Mind Hacks: Treating cluster headaches with LSD and Psilocybin | Hacker News Reader

Mind Hacks: Treating cluster headaches with LSD and Psilocybin

mindhacks.com

14 pointsulvund8 comments

As someone who suffers from cluster headaches, I'm very happy to see this research being done. About three years ago, I was getting 4 or 5 headaches a day, most of them during work, and I spent months doing nearly nothing but researching what's involved with cluster headaches and what drugs have an effect. Sadly, there just hasn't been enough research done, but there's plenty of anecdotal evidence.

Hopefully something comes out of this; no one should have to deal with cluster headaches. I haven't had a full-blown cluster in nearly two years now (knock on wood), but many people suffer constantly. I can only hope there's a treatment that actually works soon.

Cluster Headache (CH) is also known as the Killer headache, because of the high prevalence of suicide in suffers.

Methadone has also recently been demonstrated to be an efficient CH treatment, and it can legally be prescribed (though I would recommend it only for medically intractable CH, i.e. CH resistant to the usual prophylactic treatments like Verapamil and Lithium salts).

Occipital nerve (electro)stimulation is also an effective treatment in ~75% of intractable chronic CH patients (almost daily attacks all the year without remission). We're currently trying to get the surgical procedure reimbursed by the social security in the European Union.

I wasn't expecting to see this in HN. I suffer CH, but my last cluster was two years ago. I am also knocking on wood.

Love to see the warning label if they ever make this a 'real' pharmaceutical... "Overdose may result in bright colors, swirling patterns and racing thoughts. In some cases, you may forget your name or become convinced that you're dying or already dead. Avoid use of heavy machinery."

I realize that was a joke, but in practice they'd do the same thing they currently do with other ergot alkaloids (and other therapeutic drugs with potential for abuse): pack it together with a high dosage of acetaminophen such that a psychedelic dosage would require overdosing on acetaminophen.

Except that you can develop a tolerance for acetaminophen, and that it ends up causing medication overuse headache. Compound analgesics are on par with triptans in this regard, extremely addictive if one is not careful). Taken chronically more than once per week these drugs can induce an addiction. Simple analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug drugs taken more than twice weekly become addictive too. The brain begs for his meds by giving the patient a headache.

I've seen patients with a daily dose of 40-60g of acetaminophen. In a non-accustomed person, 8g in one take can induce a fulminant hepatitis (lethal in a couple of days unless treated with a graft)...

My cluster headaches started in college. Was mis-diagnosed as migraine with different doctors until I started working and saw a neurologist. Various early migraine treatments in the late 80s and early 90s did not work. Duh!

When I could and when it started, I calmly wrapped up what I was doing, find a room, close the blinds... banged my head against the wall, literally, to feel better and trained myself to know it will end in a few hours.

No comment on treatment as I know of none. I sincerely urge those have this condition seek the best doctor for help. Anyone know if these are still true or apply to you:

* Cluster headache affects mostly males

* Cause of cluster headache has not been determined

* Cluster headache occurs less as one gets older

I just saw the founder of Cluster Busters give an amazing talk yesterday. It should be online in about two weeks. Truly a life changing talk, I really hope it gets posted here when it's available.

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