Use of Prescribed and Non-Prescribed Treatments for Cluster Headache in a Swedish Cohort
Brain Sciences – March 31, 2024
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Psilocybin shows remarkable promise for cluster headache, with 100% (n=8) reporting it effective as an abortive medicine and 92% (n=12) finding some preventive effect. A Swedish cohort of 314 patients revealed significant undertreatment; only 46% were satisfied with their current medicine. Many faced a cluster of challenges, including 19% terminating treatments due to side effects. This highlights a critical need in Migraine and Headache Studies for diverse approaches, including physical therapy and exploring insights from Psychedelics and Drug Studies. Comprehensive physical medicine and rehabilitation, considering olfactory and sensory function, is essential.
Abstract
Background: Cluster headache (CH) is a debilitating condition, but current therapies leave CH patients in pain. The extent of this problem in Sweden is unknown. Methods: An anonymized questionnaire was sent to 479 Swedish CH patients to investigate patterns and perceived effects of treatments. Results: Three hundred fourteen answers were analyzed. The population was representative regarding age of onset and sex. Less than half (46%) were satisfied with their abortive treatments, 19% terminated functioning abortive treatments due to side effects. Additionally, 17% of chronic CH patients had not tried the first-line preventive drug verapamil. A small subset had tried illicit substances to treat their CH (0–8% depending on substance). Notably, psilocybin was reported effective as an abortive treatment by 100% (n = 8), and with some level of effect as a preventive treatment by 92% (n = 12). For verapamil, some level of preventive effect was reported among 68% (n = 85). Conclusions: Our descriptive data illustrate that many Swedish CH patients are undertreated, lack functional therapies, and experience side effects. Further studies are warranted to search for new treatment strategies as well as a revision of current treatment guidelines with the aim of reducing patient disease burden to the greatest extent possible.