Sacha Wasi Drug and Medication Policy
Sacha Wasi Drug and Medication Policy
All medications taken within the past year must be disclosed in confidence to Sacha Wasi in the Intake registration process. Failure to do so will 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 2 to 8 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 Sacha Wasi that you are taking the medication. Many over-the-counter medications, such as antihistamines, require only 48 hours of non-use prior to plant medicine although we still recommend ceasing them 2 weeks in advance. Specific medications, such as MAOIs and SSRIs, pose substantial health complications in conjunction with plant medicine and therefore require a longer cessation period. Please consult the comprehensive 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 safely wean yourself off your medication(s). When consulting your doctor, please inform him 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)
● Zelapar (selegiline)
● Nardil (phenelzine)
● Parnate (tranylcypromine)
● Emsam
● Aurorix and Manerix (moclobemide)
● Eldepryl
● Pirazidol (pirlindole)
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 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. 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 which 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 an excess and/or overload of serotonergic activity in the central nervous system and peripheral serotonin receptors.
SSRI Medications
● Celexa (citalopram)
● Paxil and Seroxat (paroxetine)
● Lexapro
● Prozac (fluoxetine)
● Cipralex (escitalopram)
● Zoloft and Lustral (sertraline)
● Luvox (fluvoxamine)
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 which 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)
● Ixel and Savella (milnacipran), Effexor
● Cymbalta (duloxetine) (venlafaxine)
● Fetzima (levomilnacipran)
SARIs
● Fetzima (levomilnacipran)
● Axiomin and Etonin (etoperidone)
● YM-992, YM-35,995 (lubazodone),
● Serzone and Nefadar (nefazodone)
● Desyrel (trazodone)
NRIs
● Strattera (atomoxetine)
● Wellbutrin
● Edronax (reboxetine)
● Zyban (bupropion
● Vivalan (viloxazine)
TCAs
● Elavil and Endep (amitriptyline)
● Feprapax
● Evadene (butriptyline)
● Gamanil
● Anafril (clomipramine)
● Lomont (lofepramine)
● Norpramin and Pertofrane (desipramine)
● Pamelor (nortriptyline)
● Prothiaden (dosulepin, dothiepin)
● Insidon (opipramol)
● Adapin and Sinequan (doxepin)
● Vavactil (protriptyline)
● Tofranil (imipramine)
● Surmontil (trimipramine)
● Prondol (iprindole)
TeCAs and NaSSAs
● Asendin (amoxapine)
● Tolvon (mianserin)
● Ludiomil (maprotiline)
● Remeron (mirtazapine)
● Lumin
● SMSs:
● Bolvidon
● Viibryd (vilazodone)
● Norval
● Brintellix (vortioxetine)
Anti-depressant or other drug containing MAO inhibitors or SSRIs
● Prozac
● Welbutrin (bupropion) also sold as Zyban
● Zoloft medication.
● Effexor
● Anti-stress medication such as Valium,
● Paxi Xanax and similar.
Antibiotic Therapy
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 (Pseudo-ephedrine 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, antiparkinson 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 (homologues 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 risk.
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)
● ProSom (estazolam)
● Xanax (alprazolam)
● Non-benzodiazepine sleep medications
● Halcion (triazolam)
Barbiturates
● Mebaral (mephobarbital)
● Lunesta (eszopiclone)
● Luminal Sodium (phenobarbital)
● Sonata (zaleplon)
● Nembutal (pentobarbital) and any other
● Ambien (zolpidem) barbiturate
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: 30 days
● Kratom: 30 days
● St. John’s Wort: 14 days
● Kava: 14 days
● Ashwaganda: 14 days
● Magnolia officinalis bark: 14 days
● Ginkgo Biloba: 7 days (may reduce ayahuasca efficiency)
● L-Tyramine: 7 days
Medical Conditions
*Please check back with us to provide up-to-date and comprehensive medical information about the potential health risks with plant medicine.
If you suffer from a particular medical condition that is not covered below, please send an email to [email protected] prior to booking a retreat at Sacha Wasi.
Although plant medicine use under supervised conditions is generally considered safe, some medical conditions can have moderate to very serious complications in regard to the use of plant medicine. If you have any kidney, liver, heart, or other serious medical condition or if you or an immediate family member has a history of seizures, you must inform us prior to booking a retreat at Sacha Wasi to discuss your particular situation. In every medical case, always discuss the use of a reversible MAOI with your doctor prior to booking.
Epilepsy/Seizures
If you or an immediate family member has a history of epilepsy and/or seizures, you MUST inform Sacha Wasi prior to booking a retreat. Use of plant medicine, if not properly managed and monitored, can induce a seizure if you have a prior family history of epilepsy.
Diabetes
People with diabetes have extra risk involved with the consumption of plant medicine. The use of the MAOIs present in plant medicine can alter blood sugar levels through hypoglycemic effects. MAOIs may change the amount of insulin or oral antidiabetic medication that you need.
People with severe unstable diabetes should not take plant medicine because of this risk.
People with less severe diabetes should contact us prior to booking a retreat to discuss the particulars of the case including the possibility of a modified diet.
Heart/Cardiovascular Conditions
If you have any chronic heart condition or high blood pressure it is not advisable to participate in the drinking of plant medicine. The use of plant medicine can elevate blood pressure and can pose serious and/or fatal risks to those with serious heart conditions or high blood pressure.
Having such serious conditions would exclude you from participating in one of our plant medicine retreats.
Prospective guests with minor heart conditions are welcome to discuss the matter with the staff at Sacha Wasi prior to booking a retreat.
Liver and Kidney Conditions
The use of plant medicine can be stressful for the liver and kidneys. The liver and the kidneys play essential roles in the metabolism of exogenous and endogenous chemicals. Plant medicine contains harmine and related alkaloids, which act as inhibitors of monoamine oxidase. This inhibition activity occurs in the liver and gastrointestinal tract. If a participant has various monoamines still present in their system from the diet, environmental exposure, medical condition, or use of pharmaceutical or illicit drugs, these would accumulate in the presence of an MAOI and would add further stress for the liver and kidneys.
Hypothyroidism
If you have a hypothyroidism condition, it is generally safe to partake in the use of plant medicine; however, you MUST inform Sacha Wasi of your condition, so that we can closely monitor your dosage during your course of plant medicine. You also may continue using your hypothyroid medication (synthetic hormones, such as Synthroid) during your retreat experience without complication.
Mental Disorders
If you have been diagnosed with any of the following mental health issues, we will need to be notified prior to your arrival.
Generalized Anxiety,
Major Depressive Disorder,
Bipolar 1,
Bipolar 2,
Schizophrenia,
