Important Notes on "Mushroom" Therapy -- Part 1-- 02/14/02
After reading some of the spectacular success stories
that many have reported from a single small dose of psilocybin (or LSD), it is
easy to lose sight of the fact that psilocybin is just another medication, and
in order to successfully treat cluster headaches with psilocybin certain rules
must be followed, just as is the case with all medications.
According to the reports posted on this message board, the majority of
those who have had success with psilocybin mushrooms obtained complete and
lasting relief from a single small dose. But that doesn't guarantee that
every clusterhead on the planet will get the same results from a single
dose. Some (such as Bob Wold) required more than one dose to achieve complete
remission.
It is also true that many have gotten complete relief with
very low amounts, barely enough to notice any effects at all, much less any
psychoactive effects. But others have required larger amounts, sometimes
bordering on what is considered a "recreational" dose.
A few have
achieved no relief at all, regardless of the dosage and the frequency of
ingestion.
Just as with any other medication, it is essential to
refrain from taking medications that interfere with the action of psilocybin.
This is not always easy to accomplish. Many "blocking" drugs are known and have
been listed here on numerous occasions. But there are medications commonly
taken by clusterheads whose interaction with psilocybin is still unknown. Some
may intensify the effect, others may block it, still others may have no effect
one way or the other. As more reports are received, more medications to be
avoided will be identified.
Note that the above statements apply to
every other preventative medication in the clusterhead arsenal. Let's
use Verapamil, the "gold standard" of CH preventatives, as an example.
Verapamil can be effective in doses ranging from roughly 240 mg per day
to a maximum of 960 mg per day. So, just like psilocybin, the effective dosage
varies from person to person. For a few people, the effects of Verapamil are
noticeable within a few days of starting treatment. For the majority, however,
a week or two of daily (sometimes increasing) doses is required for the
medication to start working. So again, just like psilocybin, some people
require more doses than others do before the medication starts to take effect.
For a sizeable percentage of people (roughly 30% according to available
studies) Verapamil has no effect on their CH at all. And, just like psilocybin,
there are other medications that cannot be taken while on Verapamil.
I
could repeat the above paragraph many more times, substituting for Verapamil
any other preventative medication currently used for treating cluster
headaches.
But the most interesting thing that differentiates
psilocybin (and LSD) from other CH medications is that it does not just abort a
single attack (like Imitrex, Cafergot, or oxygen), and it also does not just
prevent an attack from occuring as long as serum levels are high enough (like
Sansert, Verapamil, Lithium, Prednisone, Depakote, Neurontin, Topamax, et al),
but it actually terminates the entire CH "cycle" for an extended period
of time -- long after all traces of it have vanished from the body. In the case
of some chronics this period may be as short as two weeks. In the case of
episodics, this period may be as long as a year.
The only other
treatments I know of that will produce an actual termination of a CH cycle are
prednisone (rarely), DHE injections (occasionally) and intravenous magnesium
(occasionally).
In your own case, Bob P, you did everything correctly
for at least the first dose of psilocybin. That first dose didn't terminate
your cycle, and the attacks were getting more severe, so you (understandably)
started a course of prednisone, knowing that it had helped you in the past. It
is possible that the prednisone blocked the action of the subsequent doses of
psilocybin. It is also possible that you are an individual for whom psilocybin
is ineffective, prednisone or no prednisone, just as I am an individual for
whom Verapamil is ineffective. There is no way of knowing for sure which is the
case.
As more reports are received, some facts are becoming apparent:
Anyone who is considering this treatment
must accept the possibility that two or even more doses may be required. It is
also possible that some individuals may have to put up with some short-lived (a
few hours) psychoactive side effects in order to achieve success.
There
is an equivalent of the "Kip Scale" that is commonly accepted by "recreational"
users to measure the effects of a dose of mushrooms:
Level 1
This level produces a mild "stoning" effect, with some visual enhancement
(i.e. brighter colors, etc). Some short term memory anomalies. Left/right brain
communication changes causing music to sound "wider".
Level 2
Brighter colors, and some subtle visual anomalies (i.e. objects appear to
slightly shift position or "breathe"), some 2 dimensional patterns become
apparent upon shutting eyes. Confused or reminiscent thoughts. Change of short
term memory leads to distractive thought patterns. Vast increase in creativity
becomes apparent as the natural brain filter is bypassed.
Level
3
Very obvious visual distortions: everything looking curved and/or
warped, patterns and kaleidoscopes seen on walls, faces etc. Some mild
hallucinations such as rivers flowing in wood grained or "mother of pearl"
surfaces. Closed eye images become 3 dimensional. There is some confusion of
the senses (i.e. seeing sounds as colors, etc). Time distortions and "moments
of eternity".
Level 4
Strong hallucinations, i.e. objects
morphing into other objects. Destruction or multiple splitting of the ego.
(Things start talking to you, or you find that you are feeling contradictory
things simultaneously). Some loss of reality. Time becomes meaningless. Out of
body experiences and e.s.p. type phenomena. Blending of the senses.
Level 5
Total loss of visual connection with reality. The
senses cease to function in the normal way. Total loss of ego. Merging with
space, other objects, or the universe. The loss of reality becomes so severe
that it defies explanation. The earlier levels are relatively easy to explain
in terms of measureable changes in perception and thought patterns. This level
is different in that the actual universe within which things are normally
perceived ceases to exist. Satori enlightenment (and other such labels).
Most episodic clusterheads will need to achieve somewhere around a
Level 1 or Level 1.5 experience in order to terminate their
cycle. A few episodics have had success at even lower levels, but a few have
had to reach Level 2.
Most chronic clusterheads will need to
take enough to achieve a Level 1.5 or Level 2 experience. In
particularly stubborn cases, even higher doses may be required. CarlD, for
example, reported a few months of painfree time after reaching (from his brief
description) Level 3.
Despite the fact that there is
considerable variability in both mushroom potency and individual sensitivity to
psilocybin, some rough guidelines have emerged that give some help in
determining how large the first dose of mushrooms should be.
It should
be noted that unlike alcohol, the effects of psilocybin (or LSD) seem not to be
dependent on an individual's weight or percentage of body fat. This makes our
task somewhat easier.
Almost all "black market" mushrooms being sold
today are of the species Psilocybe cubensis. In Europe this species is
sometimes called Stropharia cubensis. The main reason why they are so
popular is that Psilocybe cubensis is extremely easy to cultivate
indoors. Recent developments in home cultivation methods have made it something
that an eight year old child could do with no difficulty. There are other
species which may sometimes be encountered on the black market that are more
potent than Psilocybe cubensis, but it is rare indeed that they become
available. Clusterheads who grow their own are all growing Psilocybe
cubensis, so I will discuss dosage levels for that species only.
Even when discussing a single species, there are many factors that determine
the potency of a given batch of a mushrooms, not all of which are under the
control of the cultivator, so bear in mind that the figures given below are
only guidelines, and not cast in stone. Your mileage may vary.
All the
doses given below are expressed by weight, in grams (1.0 gram = 1000
milligrams) because it is impossible to correctly measure a dose of
Psilocybe cubensis in terms of the number of mushrooms. Individual dried
mushrooms can weigh as little as 20 milligrams, and as much as 2.5 grams. The
only way to accurately measure a dose is by weight. The numbers I give are also
for thoroughly dried mushrooms -- "cracker-dry" is the term most often
used. They should be crisp and will snap and crumble easily. If they are
leathery and "bendable", they must be further dried before weighing, or the
dose will be effectively smaller than it should be due to excess water
content.
For the average individual who is completely free of
all other medications which may interfere with the action of psilocybin,
it will be necessary to take 1.0 to 1.5 grams of thoroughly dried Psilocybe
cubensis of average potency in order to achieve a Level 1
experience.
For a Level 2 experience, somewhere around 1.5 to
2.5 grams is normally required. For Level 3, a dose of roughly 3.5 grams
or more will be required. From the reports we have seen so far from numerous
clusterheads, it does not seem that reaching levels higher than Level 3
gives any additional benefit.
I must repeat that there may be the
occasional individual who is exceptionally susceptible to psilocybin who has
obtained an exceptionally potent batch of mushrooms and takes 1.0 gram, yet
reaches as much as a Level 2 experience. On the other hand, there may be
another individual who is exceptionally resistant to psilocybin who has
obtained an exceptionally weak batch of mushrooms and takes 3.5 grams, only to
barely reach Level 1. Neither case is the norm, but neither case is
unheard of, either, particularly the latter.
The final factor that will
influence the effect of a given dose of psilocybin (or LSD) is interaction with
other medications. This is an area where we are still learning, but some
interactions are well-known and will be discussed next.