Medical Guidelines for Ayahuasca Ceremony
Ayahuasca is a powerful sacrament that can interact dangerously with certain drugs and medications. For your safety and the safety of others, it’s essential that your body has time to completely clear specific substances before participating in an Ayahuasca ceremony. Failure to do so may result in serious injury or even death. We cannot stress how important this is to guarantee your safety.
If you are currently taking any medications, especially prescribed pharmaceuticals, it is critical to consult both the list of contraindicated substances below and your doctor well before the ceremony. If you are unsure about anything, please contact us as at medical@inekawa.org soon as possible.
Important Note on Marijuana:
Marijuana must be avoided in the weeks leading up to your journey. Cannabis can block the effects of Ayahuasca, preventing the sacrament from performing its full healing function. Furthermore, marijuana use can disrupt the energy field of the group, negatively affecting other participants' experiences. To ensure both your healing and that of others, please abstain from using marijuana both before and after your retreat.
Warning on Cocaine, Amphetamines, and MDMA:
Stimulants such as cocaine, amphetamines, and MDMA (ecstasy) are especially dangerous when combined with Ayahuasca. These substances can drastically increase heart rate and blood pressure, posing risks such as stroke, heart attack, or cerebral hemorrhage. You must ensure that your system is completely free of these drugs for several weeks before the retreat. Combining these substances with Ayahuasca can be fatal.
If we suspect that you have consumed prohibited drugs or alcohol upon your arrival, we reserve the right to prevent you from participating in the ceremony. Drug or alcohol tests may be administered at any time during the retreat to ensure the safety of all guests.
Psychological Safety:
In addition to physical health, psychological well-being is crucial when working with Ayahuasca. People with a history of mental health disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, are at higher risk of adverse psychological effects when using Ayahuasca. These conditions may lead to panic, psychosis, or other severe mental health challenges during the ceremony.
We take great care to ensure the psychological safety of all participants. Our pre-screening process is designed to assess potential risk factors, and we provide a controlled, supportive environment with experienced facilitators. Proper integration following the ceremony is also essential to reducing risks and ensuring a safe experience.
Contraindicated Drugs and Medications:
Any medication that contains Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) or affects the serotonin system must be completely discontinued before participating in an Ayahuasca ceremony. Below is a list of medications that are known to interact dangerously with Ayahuasca. Please consult your doctor to ensure these medications are properly tapered off before your journey.
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 • Amitriptyline • Amoxapine (Asendin) • Atomoxedine • Baclofen • Befloxetone • Belsomra •Benadryl • Benylin • Benzedrine • Benzodiazepine • Benzphetamine (Didrex) • Bicifadine • Brasofensine • Brofaromina • Bupropion (Wellbutrin) 3 • Buspirone (BuSpar) • Butriptyline • Carbamazepine (Tegretol, Epitol) • Chlorpheniramine • Chlor-Trimeton • Celexa • Cimoxetone • Citalopram • Clonidine • Clonazepam • Clomipramine (Anafranil) • Codeine • Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) • Cyclizine (Marezine) • Cymbalta • Dapoxetine • 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 • Fluoxetine • 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) • Kudzu • 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 • Pethidine (Demerol) • Phendimetrazine • Phenergen • Phenmetrazine • Phentermine • Phenylephrine (Dimetane, Dristan decongestant, Neo Synephrine) • Phenylpropanolamine (in many cold medicines) • Phenelzine (Nardil) • Phenibut • Plaquenil • Pregabalin • Procarbazine (Matulane) • Procainamide (Pronestyl) • Protriptyline (Vivactil) 6 • Pristiq • Prozac • Pseudoephedrine • Oxymetazoline (Afrin) • Quinidine (Quinidex) • Rasagiline (Azilect) • Reboxetine • Remeron • Reserpine (Serpasil) • Risperidone • Robaxin • Salbutamol • Salmeterol • Selegiline (Eldepryl) • Sertraline (Zoloft) • Seroquel • Sibutramine • Suboxone • Subutex • Sumatriptan (Imitrex) • Terfenadine (Seldane D) • Tegretol • Temaril • Tesofensine • Theophylline (Theo Dur) • Tianeptine • Tizanidine • Toloxatone • Tramadol • Tranylcypromine (Parnate) • Trazodone • Tricyclic antidepressants (Amitriptyline, Elavil) • Trimipramine (Surmontil) • Trintellix Triptans • Vanoxerine • Venlafaxine (Effexor) • Viloxezine • Vraylar • Wellbutrin • Xanax • Yohimbine • Zimelidine • Ziprasidone (Geodon) • Zoloft
Pharmaceutical Drugs to Avoid:
MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors): Can lead to dangerously high blood pressure and serotonin syndrome; including Nardil, Marplan, Emsam
SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors): Including Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, and others—discontinue six weeks before the ceremony.
SNRIs (Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors): Effexor, Cymbalta, Pristiq, Fetzima, and others
TCAs (Tricyclic Antidepressants): Elavil, Tofranil, Pamelor, Anafranil, and others
SARIs (Serotonin Antagonist and Reuptake Inhibitors): Trazodone, Mianserin, Etoperidone, Serzone, and others
CNS Depressants: Xanax, Ativan, Valium, Phenobarbital, and others
Antipsychotics and Barbiturates: Risperidone, Seroquel, Abilify, Phenobarbital, and others
Appetite Suppressants and Diet Pills
Antihistamines and cold medicines containing dextromethorphan (DXM)
If you are unsure whether your medication is contraindicated, please consult us and your healthcare provider.
Recreational Drugs to Avoid:
Combining Ayahuasca with the following recreational drugs can be life-threatening. Ensure that your body is completely free of these substances well in advance of the ceremony:
Cocaine
Amphetamines
MDMA (Ecstasy)
Opiates (heroin, morphine, codeine)
Dextromethorphan (DXM)
5-MEO-DMT
Alcohol
Herbs and Supplements to Avoid:
Certain herbs and supplements can also interact negatively with Ayahuasca, particularly those affecting the serotonin system. Please avoid the following:
St. John’s Wort
Kava
Kratom
Ephedra
Ginseng
Yohimbe
Rhodiola Rosea
Sinicuichi
Cannabis
Phenibut
Potentially Life-Threatening Interactions:
Stimulants and MAOIs: Combining Ayahuasca with stimulants such as cocaine, amphetamines, or MDMA can lead to severe increases in blood pressure, risking stroke or cerebral hemorrhage. Even a small dose of these substances can be fatal when taken with an MAOI like Ayahuasca.
Serotonin Syndrome: Using Ayahuasca with other serotonin agonists (e.g., SSRIs, SNRIs) or serotonin precursors (e.g., 5-HTP) can result in serotonin syndrome. Symptoms include rapid heartbeat, high fever, shivering, sweating, tremors, muscle rigidity, and in severe cases, seizures, shock, or death.
