Avaliação de risco no uso de ayahuasca em contexto religioso: os alcaloides harmânicos e seu efeito inibidor da monoaminoxidase

Abstract

Ayahuasca is a beverage of psychoactive properties prepared with native plants of the Amazon forest, its use refers to the indigenous traditions of that region, but has experienced an expansion among other populations and is currently widespread in the context of some Brazilian syncretist religions. The main components of the ayahuasca tea are N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and a group of β-carbolines with inhibitory effect of the monoamine oxidase enzyme (MAOI). This study was carried out among a population of ayahuasca users linked to one of the main religious institutions that promote its use, in order to describe and evaluate the practices adopted in this context. This article presents some harm reduction measures adopted in the use of the tea, the main adverse effects perceived by users, and risk factors with possible influence on the occurrence of these effects, such as psychiatric diagnosis and concomitant use of medications, mainly considering the MAOI effect of the tea. Of a sample of 623 participants, 8% reported having a psychiatric diagnosis, depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder are the most prevalent. The use of psychiatric medication was reported by 31 participants, of whom 87.1% reported being informed about possible interactions between the medication in use and the tea components. Other risk reduction measures such as health assessment, prior guidance and follow-up during first use are also described. More studies are recommended to establish the safety of use in situations where the risk of drug interactions and negative influence over underlying psychiatric illness is uncertain.