Posted by Lance Dodes, M.D. on February 21, 1999 at 18:33:33:
In Reply to: Treatmnt:Use of Ayahuasca posted by Terrence Stanley,CDAC. on February 01, 1999 at 16:39:40:
Dear Mr. Stanley,
I'm afraid I am not familiar with the work in Peru that you mentioned. I would think that the utility of any drug would be to reduce cravings, thereby hoping to help with quitting.
However, the effectiveness of similar efforts with nicotine (Zyban) and alcohol (Reveia) have been limited. From a psychoanalytic perspective, this is not too surprising,
since the source of addiction is within the person's psychology. So, the best that I would expect from a medication like this is to be supportive in a person who had already made
the decision to stop, through psychotherapy or another means.
Lance Dodes, M.D.