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Indoleamine Hallucinogens in Cluster Headache: Results of the Clusterbusters Medication Use Survey

Emmanuelle A. D. Schindler, Christopher Gottschalk, Marsha J. Weil, Robert E. Shapiro, Douglas A. Wright, R. Andrew Sewell

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs October 20, 2015 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2015.1107664 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed
Sample size 496
Population People with cluster headache
Interventions Psilocybin Lysergic acid diethylamide Lysergic acid amide
Topics Ayahuasca LSD Psilocybin
Keywords Hallucinogen Cluster headache Cluster spacecraft Dissociative
Citations 104
Key findings Indoleamine hallucinogens were rated as comparable to or more efficacious than most conventional medications for treating cluster headache, including shortening or aborting cluster periods and inducing remission in chronic cases.

Abstract

Cluster headache is one of the most debilitating pain syndromes. A significant number of patients are refractory to conventional therapies. The Clusterbusters.org medication use survey sought to characterize the effects of both conventional and alternative medications used in cluster headache. Participants were recruited from cluster headache websites and headache clinics. The final analysis included responses from 496 participants. The survey was modeled after previously published surveys and was available online. Most responses were chosen from a list, though others were free-texted. Conventional abortive and preventative medications were identified and their efficacies agreed with those previously published. The indoleamine hallucinogens, psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, and lysergic acid amide, were comparable to or more efficacious than most conventional medications. These agents were also perceived to shorten/abort a cluster period and bring chronic cluster headache into remission more so than conventional medications. Furthermore, infrequent and non-hallucinogenic doses were reported to be efficacious. Findings provide additional evidence that several indoleamine hallucinogens are rated as effective in treating cluster headache. These data reinforce the need for further investigation of the effects of these and related compounds in cluster headache under experimentally controlled settings.

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