Indoleamine Hallucinogens in Cluster Headache: Results of the Clusterbusters Medication Use Survey
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs October 20, 2015 Emmanuelle A. D. Schindler, Christopher Gottschalk, Marsha J. Weil et al. 104 citations
Cluster headache is one of the most debilitating pain syndromes, and many patients do not respond to standard treatments. A survey of 496 people with cluster headache, recruited from websites and clinics, found that the indoleamine hallucinogens psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, and lysergic acid amide were rated as comparable to or more effective than most conventional medications for aborting attacks and preventing them. These substances were also perceived to shorten or abort a cluster period and bring chronic cluster headache into remission more often than conventional medications. Even infrequent, non-hallucinogenic doses were reported as effective. The findings reinforce the need for further controlled studies of these compounds.