N&PD Moderators: Skorpio
Cluster headache psilocybin Research papers
growit&smokeit
Bluelighter
Hi. My Father in law has had very Bad Cluster headaches for years and is currently on Lithium to try and stop them with Little Success apart from a Bad stomach. I have suggested psilocybin as a Potential Alternative But my mother in law is very sceptical. She is actually a neurologist so the only Hope is Showing her actually Research papers. I have had a quick Look on Maps But Have not Found anything. Sorry about the Bad Typing on a German ipad
Deleted member 170540
Bluelight Crew
Here's a research poster about the use of psilocybin and LSD for cluster headaches: https://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms_article8.pdf .
hagbardceline
Greenlighter
Hi !
I actually register after just reading for a few years to reply to your question. I suffer from chronic Cluster headaches for about 5 years without a break for more than 4-5 weeks and due to not being able to take lithium nor verapamil as a prophylaxis medication I have been struggling to find something that helps (antieplileptics aren't that fun either but i didn't bother with them for too long so i am not to experienced with them [Lamotrigin, Topiramat]).
So regarding my treatment at the moment: i am able to mostly rely on "Zomig" (Zolmitriptan) a nasal spray for ending acute attacks (has to be a spray or injection - the sublingual tablets do not work fast enough) and if I don't have them at hand AND i have pretty empty stomach i go with 500 mg of taurin (more than what is in an average energy drink) in a gel cap, which seems to work for me but take longer and does not work as well as the zomig does. Btw according to a well known specialist here there should be no problem with taking triptans too often, a problem that may arise with migraine treatment and as an additional note taurin does not only work as vasoconstrictor, but has a few antiepileptic properties as i learned from this forum.
[for ref 1 2 links on this subject]
I tried solving this by especially low dosed LSA (CW extracted seed), psilocybin and recently 1P-LSD (due to unsafe and unavailable LSD on the streets for me 
). Low dose because i was always afraid of getting a major cluster attack without being to use the safest treatment options of Triptans because of the possible serotonin syndrome. Each substance 3 times about 5-7 days apart. So my experience in short LSA wasn't really working either i dosed to low (depends heavily on the seeds you get; only used a few seeds at a time), but i didn't get to many bad effects as well just nausea. Psilocybin actually triggered an attack once for me (in 3 low dose attempts - could well have just been a coincidence) which was not much worse than usual though due to the minor dose i used. But it didn't really improve things at least a great deal (but reduced my anxiety to trigger CKs by substances that are not alcohol) - but i only stopped because i wasn't able to acquire more of the required material (used "truffels" on those attempts btw.)
But i think my experiment with 1P-LSD did actually slow the attack frequency down a bit (it is really hard to measure this as the frequency always fluctuates or suddenly stops all by itself) with starting from a testdose of 1/4 and ending with a little more than 1/3 for 3 weekends in a row - which didn't get me any visuals only a really nice gentle headspace for maybe 6-8 hours (but your mileage esp. as a first time user might vary wildly).
Just to clarify this the microdosing stuff is my idea to get over my anxiety - a real dose might very well be more effective than those minor dose where for me. Well still gonna try this anyway now i am able to 
Link for an overview of the most commonly and uncommonly used medication for cluster headaches.
So for your father (rather mother) in law, there are quite a few studies if either of your relatives knows some german: http://ck-wissen.de has pretty decent informations.
There is a nice video of the Use of LSD, Psilocybin, and Bromo-LSD for the Treatment of Cluster Headaches on youtube:
There is an arte documentary on youtube as well about LSD in a few languages if you search for LSD, arte and cluster.
And i wish all the best for you father in law and all your family - hope whatever he or you all decide to do it will reduce all your / his suffering.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Edit: I forgot the ultimate ressource for LSA/LSD/psilocybin and cluster headaches please have a look at the clusterbuster site. The links from https://clusterbusters.org/medical-research-reports-studies-case-reports-links/ would have been the short answer to your question i guess
minor improvments and additions. Improved links.
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hagbardceline
Greenlighter
I forgot to add i also experimented with 5-Meo-DALT before i did trials my 1P-LSD trials - a rather gentle short lasting tryptamine in comparison with others (see the bluelight mega thread), depending on where you live maybe even legal - which according to this paper i just read after reviewing the clusterbuster.org forums might also have helped as well:
https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/3294-research-on-new-tryptamine-option/
took it a few times on weekends in low doses from 12-15 mg but i don't remember exactly when and cannot compare it with my headache log.
And i guess a few other tryptamines working on the serotonine receptors 5HT-2A like 5-Meo-MIPT for example might be candidates.
Just a note why i bring up these other substances: mushrooms can be fine, but in my (pre-CK) experiences with them and in not super low doses, they just tended to give me a heavy body and lots of nausea. Which might have the potential to cause trouble with esp. non-healthy and unexperienced users at least i guess.
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David Wooderson
Bluelighter
I too suffer from clusters.
The only things that have consistently worked for me are Imitrex and stimulants. Cocaine can terminate my clusters, but it doesn't kill the cycle.
My cluster cycle is starting again, there were times where I would suffer year round but that has been reduced to around 1-2 months a year. Thank you god.
Clusterusters.org damn near saved my life when I was at my whits end feeling like I wanted to drill a hole in my head, I would suggest you pass that site on to your father in-law for support alone.
hagbardceline
Greenlighter
I forgot to add: my first attack treatment was lidocaine solution/spray for my nose - lidocain the non euphoric, local anesthetic little brother and/or rather cutting agent of cocaine... but as far as i gathered it works by anesthesia of the end of the trigeminus nerve in your nose, which i always assumed is the way in which cocaine works against cluster as well. These local anesthetic properties work for me a little more than maybe every second time at least with lidocaine 4-10% solutions (... but nevertheless gave me a tiny bit of positive perspective back i desperately needed after already suffering up to 5 attacks a day for months) and with like no central nervous system side effects whatever. Again i only have a link about this at hand at the moment, but they mention a few references in English.
May i ask because you mentioned stimulants and cocaine: Do other stimulants than cocaine work for you this way as well ? Not that i had any at hand, but i would try out of curiosity alone if i had the chance 
Or more generally do you believe stimulants might have some other way of ending your cluster attack like e.g. by vasoconstriction ?
My other acute treatment experience for completeness sake: the best attack suppression for me was O2 with the right mask and above 10l/m at least 10 minutes. That worked 100% of the times i had it available even the times the head/face-aches were in full action already - any other attack treatment would leave residual head-/nerve-aches for me. So my preference for acute treatment is O2 > triptans > taurin 500mg/energy drink > lido-/coc-caine [From my limited sample rate of cocaine as a attack treatment i would assume that the success rate seems to be approximately equivalent to lidocaine at least for me ?]
As prophylaxis i can't give any order but the only thing i had short term success without most severe side effects was prednisolon. Rest i tried didn't work for me or made things even worse.
My sincere sympathy for your suffering david - hope you have a long time with no episodes of cluster ahead of you ... and thanks for sharing this !
But may i ask while i have the chance to, what substances other than stimulants you might have used to break / prevent any cluster episode with in your view potential success ?
growit&smokeit
Bluelighter
Thanks for the information. I will respond more once I have access to a better keyboard. I know he has tried oxygen and that if lithium doesn't work he might try botox . Is a horrible affliction.
David Wooderson
Bluelighter
May i ask because you mentioned stimulants and cocaine: Do other stimulants than cocaine work for you this way as well ? Not that i had any at hand, but i would try out of curiosity alone if i had the chance
Or more generally do you believe stimulants might have some other way of ending your cluster attack like e.g. by vasoconstriction ?
My other acute treatment experience for completeness sake: the best attack suppression for me was O2 with the right mask and above 10l/m at least 10 minutes. That worked 100% of the times i had it available even the times the head/face-aches were in full action already - any other attack treatment would leave residual head-/nerve-aches for me. So my preference for acute treatment is O2 > triptans > taurin 500mg/energy drink > lido-/coc-caine [From my limited sample rate of cocaine as a attack treatment i would assume that the success rate seems to be approximately equivalent to lidocaine at least for me ?]
As prophylaxis i can't give any order but the only thing i had short term success without most severe side effects was prednisolon. Rest i tried didn't work for me or made things even worse.
My sincere sympathy for your suffering david - hope you have a long time with no episodes of cluster ahead of you ... and thanks for sharing this !
But may i ask while i have the chance to, what substances other than stimulants you might have used to break / prevent any cluster episode with in your view potential success ?
I guess I should have put cocaine/caffeine/nicotine because I haven't taken any other stimulants for clusters.
I read many years ago on clusterbusters the redbull treatment where this guy would drink two ice cold redbulls and would get relief, it did work for me to an extent.
I'm starting to wonder if cannabis is a trigger for me as I went half a year without smoking for the first time in my life and didn't have even a hint of headache/migraine. Once I started smoking regularly again bam! Although with clusters you never know, seasonal changes seem to be my biggest trigger.
I remember thinking that suboxone was a cure for clusters. I got headaches for the first couple weeks and then I was cluster free for 2-3 years.
Since then my cycles (knock on wood) have only lasted one to three months a year. Whenever I was opiate dependent they took a backseat to my addiction, which was a relief.
I had a bad cycle last year that was treated with fioricet and baclofen. I was already prescribed 16mg of suboxone and 8mg of clonazapam. All this did was let me hibernate until the cycle was over.
If I could get a o2 rig I would but I just don't trust industrial tanks. I was a n2O user and know the difference in pharmaceutical and industrial tanks. I was just too scared and crippled to try it. It worked when I would g to the ER in the beginning.
My sympathies go out to you as well hagbard. The thing doctors and normal ppl don't understand is that clusters are tantamount to having cancer or a serious mental illness in that it will forever change/kill you. I couldn't hold down a job when they were at their worst and they turned me into a bad junkie. The pain is as you know indescribable and you start taking heroic dosages of whatever is around you. When you go for months with several attacks a day friends/family eventually just give up. I was very suicidal for a long time and the sad thing is that I know it can happen again it it just turns my life upside down.
Where did you find the lidocaine nasal spray? I have heard of the possibility that clusters are caused by nerves in the nose, ad that there is surgery for this, but all doctors I have seen said that research is inconclusive.
I too had a severe reaction to prednisolon, lol, I was literally trying to climb my walls....
farmacista
Bluelighter
it works, when i was in amsterdam i had headache, then took truffles and the headache was gone and didn't come back, it kick out my headache far better than regular meds, later i found that there was studies on this
hagbardceline
Greenlighter
The first study about cocaine and cluster is from from '82 by Barré F.: Cocaine as an abortive agent in cluster headache. (actually establishing that it works already in TINY doses of about 25-30mg in 5% solution). Unavailable due politics, but at least the priciple seems to apply to lidocaine to an certain extent. The tricky thing is hitting the right spot with the solution going down your nose with a cluster attack wreaking havoc upon you... but even with much efforts and multiple applications it just didn't work every time for me (max. 2/3 of the times). You are actually anestezecing the trigemeninus facial nerve with it, that is if you hit and it works. But you should try even though I you won't ever need to again.
Regarding the availability it's illegally marketed with cocaine , but should be freely available at your pharmacy for different purposes and in different forms and they should also be able to prepare a solution for you. I tried between 4%, 10% and another purer solution used for ears. Xylocain is brand available here, but DON'T get the spray get the solution, as you need to let the drop drip down your nose while lying with your own nose lower than your neck - a bit hard to describe, check out the ck-wissen.de link in my previous posts and the picture with the red spot on it (or PM me if you have questions).
Regarding the other substances: I actually stopped consuming nicotine for other health reasons ... did not much for my cluster imho. On the one side weed I think helps me to sleep after late attacks on and with the lingering pain and swelling after effects at least for me. Rarely (=coincidence ?) I might trigger an attack by smoking weed after not smoking for a longer period of time which didn't happen too often on purpose for the last years though, as the positives seem to outweight the negatives for me - but I was smoking weed in pre-cluster times as well. Opiates are sadly not an option for me and may well even trigger attacks for me as I am really sensible to histamine as a trigger (due to a histamine intolerance comorbidity ?). Shouldn't have gotten prednisolon at all too and it was intense experience for me, but prevented attacks for a few days for me though, but its high dose and thus not a solution for more than 2 weeks anyway.
We have baclofen here and I read about it, but fioricet or a comparable medication is not available here i think, but it will certainly look into this. Hibernation sound not too good, but I can feel that would be a good thing to aim in my experience.
Other than medications the thing that really helped most was a diet change ... and zero alcohol of course. But I'm sure you know your other trigger factors in your episodes by hearth ...
Yeah and i know what you mean cluster is mostly unknown, but everyone believes to know what headaches feels like (I like the burning needle inserted behind your eyes analogy best plus swollen face, eye stuff ofc). And literally cluster changed every aspect of my life as well - but I'm though still depressed, I am still lucky to be able to live the life I can live and still have. I can really, really relate to your feelings that the cluster might rip the control of your life from you at any time - I was not even able to plan ahead weeks anymore, never knowing when, how much and how hard it will strike yet again... not beeing able to get sleep makes it so much worse as well and the sheer agony when you thought you doing better and it starts again... but lets concentrate on the few positives still we learn every time, we try new options (see this thread !), science advances and who knows the hormonal changes of old age might prove usefull for us cluster suffers
Sucks you can't get access to a proper oxygen rig at your home - but I only had mine for less then a year, so I don't have my rigs (you NEED a second mobile one ...) anymore due to a few reasons, but honestly I felt a little trapped and either had to carry a 5-6 kg bag with flask and mask all the time at all occasions with me or not leave home farther than 15 minutes so actually I'm quite happy with my triptans atm tbh as long as I don't have to take them multiple times a day.
Regarding Redbull yes it works and great that it does, but it seems to best mostly due to taurin and downing so much redbull esp. with late night attacks (and my daily consumption already and the problems sleeping after them for me execpt from exhaustion) wasn't too desireable for me plus pure taurin is legal and available (and damn cheap too compared to redbull ... plus easily transportable). Other random stuff: Cool/Ice packs applied to the side of your face seem to ease the swelling and pain a bit too for me. Yoga, relaxation techs help a bit after attacks to let go...
Hylight
Bluelighter
Research directions
Some controversial case reports suggest that ingesting tryptamines such as LSD, psilocybin (as found in hallucinogenic mushrooms), or DMT can reduce pain and interrupt cluster headache cycles.[68][69] A 2006 survey of 53 individuals found people said that psilocybin extended remission periods in 18 of 19. The survey was not a blinded or a controlled study, and was "limited by recall and selection bias".[68]
Fremanezumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against calcitonin gene-related peptides alpha and beta, is in phase 3 clinical trials for CH.[70][71]