Health - Psilocybin as a Migraine Treatment

[Forthesevenlakes]

SWIM has heard anectdotal evidence that psilocybin (and to a lesser extent, LSD), can be used as a form of migraine therapy which can prevent future attacks, and are in fact being studied in the US by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies as a new form of treatment for migraines/cluster headaches.

Currently, many migraine drugs, such as Imitrex, Midrin, etc. are 5-HT1D agonists which are meant to abort migraine attacks already in progress. However, these drugs carry a host of nasty side effects, ranging from sedation to dysphoria to (in SWIM's experience) having the headache actually increase in intensity.

Unlike the current migraine drugs, Psilocybin is a 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, and seemingly should not influence migraines, since conventional therapies target a different serotonin receptor subtype. SWIM has read on erowid, and experienced firsthand, that even a small recreational dose can prevent future migraine attacks for months, even after the user is exposed to a stimuli which would normally trigger a migraine.

There is some debate as to how, neurochemically, migraines occur, but they do seem to occur in the absence of normal levels of serotonin, which may explain why 5-HT agonists can serve to stop a migraine in progress. SWIM is wondering if psilocybin's action at the 5-HT2A receptors somehow trigger a cascade of events that effect long term changes (lasting months) in the brain that make serotonin levels increased for a while? Or, perhaps, they change binding affinities of other receptor subtypes, or change the number of receptors on cells. Any of these effects could potentially prevent future migraines, and would make psilocybin a more useful tool, therapeutically, than Imitrex or other medications which only work after a person is already suffering.

SWIM would like to know if anyone has input on the pharmacology behind this; for example, if they can propose a way that this could work, or if anyone has any studies or evidence pertaining to this theory (SWIM searched but couldn't find any specific articles), or if anyone has experiences with treating migraines using mushrooms or another psychedelic, please share them!

[Fantasian]

SWIF's mother has a long history of migraine problems, She has tried all the conventional therapy and SWIF has suggested several trials such as Mushrooms and LSD but she seems to be too against the drugs due to propoganda.

SWIF knows that migraine is closely linked to serotonin but many drugs affect these levels.

SWIF's mother has most effective treatment from NSAID's particularly that of Diclofenac but I will update if she ever agrees to trying some "Unconventional SWIF therapy"

[Forthesevenlakes]

Originally Posted by Fantasian

SWIF's mother has most effective treatment from NSAID's particularly that of Diclofenac but I will update if she ever agrees to trying some "Unconventional SWIF therapy"

That is interesting, because NSAID's dont even touch SWIM's migraines! People seem to respond especially widely to different types of headache therapy, more so than other medications it seems. Aside from SWIM's prevention treatment with psilocybin, scarcely any remedy worked for him. Please do keep us updated if she decides to switch therapies, and swim wishes her the best, since he knows how awful migraines can be.

[grandbaby]

FTSL, how about an update? Has SWIY continued to notice benefits? Has anything changed since your initial postings?

I've been looking into the medical possibilities of LSD/Psilocybin/LSA/other 5HT2a agonists for treatment of migraines. There is a fair amount of literature and a few threads on this, but I haven't found much conclusive evidence that they work for conventional migraine. They seem to be indisputably effective for cluster headaches, but evidence for stopping of migraine cycles and/or alleviation of pain during a migraine is brushed by quickly, at best, in everything I've read. Could you elaborate a bit more on SWIY's medical history — type, frequency and severity of migraine before and after psychedelic treatment thereof, as well as any factors that might have co-influenced any results SWIY has seen?

As well, it would be ideal if the treatment could be taken in sub-psychedelic doses (1/4 gram shrooms, 50µg LSD, etc), in order to minimize disturbance in otherwise "sober" sufferers. One person I'm thinking of in particular suffers from psychiatric disorders as well as migraine, and it would be unwise for him/her to undergo a psychedelic journey — especially when all that is wanted is relief from pain.

Does anyone have any personal evidence to suggest that such treatments may be effective (or not)? Surely we must have a few migraine-suffering psychonauts on the forum. I know that Bongo was/is a sufferer, as is SWIPinkavvy. I'd like to reiterate FTSL's request that any forummers with knowledge share. Thanks.

[Nagognog2]

FTSL has been gone for several months. We don't have any info on when, or if, he's due back. So don't hold your breath.

[grandbaby]

Ah, sad news. Didn't know that. Thanks.

Any word from Bongo about his experiences with classic psychedelics vs. ape-aches?

[stoneinfocus]

the last point swim has experience with although he can´t conclude it, after using shrooms, he had the next 10 days some kind of an altered state of headache nad now it seems to be gone for a littel more than a month, but he started on steroids and hgh as well, which always brings about more flexability and a stronger sceletal muscle make-up, preventing tensions and alike.

[Henfer]

hello everyone!

swim does not have any experience with psylocbine, but he does have two things:

- migraine
- LSD experience

swim had soft headaches at least weekly since he was about 5 years old, and they were getting worse and worse as he grew up. at some point, he went from doctor to doctor, and no one could help him (or didn't take him serious...), as it was classical migraine at some point, and people who don't have migraine can't really speak about the pain. it always starts the same for swim.... slight pulsing in the right forehead, which is getting stronger and stronger. at some point, sick feeling in the whole body comes along, very strong tiredness, and swim gets pretty nervous and unfriendly. at some point, brighter lights feel like piercing directly through the eye into the brain.

the pain is pretty hefty till now, and it's still pulsing. standing up quickly or moving quickly (or, more like ANYTHING that raises heartbeat) worsens it to a point of almost loosing conciousness.

SWIM's last migraine attack was some time ago now... pretty much at the time swim started trippin on LSD. it worked like a charm, although this was not intended nor even known to swim at this point. usually, the attacks cam 1-4 times a month.. and swim started wondering after about 2 months why he didn't have a single attack.

this is also very nice in the medication department, as the strong painkillers swim takes then make him feel somewhat sick (opiates won't do shit for swim on migraine attacks...)...

so, actually swim can't say if LSD will interrupt an actual attack (however, in the middle of a migraine attack would not be the optimal set&setting), but for swim it definately helps preemptivly to the point, that he has no attacks as long as he keeps trippin every so often (one time in 3-6 weeks, depends...).

just for the record, LSD seems to help with pain in general... toothpain for example. swimi had slight toothache, and despite this started the trip, and as the LSD sets in, the pain was gone.

negative effect of this was swim grinding teeth sometimes, and althought the effect of pain reducement was there for a whole week (this is serious!), after that it became worse (it was a filling, where a small piece broke out, leaving a small hole), so it can actually help relief pain pretty good, but won't heal anything of course.