What to know about ibogaine, the drug Presley Gerber used for treatment months before death

Months before he died, Presley Gerber shared he was using the psychoactive compound ibogaine as a form of treatment.

The only son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber died at Resolutions Living sober living home in the Los Angeles area Sunday, Sept. 20, from what the Santa Monica Police Department described as a "suspected overdose." He was 27 years old.

Gerber, who increasingly used his public platform to discuss depression, addiction and recovery, posted about ibogaine in March on Instagram, writing in a caption, "Pre Ibogaine Flood Dose - quiet moment before everything changed."

"Letting go of control didn’t come easy, but I trusted there was something bigger than me guiding it. I knew why i was there. I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, i started finding my way back to myself," he continued over a video geolinked to Cancun, Mexico. "... praying it’s the last time I have to come back."

Ibogaine is a powerful psychoactive compound that has been used for decades to treat substance use disorders.

The drug's "most striking benefit is its ability to stop opioid withdrawal and eliminate cravings, often after a single session, something no currently approved medication can claim to do," Joseph Barsuglia, a psychologist who has studied ibogaine for over a decade, previously told USA TODAY.

Derived from a Central African shrub, the drug's ability to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings were uncovered by accident, when Howard Lotsof, a 19-year old addicted to heroin, tried ibogaine out of curiosity in 1962.

Lotsof and his friends were shocked to find their cravings had vanished. Lotsof spent the rest of his life as an advocate, patenting its use for addiction treatment in 1985 and campaigning for further research on the topic, though a Food and Drug Administration-approved clinical trial never materialized due to funding disputes.

Ibogaine is illegal in several countries, including the United States and much of Europe. Many Americans travel to places like Mexico for ibogaine treatments, where it can be used legally.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April 2026 directing the government to accelerate research into psychedelic treatments and allocated tens of millions of dollars in federal funding. The executive order only singled out one compound by name – ibogaine – and within days, the FDA began its first U.S.-based trials of an ibogaine-derived drug.

It isn't completely understood how ibogaine works, but scientists know ibogaine affects the brain’s reward and pleasure system.

By triggering the release of a natural growth factor in the brain and modulating neural pathways associated with addiction and reward, ibogaine restores healthy dopamine function and reduces cravings, Barsuglia said.

Ibogaine works differently from other opioid addiction-treating drugs like methadone or suboxone requiring daily dosing to be effective, Barsuglia said. It appears to repair the underlying brain circuitry damaged by addiction.

Jonathan Dickinson, CEO of Ambio Life Sciences, which runs ibogaine clinics in Mexico and Malta, previously told USA TODAY ibogaine makes the opioid network in your body more sensitive. For example, a person with a high tolerance with opioids would see reduced tolerance under the drug.

It also facilitates repair and regeneration of parts of the brain that have been damaged, according to Dickinson.

But a person taking ibogaine could experience a different state of mind, including hallucinations. This experience is "intense and demanding – typically 18 to 36 hours of deep hallucinations and emotional upheaval such that recreational use is essentially unheard of," Barsuglia previously told USA TODAY. "It is not a drug anyone takes for a good time."

Since 1970, ibogaine has been classified as a Schedule 1 drug, a designation for substances with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

One reason ibogaine has struggled to win approval in the past is a lack of financial incentive, Barsuglia said. Because ibogaine is a natural compound that can’t be patented and which typically only needs to be administered once, "pharmaceutical companies have little prospect of recouping the enormous cost of running FDA-approved clinical trials."

But there are signs this could change in the future. In addition to the recent ibogaine executive order and FDA trials, several states within the past few years, including Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee have passed legislation funding ibogaine trials.

Gavin Escott and Liza Esquibias contributed reporting.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental and/or substance use disorders, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's free and confidential treatment referral and information service at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). It's available 24/7 in English and Spanish (TTY: 1-800-487-4889).

Rachel Hale’s role covering Youth Mental Health at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Reach her at rhale@usatoday.com and@rachelleighhale on X.