Determination of ibogaine in plasma by gas chromatography--chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

Ibogaine is naturally occurring indole alkaloid that is currently being considered as a treatment medication for drug dependence. Although there have been a variety of investigations regarding the mechanisms of action and pharmacology of ibogaine, relatively little has been reported regarding quantitative methods. Because of the paucity of analytical methodologies, studies involving the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of ibogaine have also been limited. A method is described for the determination of ibogaine levels in plasma by gas chromatography -- methane chemical ionization mass spectrometry. [13C2H3]Ibogaine was synthesized and used as an internal standard to control for recovery during sample preparation. The assay requires one ml of plasma and is shown to be a selective and sensitive means of ibogaine quantitation.