XXXVIII. Comparison with Action of Methysergide and Psilocybin on Test Subjects

Methysergide (Sansert), a derivative of d-lysergic acid used to treat migraine, produces side effects and tolerance, leading researchers to compare its effects with those of LSD-25, psilocybin, and psilocin in non-psychotic test subjects over more than 150 experiments. The experimental environment strongly influences results, sometimes as much as the drug itself. The paper reports on these comparisons, continuing a thirteen-year series of studies with LSD-25 and similar compounds.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This paper is a continuation of our experiments with LSD-25 and similar compounds that have been carried out for the last thirteen years.1 It employs the same technique described previously2 to compare these drugs on non-psychotic test subjects under suitable conditions. The conditions of the experiment are most important because under certain circumstances the experimental milieu produces so much anxiety that the environment may be said to affect the results as much as the drug itself. Of particular importance is the growing use of methysergide (Sansert) in the treatment of migraine. The frequent occurrence of side affects due to Sansert and the apparent development of tolerance to this derivative of d-lysergic acid has led us to explore the effects of methysergide (Sansert) in the same test subjects used in the study of psychotomimetic drugs for the past ten years. The present series of experiments comparing LSD-25, psilocybin, psilocin and methysergide were begun in 1958. This communication will report on more that 150 experiments with these drugs.