict. 2013;22(3):302. PubMed
  9. Paling FP, Andrews LM, Valk GD, Blom HJ. Life-threatening complications of ibogaine: three case reports. Neth J Med. 2012;70(9):422-4.
  10. Papadodima SA, Dona A, Evaggelakos CI, Goutas N, Athanaselis SA. Ibogaine related sudden death: a case report. J Forensic Leg Med. 2013;20(7):809-11. PubMed
  11. Pleskovic A, Gorjup V, Brvar M, Kozelj G. Ibogaine-associated ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2012;50(2):157. PubMed
  12. Schenberg EE, de Castro Comis MA, Chaves BR, da Silveira DX. Treating drug dependence with the aid of ibogaine: a retrospective study. J Psychopharmacol. 2014;28(11):993-1000. PubMed
  13. Alper K, Reith ME, Sershen H. Ibogaine and the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012;139(3):879-82. PubMed
  14. Alper KR, Lotsof HS, Frenken GM, et al. Treatment of acute opioid withdrawal with ibogaine. Am J Addict. 1999 Summer;8(3):234-42. PubMed
  15. Sheppard SG. A preliminary investigation of ibogaine: case reports and recommendations for further study. J Subst Abuse Treat. 1994 Jul-Aug;11(4):379-85. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Iboga and Pirfenidone Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Iboga with Pirfenidone?
We do not list a known interaction between Iboga and Pirfenidone. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Iboga and Pirfenidone have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 6 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Should I take Iboga and Pirfenidone at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Pirfenidone says to take it with food. If you take Iboga on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Pirfenidone with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Pirfenidone products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Iboga and Pirfenidone combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Pirfenidone is filed under 4 classifications, and Iboga has documented interactions with 6 drug classes — none of Pirfenidone's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Iboga interact with any other medications?
Yes. Iboga has 502 documented drug interactions in our database — Pirfenidone is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Pirfenidone interact with any supplements?
Yes. Pirfenidone has documented interactions with 115 supplements in our database — Iboga is not one of them. The Pirfenidone interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Iboga monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Pirfenidone drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Pirfenidone supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Pirfenidone, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 26 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Pirfenidone and Iboga?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.