Response of cluster headache to psilocybin and LSD
This qualitative interview study (n=53) assessed the efficacy of psilocybin and LSD to treat cluster headaches and found that a single dose was often sufficient to terminate a cluster period and that subhallucinogenic doses were also often reported to be effective treatments.
Abstract
Introduction
Cluster headache, often considered the most painful of all types of headache,1 affects predominantly men (0.4% vs 0.08% of women) and typically begins after age 20 years. No medications are known to terminate cluster periods or extend remission periods. The effects of the ergot alkaloid derivative lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and the related indolalkylamine psilocybin on cluster headache have not previously been described and may include such properties.
Methods
The authors interviewed 53 cluster headache patients who had used psilocybin or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to treat their condition.
Results
Twenty-two of 26 psilocybin users reported that psilocybin aborted attacks; 25 of 48 psilocybin users and 7 of 8 LSD users reported cluster period termination; 18 of 19 psilocybin users and 4 of 5 LSD users reported remission period extension.
Discussion
Research on the effects of psilocybin and LSD on cluster headache may be warranted.
Research Summary of 'Response of cluster headache to psilocybin and LSD'
Introduction
Cluster headache is described as an intensely painful primary headache disorder that predominantly affects men and typically begins after age 20. The condition occurs in episodic and chronic forms: episodic cluster headache arises in discrete periods of attacks separated by pain-free remissions, whereas chronic cluster headache features attacks continuing for more than one year without remissions longer than one month. Acute treatments such as high-flow oxygen and subcutaneous sumatriptan are standard for aborting individual attacks, and prophylactic agents including verapamil, lithium and corticosteroids are used to suppress attacks during cluster periods. However, no medications had been reported to reliably terminate an ongoing cluster period or to extend remission periods prior to this study. Sewell and colleagues report a case-series investigation prompted by a patient’s account that recreational use of LSD and later psilocybin produced lasting remissions of his episodic cluster periods. The study aimed to characterise the experiences of people with cluster headache who had used psilocybin-containing mushrooms or LSD specifically to treat their condition, focusing on three outcomes: aborting individual attacks, terminating cluster periods, and extending remission periods. The investigators collected structured self-reports from a sample of confirmed cluster headache patients to explore whether these substances showed signals of efficacy that might merit further research.
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Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
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- APA Citation
Sewell, R. A., Halpern, J. H., & Pope, H. G. (2006). Response of cluster headache to psilocybin and LSD. Neurology, 66(12), 1920-1922. https://doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000219761.05466.43
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