Vascular Headache
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Disclaimer: We recognize that under the Controlled Substances Act, possession, use, distribution, sales, furnishing, cultivation, and transportation of hallucinogenics are Federal offenses. Readers should take caution to not violate Federal law. We do not sell or furnish any hallucinogenic products. What we offer is education. Our own experiences, plainly stated, offer the best hope that decision makers will finally end the prohibition of hallucinogenics in the treatment of disease and related vascular headaches. We are not responsible for the actions of others including those "linked" in this website. Nor are we responsible for opinions expressed in this FAQ document, other than to state our policy that dialogue and discussion can only be healthy. 1. The Goal of Cluster Busters FAQOur goal is to dispense critical information regarding the use of hallucinogenic substances for the treatment of cluster headaches and other vascular headaches. Up to date information is constantly changing and more accurate information is always becoming available. We hope to offer the most up to date information in an understandable manner, so headache sufferers can make an educated decision whether or not this treatment is one for them to try. How many times have you said, "I'd do anything to get rid of my
clusters....sell my house...move to a mountain top...quit my job...sell my
Corvette." Did you mean it? This FAQ is dedicated to Flash, Pink Shark Mark, MOB (Michael), Ueli, Todd, Mike, Greg, Ike and all those that have gone before us. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication in keeping the information on this treatment alive and available for those of us now using the treatment and the many yet to come. 1.1 How can I read this FAQ in a different language? Try these links for a translation: 1.2 How to approach reading this FAQ There is an enormous amount of information available on this subject. You can not go to a physician and get a prescription and a 10 minute explanation and be on your way out the door. To decide whether or not this treatment is for you, we're sure you will have many questions. Our recommendation is to go through this FAQ and read all the Section and sub-section headers in dark blue (if you have color) only to start. Once you have gone through the entire FAQ, have a general understanding of the entire process and want to learn more, start over again at the beginning and read each section that you skipped. Once this is completed and you've decided to take the next step, start checking all the links in each section. 1.3 Who should consider this treatment We believe that anyone suffering from cluster headaches, episodic or chronic, and other headaches (migraines, BAM, etc) that are related to serotonin activities in the brain. People suffering from mental disorders/disease should refrain from this treatment until further consultation with experts can be undertaken. 1.3.1 WARNING - Please read ^ back to top ^ 2. Research, Legalities & The BasicsThere is currently work being done at the Harvard Medical School regarding official research into this treatment. We hope that there will soon be an official FDA approved study that cluster sufferers will be able to participate in. Stay tuned for updates on the details as to when people can register. Clusterbusters is currently compiling data from sufferers that
have already tried this treatment and additional background information from
ALL cluster sufferers. This information is being forwarded to the researchers
currently working on this and is vital to the project. Your participation could help in future research regarding this
important treatment alternative. We are also obtaining critical data with a
Quality of Life Impact Survey that can be found at:
Quality of Life Survey #1and
Quality of Life Survey #2 There is research currently being conducted with hallucinogenics in other areas and additional information can be found at: http://www.maps.org/research/ The substances used in treatment are currently, for the most part, illegal and this should be given due consideration in your decision to try this treatment or not, and in the approach you take in using the treatment, should you decide to do so. I heartily accept the motto, "That government is best which governs least"; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe--"That government is best which governs not at all"; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have. Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient. Thoreau Laws are most often enacted to protect the innocent. Drug laws, arguably, are enacted to protect the young and the uninformed from doing physical and mental damage to themselves and others that care about them. I submit, who is more innocent than the chronic pain sufferer, friends and family? Who are the most innocent participants in the fight against chronic pain? I offer you the children of chronic pain sufferers are the most innocent and examples of damaged lives, time lost with a mother, a father, a sibling. I offer the spouse of the sufferer, dreams never fulfilled and watching a loved one in pain they can not control. Does this author believe or advocate that chronic pain sufferers are above the law? That these laws do not pertain to all? Not in the slightest. With each law, innocent people have their rights and lives encumbered. We all as a society suffer laws to protect those that would do harm to themselves and others. We also have a duty to ourselves, our children, and future generations, to mold legislation to truly protect the innocent and speak up for those lost in broad based laws. I do not believe we need to sacrifice one soul to save others. The fight to legalize drugs for recreational purposes, is a fight for others to wage. We as unwilling participants in this war, have our own battle to wage. If we could go to the local pub, drink 3 beers and break us away from a manacled life of chronic pain, we would do so. When laws provide for sufferers to go to a physician to obtain a prescription for psilocybin, we will gladly do so. Until that time, it is up to us, the common man, to find a way to salvage our lives and to research methods to save the lives of others, *before* they are damaged. 2.1 What is in "magic mushrooms" that makes them work? The primary active ingredients of Psilocybe mushrooms are psilocybin and psilocin, and to a lesser extent baeocystin and norbaeocystin. The ratio of psilocybin to psilocin varies from species to species. The primary difference is that psilocin is unstable and it breaks down when the mushroom is dried, while psilocybin lasts much longer (a 115-year old mushroom sample was found to contain some). The two are equally psychoactive, since one molecule of psilocybin breaks down into one molecule of psilocin. [lycaeum] 2.2 Where can I find early research into vascular headache treatment using hallucinogenic substances? Some of the very earliest
papers may not have ever been transcribed to the net. There are quite a few
papers on various aspects of hallucinogens quoted in the discussion forums
at: [psm] 2.2.1 Cluster Headaches Why should I try this method rather than conventional treatments? 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 occurring 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. [psm] When should I attempt this treatment for the best results?
[psm] 2.2.2 Migraines and other vascular headaches Does this therapy also work for migraine sufferers? Actually, the answer is 'yes' to your migraine question. Just the simple act of grinding up the tea for my husband has caused my own migraine symptoms to go into remission - now for almost 5 months. I didn't even drink any of it - just absorbed it through my fingertips. Just made me a little queasy for about half an hour and a slightly strange feeling, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I felt those symptoms coming back. [M] The original research into this treatment was specifically done in the migraine area of vascular headaches and from all published reports, the results were outstanding...before all research was banned due to hallucinogens being made illegal, not because of *any* problems with the treatments. 2.2.3 Flash, Pinky, Erowid Survey Please take a moment to take part in this important survey. The
survey is part of a study of the home treatment of vascular & migraine
headaches using hallucinogenic drugs (such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, etc.)
If you suffer or have suffered from these symptoms AND you have tried to use
hallucinogens to manage symptoms, we would appreciate your participation in the
survey. Thank you for your time: 2.2.4 Legality Psilocybin mushrooms themselves are not specifically named in the U.S. federal scheduling system, however their two primary active chemicals Psilocybin and Psilocin are both DEA schedule 1. This is defined federally as a drug which :
Because these two substances are specifically named as illegal to possess, fresh or dried psilocybin mushrooms are also illegal to possess. Because spores contain no psilocybin or psilocin, they are legal to sell and possess in all states except California and Georgia. But in most states, it is illegal to cultivate or propogate spores into mycelium since mycelium generally contains both psilocybin and psilocin. At the time of this writing, legal fresh psilocybin musrooms can be purchased in Holloand and parts of Switzerland. They are also available OTC in parts of the UK. [erowid] 2.2.5 What is the first thing I should do after deciding to give an alternative method a try? Anytime you decide to try a new approach to treating your headaches, you should first begin a diary of your headache activity to get a baseline of your current status. There are many diaries available online and additional links can be found on our links page. Continue to use this diary before and throughout the process of your new treatment plan. This will make things much more clear as to whether or not you are making progress and will be very helpful in determining future changes in your treatment plan. Clusterbusters has designed a Pain Tracker System that may be helpful, especially for cluster headache sufferers. It can be found on this site at : http://www.clusterbusters.com/tracker.htm ^ back to top ^ 3 ProcurementPsilocybe mushrooms are illegal to purchase, grow or possess in most of the world. Most people purchase the spores (which are legal in most states and around most of the world) and grow their own mushrooms. 3.1 Off the Street Since it is not only illegal to do so, plus impossible to know exactly the substance and strengths you would be getting, it is not recommended to purchase your "medication" off the street, any more so than you would purchase Imitrex off the street. 3.1a Collecting wild specimens Depending where one lives, this is a viable alternative to home cultivation. Selection and identification are of utmost importance. 3.2 Cultivation Although the growing guides might SEEM lengthy and detailed, this is only because each step is described as clearly as possible to ensure the reader grasps things completely. Don't let this seeming complexity worry you. It is a LOT easier to DO it than to READ about it. There are actually very few steps involved:
[psm] 3.2.1 Recommended techniques and links Here is the BEST tek: 3.2.1.1 Another Technique: A simplified process involves ordering the
substrate mix, in a pre-measured and pre-mixed bag and innoculating this bag.
The mushrooms grow inside the bag. MYCOBAG INFO (philosphers stones) Philosopher's Stones Philosopher's Stones is a street name for the sclerotia of psilocybin-bearing mushrooms. There are several varieties of psilocybes which produce sclerotia, but the two most commonly cultivated are Psilocybe tampanensis and Psilocybe mexicana -- A strain. So what are sclerotia? They are essentially lumps of mushroom flesh. They look sort of like small pebbles and as has been noted already, they grow among the mycelium of the mushrooms. They contain no spores. They also contain less water than do the fruiting bodies (mushrooms) so the difference between dry weight and wet weight is less. If I recall correctly, sclerotia are typically just 70% water vs 90% for mushrooms. They take much longer to grow than mushrooms do (typically 75 to 90 days), but they require almost no attention while they are growing. No need to initiate "pinning", for one. For another, the risk of contamination is typically much lower as well, since they grow in a sealed environment from inoculation to harvest. As a final added bonus, they look absolutely nothing like mushrooms so the odds of any curious law enforcement types figuring out what they are is pretty low. Even very few mushroom cultivators have ever seen them. [PSM] 3.2.1.2 Bags in a Closet It was easy to grow them in the closet. I used one Cubensis Treasure Coast spore syringe and four grain-based MycoBags and got about 90g cracker-dry shrooms in two months from a farming adventure earlier this year. Here's how I did it:
Your teenagers won't get to your shrooms during the 1st month because the bags are in a closed box in the closet and there are no shrooms. MycoBags are sealed and you have to cut them open at the top to harvest them, then reseal the bags till the next batch is ready from each bag. During the harvesting and drying weeks; you need a quiet fan turned on in the closet, and not have to worry about your teenagers opening your closet door. [BB] 3.2.2 Tips
3.2.3 Contamination The best way to avoid contamination (`be clean' means to wash hands and wear clean clothes):
We are not experts in microbiology. What
follows is a description of some of the commonly observed contaminants.
The Enemies:
[EA]
[Description of strains assembled by EA, Monique, and Mast] 3.2.5 Procuring spores Spores can be procured through one of the several internet spore dealers. The first time farmer wants spore syringes, not spore prints. Once the spores are injected, SAVE THE SYRINGE. An empty syringe is very useful for measuring water (for use as a counter balance on a home-made dosing scale). Also, an empty syringe will enable you to make up your own spore syringes (using spore prints) in the future, thus making you a far more self sufficient farmer. It is a good idea to order more than one syringe, that way if one happens to be contaminated you will still have another one to start a farm with. A contaminated syringe is rare and most reputable suppliers will replace it free of charge. The going price for spore syringes often depends on the availability of a particular strain. Right now, as of this writing, a syringe of Ecuador spores costs $13.00 at SporeWorks. Suppliers often have discounts for buying multiple syringes. Again, for example, at SporeWorks 4 syringes cost $9.50 each (or $38.00 total... less than the cost of an imitrex injection!). Here are 5 favorite suppliers:
3.2.6 The Functional Fungus Farm What do I need to build a Functional Fungus Farm you may ask? Well, it's probably much easier than you think. It is cheap to build and requires a few simple items and some planning. Basically the process can be broken down into 3 main parts: innoculation (injecting spores), incubation, and fruiting. How do I provide sterilized food for the farm? You will need to prepare sterilized food for
the mushroom farm before injecting spores. Prepare the canning jar lids by drilling or punching 4 evenly spaced holes about 3/4 inch away from the edge (making sure not to puncture the rubber seal). You will inject the spores through these holes. Mix 8 cups of vermiculite, 3 cups of brown rice flour, and 3 cups of water in the large bowl. This mixture of mushroom food is called the substrate. Fill each of the canning jars with the substrate, leaving about 3/4 inch room at the top. Don't pack the substrate into the jar, just spoon it in. Then fill each jar up to the top with a layer of vermiculite. Put the lids on the jars, and cover each lid with aluminum foil (to cover up the holes for the sterilization process). Pressure cook the jars for at least 1 hour at 12 psi. After the cooking cycle is finished, let the jars cool completely (overnight). Do not proceed to inject spores until the jars are completely cooled, otherwise the spores may die. When injecting spores, be
clean: Shake up the spore syringe, remove the foil from the lids, and inject 0.25 cc per hole (total 1 cc per jar). Inject through the hole and into the bottom half of the substrate. The injected spores and substrate in the jar are referred to as cakes. The main goal of the incubation process is to provide warmth once the spores are injected. How do I provide warmth for the cakes? The aim is to keep the temperature at 80 to 85 degrees for 3 or 4 weeks. The simplest way is if you already have a closet or space at that temperature so that you can place the jars there for the incubation time. An alternative is to place the jars in a box and put the box on top of a heat source such as a water heater or reptile heating pad. If you do this, be very careful to monitor the temperature. You run the risk of killing the spores if the temperature exceeds 90 degrees. Another alternative which gives you more control over the temperature is to place an aquarium heater inside a water-filled pickle jar. Then place the pickle jar inside an insulated box or cooler with the cakes. The warmth from the pickle jar will radiate and heat the inside of the box. Once again, be careful to monitor the temperature. After a week of incubation, you should notice patches of ropey white strands develop on the cakes. These patches are referred to as mycelial growth. By the third week this growth will appear to completely colonize the jar. Once it is visibly apparent that the mycelial growth has completely colonized the jar, wait 1 more week before birthing the cakes into the fruiting chamber. The fruiting chamber must have proper humidity, fresh air, and light. How can I provide a fruiting chamber to meet these requirements? Get a large, tight-sealing rubbermaid-type bin (18" long x 12" wide x 9" high) with lid and some perlite (10 dry qt. bag, very cheap and easy to find at your local garden store). The rubbermaid bins make good fruiting chambers and the perlite is used to provide humidity. A bin that will allow light to pass through is ideal. If you can't find such a bin, then you may have to get a dark-colored one, cut out the center portion of the lid, and then cover the cut out area of the lid with clear plastic material. If you have to cut and cover with plastic, it is important to make sure there are no holes and no gaps in the plastic material. If there are holes or gaps in the plastic it will be very hard to maintain proper humidity within the fruiting chamber. Tight sealing glass terrariums are an excellent alternative to rubbermaid-style fruiting chambers. How can I provide proper humidity to the fruiting chamber? Pour out some perlite into a large colander (beware, perlite is dusty). Thoroughly wet the perlite then shake out the excess water. Dump the damp perlite into the fruiting chamber. You want about a 1 inch covering of damp perlite inside the fruiting chamber. Some mushroom farmers prefer to wet the perlite with a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide in order to reduce the possibility of contamination inside the fruiting chamber (1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide to 9 parts water). Perlite is porous material, so it will help the water evaporate slowly over time. The slowly evaporating water will provide humidity inside the fruiting chamber. The goal is to get the humidity to reach 90% to 95%. Humidity is sufficient if you can see tiny water droplets condensing on the inside surface of the lid after about a day. Prepare the fruiting chamber ahead of time, before birthing the cakes, to ensure that it will do the job. To birth the cakes, gently remove them from the jars, brush off the top layer of vermiculite, and place them into the fruiting chamber. The cakes can be placed directly onto the perlite but some farmers prefer to use coasters. After birthing the cakes, the temperature of the fruiting chamber should be maintained at 70 to 75 degrees. How do I provide the cakes with fresh air? Fan the cakes 2 times a day for several
minutes each time. How do I provide the cakes with appropriate lighting? Place the fruiting chamber under a broad spectrum plant light or indirect natural sunlight for about 90 minutes a day. Don't place the cakes in scorching-hot direct sunlight. They don't need very much light to induce fruiting. For the remainder of the time, the cakes can be in a dark place. How do I know when to harvest mushrooms? After about 1 or 2 weeks, pinheads will
start to develop. Pinheads are baby mushrooms. Once pinheads appear, mushrooms
will develop quickly. When the veil of the mushroom cap starts to tear away
from the stem the mushroom can be harvested. Harvest by gently twisting the
mushroom at the base of the stem and remove it from the cake. Handle the
harvested mushrooms carefully to minimize damage. Start drying fresh mushrooms
immediately after harvesting. [Description assembled by EA, Monique, and Mast] This description is based upon the methods
of the PF tek originally developed by Psilocybe Fanaticus. For a more detailed
explanation of this tek please visit: 3.2.7 I keep having problems with contamintaion destroying my cakes. What can I do? Ok, a few points to check:
3.2.8 Storage Once the mushrooms are harvested, they should be dried quickly for storage. If stored carefully according to these guidelines, the mushrooms should retain most of their potency for at least two years. Psilocybin and psilocin are fairly fragile organic molecules, and have the same four "enemies" that all fragile organic molecules have moisture, oxygen, light and heat. a) -- Thoroughly dry the mushrooms. Spread them out and direct a fan on whole mushrooms for a day or so, then put them in a closed container with dessicant, such as silica gel or damprid. Get them "cracker dry." It is a really good idea to include a small packet of fresh desiccant in the longterm storage container in order to soak up any stray moisture in the air trapped in the container. Don't use heat or cut them up to get them to dry faster (see below). b) -- Keep air away. Store them whole in a small, tightly-sealed glass container (all plastic will "breathe" to some extent) to minimize exposure to oxygen. Empty baby food jars are ideal -- they are small, cheap, obtainable anywhere, and have an excellent seal. You can cram a packet of desiccant and several doses of whole mushrooms into a baby food jar. Don't smash, crumble or chop or dice the shrooms -- this exposes more surface area to air -- until just before you're ready to take them. c) -- Keep your shrooms in the dark. Light, especially ultraviolet but also visible light, will break down organic chemicals. d) -- Keep things cool. Lower temperatures
mean slower chemical reactions, fewer molecules oxidized. Storing the glass
container in the freezer eliminates both the heat and light problems. I think
freezing, if done right, can extend storage life by reducing the speed of
oxidation and other chemical reactions. As for dicing before storage -- a VERY big no-no. It is a good idea to dice them immediately before dosing, though. The few minutes they will be exposed to oxygen before being ingested is not a problem at all, and the psilocybin/psilocin can be extracted much more quickly and completely from tiny pieces than from big chunks, whether you are making a tea or just swallowing them. [PSM as edited by TD] 3.2.9 Weighing and measuring your dose Once you have decided upon the
size of dose you will be using, carefully divide up your supply into equal
amounts. It is important to not only divide your dose into the same weight of
mushrooms, but each dose should contain equal amounts of each size of the
mushrooms. The smaller mushrooms from your harvest will often contain as much
psilocybin as the larger ones. The chemicals involved in treating your clusters
enter the mushroom in the largest amount in the early stages of growth. Hence,
one gram of "aborts" will be considerably more potent than one gram of large
full grown mushrooms. To achieve equal effects from dose to dose, and know how
to adjust the dose properly, your selection of mushrooms is important.
^ back to top ^ 4. DetoxingJust 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. 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 preventive medication in the clusterhead arsenal. [psm] 4.1 Do I need to stop taking my current medications? Yes. This is one of the most important steps in this treatment. If you want this treatment to have the best chance of success, you MUST detox from your current medications in many cases. There are some medications which are known to reduce or eliminate entirely the effectiveness of psilocybin (and LSD). There are also medications that can greatly increase the effects and could cause serious problems. 4.1.2 Possible inhibitors There are some medications which may interfere with psilocybin (and LSD):
Related Articles, Links Objectives.-To document the relationship between the use of subcutaneous (SQ) sumatriptan (sum) and a change in frequency pattern of cluster headache (CH) in six patients. To discuss the clinical and pathophysiological implications of this observation in the context of available literature. Background.-Treatment with SQ sum may cause an increase in attack frequency of CH but data from literature are scant and controversial. Methods.-Six CH sum-naive patients (three episodic and three chronic according to the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria) are described. Results.-All six patients had very fast relief from pain and accompanying symptoms from the drug but they developed an increase in attack frequency soon after using SQ sum. In all patients, the CH returned to its usual frequency within a few days after SQ sum was withdrawn or replaced with other drugs. Five patients were not taking any prophylactic treatment and SQ sum was the only drug prescribed to treat their headache. Conclusions.-Physicians should recognize the possibility that treatment of CH with SQ sum may be associated with an increased frequency of headache attacks. PMID: 15209695 [PubMed - in process]
. "Fluoxetine (Prozac) -- even at doses of this antidepressant ranging from 2mg/day to 40 mg/day, there was an overall decrease in most effects from LSD (no matter how much [LSD] people took), as well as a decrease in response to ketamine. There was no change in response to psilocybin. There does seem to be a decrease in the response to MDMA." http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/maois/maois_info4.shtml LSA is like LSD, which means Prozac will block the effects from HBW and RC seeds. Kit Bronson says there was no change in response to psilocybin.
4.1.3 Probable non-effective There are medications which will probably not interfere with the actions of psilocybin:
It must be noted that the above category reflects personal opinions. We have seen no reports of interactions with these medications, and suspect that the mechanisms by which these medications act is too different from the action by which psilocybin and LSD work for there to be any significant interaction. Finally, there are the Calcium Channel Blockers. The most popular CCB used by clusterheads is verapamil. We have received reports of clusterheads achieving complete success with psilocybin while taking verapamil. I have also seen reports from chronics whose only medication at the time of their psilocybin trials was verapamil, who failed to get any significant relief. Was this lack of success due to
interaction with verapamil? [psm] 4.1.4 Suspected enhancers The effects of psilocybin can
be potentiated (made stronger) by taking them with a monoamine oxidase
inhibitor (MAOI). The potency is roughly doubled, according to most reports.
The best known MAOIs are harmine and harmaline from the plant Peganum harmala
(Syrian rue). Combining MAOIs and tryptamines is an unsafe activity; not only
are there are number of substances you must avoid during use to prevent a
serious hypertensive crisis, but the long-term health effects are unknown.
[lycaem]
4.1.4.1
Undetermined
4.1.5 What can I use to treat my attacks while I'm waiting out the detox period? It can be rough withdrawing from other medications to use psilocybin therapy. Here we offer some of the classic, and some not-so-classic, ways some clusterheads have learned to deal with the Beast when medications are not available. Oxygen - Technically, a prescription drug, but there should be no interaction problem using this popular and effective abortive. Breath pure oxygen for 10 to 15 minutes at 7 to 12 liters per minute. A rebreather mask must be used. Be careful not to fall asleep with the mask on; breathing oxygen for long periods can damage the lungs. You may want to give this a try...
www.clustermasx.com
[LeLimey] Here's a little O2 tank calculator: [BB] Ice, cold water, cold air -- Clusterheads have thousands of preferred methods of using cold to help ease attacks: Ice packs, cold towels, sticking your head in the freezer, standing with a cold shower blasting on your head, pressing your eye against air-conditioning ducts, going out in subfreezing weather in your pajamas... Heat -- On the other hand, some cluseterhead need heat. Hot packs, hot towels, hot showers, heating ducts...but please don't stick your head in the oven. Water -- Instead of pouring cold water over your head, you can try drinking it. Some have successfully broken cycles by drinking large amounts of water throughout the day. Drink at least X..... This writer swears he has aborted two out of three attacks by drinking at least a quart of cold water in two minutes at the first sign of an attack. Drinking large amounts of water over time may deplete vitamins and minerals, and supplements may be needed. Exercise - Some have reported that 10 to 20 minutes of intense aerobic exercise can abort an attack. Clusterheads have been seen sprinting around the block in otherwise respectable neighborhoods in the middle of the night. Carry identification; you may meet the police. An exercise bike will do the trick, but you have to pedal hard... [TD] 4.1.6 The following suggestions may help deal with some of the clusters during your detox period. They may also be even more helpful after the first treatment for remaining shadows or clusters. 4.1.6.1 Caffeine Straight caffeine in the order of 150-200mg (two cups
of strong coffee) has been reported to help with the cluster pain within 20
minutes. 4.1.6.2 Lidocaine application This treatment was first discovered by Lee Kudrow, MD. Still remains a very good treatment for many, and is probably the least expensive "prescribed" treatment you can find. Use 4% topical Lidocaine HCL, Brand name Xylocaine (Astra), also available as a generic from many manufacturers (Roxane). It is OLD, NOT compoundable, (as it is a "single, diluted chemical) and cheap--approx. $20/50cc, but some pharmacies make a big deal about it and charge outlandishly. It is off-the-shelf (not OTC), andcan be ordered easily by ANY U.S. pharmacy. It should cost about $.05/treatment. Do NOT use Lidocaine with epinephrine added,(which is what most dentists use for local anesthesia). Use a nose dropper, preferably graduated, and draw up .5ml or .5 cc or 20 mg. (all the same thing if it's 4%). Dose is NOT that critical, but administration technique is! An older method using cotton-tipped swabs soaked in lidocaine is no longer used. Lie supine (on your back) on a bed or bench with your head "hanging off the end", and lowered about 60 degrees from the horizontal. Tilt head about 30 degrees TOWARD side of pain. Insert dropper with lidocaine "in it" in the nostril on the side of the pain until it is "comfortable"--not a critical distance. VERY SLOWLY, squeeze dropper bulb and instill lidocaine so that it "pools" at the back of the nasal passage (which is the WHOLE idea) and doesn't go down throat. Try to take about 1 minute to instill the .5cc and then stay in that position for 1 additional minute. Get up slowly. 4% Lidocaine is somewhat bitter and, some may run down your throat or out your nostril when you arise. It "numbs" any mucosal surface it come in contact with, so do not eat or drink for 30 minutes as you may have a transient swallowing problem. You may also feel numbness in your nose, or some localized burning sensations, and you may also feel numbness along the second branch of the trigeminal nerve including the upper teeth, gums and tongue on the side of instillation. All of these side-effects should go away within about 30 minutes. This may be repeated in 2 hours, and, although the amount of Lidocaine used is small by comparison to its other medical uses, the safety window for repeating this treatment has NOT been established. 4.1.6.3 Red Bull: [JB;2005] Red Bull is widely considered a hang-over remedy, and it may be beneficial for cluster headaches. A number of anecdotes from clusterheadaches.com (cache) indicate some success in aborting CH by rapidly drinking a Red Bull beverage at the first signs of a headache. The effect is not universal or consistent, but appears to be greater than a placebo effect. Red Bull contains carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, sodium
citrate, Taurine, glucuronolactone, Caffeine, Inositol, niacin, D-pantothenol,
pyridoxine HCL, vitamin B12, artificial flavours, and colors. There have been several anecdotal reports of cluster headaches being aborted by the beverage Red Bull, which contains 1000 mg of taurine per 8 ounce can. In cases where it was effective, clusterheads report rapidly drinking ("Slamming") a can of the beverage at the first sign of a CH. Taurine has a wide variety of effects on ion channels and ion transport (including calcium, sodium, chloride, and potassium). Taurine is involved in circadian rythms, as is magnesium and
melatonin. Under some conditions, taurine stimulates production of
N-acetylserotonin and Melatonin by a factor of 40 fold and 25 fold! It is
believed that taurine does this by directly stimulating the beta-adrenergenic
receptors in the pineal gland. There have also been reports of it's effectiveness on the day following a dose of psychedelics for removing any nagging shadows or sluggish feelings. When adding Excedrin to the mix, the added caffeine seems to aid in the relief. 4.1.6.4 Ginger A couple of personal reports; In my experience, it will completely eliminate shadows and minor
Kip level CH (up to a Level 5) as long as you take it at the VERY FIRST SIGN of
an impending attack. For minor shadows you don't even have to do that -- just
take some every four hours or so and you're good all day. I find the effects last between two and four hours, so I usually keep a fair bit of it on hand. Half a teaspoon isn't much, but it adds up over a week if you're taking it four or five times a day. It does nothing whatsoever once you get to the higher Kip levels,
but it's far and away the best thing I've ever come across for handling shadows
and low Kip level attacks. As good as Imitrex, actually -- within its
limitations. Of course, as with EVERY other medication in our arsenal, it may
not work for everyone. But if it works for you as well as it does for me you'll
find it nothing short of miraculous. [PSM] I tried the ginger on Pinky's advice a couple years ago, and it
does work for the shadows - not always for me, but usually. Once you get that
hard nut of pain back of the eye, tho, it does nothing. [TD] PREGNANT WOMEN must be cautious with too much ginger
intake. [GK] KEY CONSTITUENTS Volatile oils (bisabolene, cineol, phellandrene, citral, borneol, citronellol, geranial, linalool, limonene, zingiberol, zingiberene, camphene), Oleoresin (gingerol, shogaol), Phenol (gingeol, zingerone), Proteolytic enzyme (zingibain), Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Linoleic acid. Magnesium, calcium and phosphorus function together in bone
formation, muscle contraction, and nerve transmission. The pungent constituents of ginger release substance P from
sensory fibres. The released substance P in turn either stimulates cholinergic
and histaminic neurons to release Ach and histamine, respectively, or produces
direct muscle contraction by activating M and H1 receptors correspondingly. It
is proposed that after being excited by substance P, M and H1 receptors are
inactive temporarily and unable to be excited by agonists, therefore, ginger
juice exhibits anticholinergic and antihistaminic action. http://www.friedli.com/herbs/ginger.html Theoretically, ginger might interfere with antacids, sucralfate,
H2 antagonists, or proton pump inhibitors Serotonin relationship [STECO] Just because it appears to have serotonergic effects doesn't NECESSARILY mean it blocks the clusterbusting effects of psilocin and LSA. I will state unequivocally that it does nothing to block the PSYCHEDELIC effects of psilocin. My personal feeling is that if there IS any interference it is likely to be of a much shorter duration than the cross tolerance between LSA and psilocin, for example, or between any ergot-based compound and psilocin/LSA. I make this guess (and yes it is just a guess) based on the mild effect and short duration. This would SEEM to indicate that it only has CH-relieving properties while it is actually at a fairly high concentration in the bloodstream and that it may not have much if any lingering effect on the 5-HT receptors. Having said that, it would probably be a good idea to abstain from ginger before and immediately after dosing. Maybe not a five day abstention -- maybe just 24 hours before and 24 hours after. More guesswork, I know. [edited for brevity only] [PSM] 4.1.6.5 Folic Acid: Folic acid deficiency is a good way to lower melatonin production. Pyridoxine increase 5htp levels. Niacin can prevent migraines (and possibly clusters). And the list goes on. http://www.med-owl.com/clusterheadaches/tiki-index.php?page=B-Vitamins There are essentially no side effects from a modest dose of folic
acid except maybe for a possible allergic reaction to other things in the
tablet. According to the physicians desk reference, folate doses up to 1 mg are
well tolerated. [flo] 4.1.7 The Shower Cure "I run the shower as hot as possible over my entire body. Then, I turn the shower head downward and switch to cold only. I spray the cold onto my head area only and keep it on my head for as long as possible, or until a {shiver} goes through my body. Then I turn the hot water back on and reheat my head and body. 4.1.8 Massage Therapy This may help relax the muscles in the neck and shoulders and may help keep the cluster activity in check a little. This isn't goping to eliminate activity but may help them at an even keel while the psilocybin works on the elimination of them. 4.1.9 Treating cluster headache with cold air. (especially if you don't have an oxygen tank handy.) The results of a study showing that cold room air inhalation is effective for aborting cluster headaches: Four patients with episodic cluster headache and four with chronic cluster headache were instructed to inhale room air cooled to 42 deg-F via an inhalation device that delivered the cold air to a nonrebreathing face mask at a rate of approximately 6 liters per minute. Patients inhaled the cold air until the headache was relieved or 15 minutes had elapsed, whichever was first. This procedure was continued through 10 headache attacks. For comparison purposes, a second study was done involving six patients who used 100% oxygen at each of five additional headaches. Inhaling cold room air effectively aborted cluster headaches in 6 to 15 minutes in 85% of episodes. By comparison, 100% oxygen was effective in 83%, with response occurring in 7-15 minutes. Cold air and 100% oxygen provided equivalent pain relief (mean level-of-relief score was 2.69 for cold room air and 2.72 for 100% oxygen). "Room air cooled to 42 deg-F is as effective as 100% oxygen in relieving cluster headache pain," concluded the investigators. "This offers cluster headache patients an alternative treatment that is safe, effective, convenient and inexpensive." (McLeod MS. Headache.1996;290. Abstract.) Some people have hooked up cooling systems (tubing coiled and run through blocks of ice in coolers) to their 02 units and have had better results than just the 100% 02 4.1.10 Biofeedback Exercises The "Diaphragmatic Breathing Technique" is an exercise designed to achieve the relaxation response from your system. The diaphragm is a grouping of the main muscles used in breathing. It is the dome-like wall of smooth muscle that separates the lunges from the rest of the organs. All breathing exercises should be done by taking slow, gentle deep breaths. When inhaling, the abdomen should push out. When exhaling, the abdomen should pull in. Breathing should be done in a very slow, even flowing manner with careful attention to the rising and falling of the abdomen’s movement. The rest of the chest area should have little or no movement. Begin a gentle inhalation through the nose. Be sure the abdomen is pushing out with the breath. Try to notice a sense of ease and well being that you are creating in your body, with each breath. Take this breath down to the bottom of your lungs. Do not allow your shoulders or chest to rise. Inhale a sense of clean air and relaxation. When your lungs are full, allow a slow, smooth transition between inhaling and exhaling. Begin to exhale through your mouth slowly, allowing the abdomen to pull back in. While you are exhaling, imagine that you are bringing up any discomfort and muscle tension with each breath. Blow your breath gently away from you. Allowing a sense of quiet to take over your body, repeat the above steps several times per day. The most important part of this exercise is the "diaphragmatic breathing," with movement only in the lower portions of your lungs and your diaphragm. [bw] Also see Cluster Headache FAQ under conventional and alternative treatments 4.2 How long do I have to wait after starting my detox and how long do I wait between psilocybin doses if I need more than one? There is one more interaction that must be taken into consideration... the self-limiting factor of psilocybin and LSD themselves. This well-documented but still unexplained property of these substances is the reason why consecutive doses must be taken at well-spaced intervals, rather than day after day. It is also why psilocybin and LSD are classified as "counter-addictive". Flash calls this self-limiting process "shutting the door". One of the first things that a molecule of psilocin (psilocybin is converted into psilocin as soon as it enters the bloodstream. It is actually psilocin that produces the effect, not psilocybin) will do when it nestles snuggly into its chosen synaptic cleft is to trigger a reaction in the receptor site that "shuts the door" behind it. Not only does the door shut on the sites that contain psilocin molecules already, but on all other sites anywhere in the brain that are capable of accepting similar molecules. This process is not instantaneous, but it does take place fairly rapidly... maybe over twenty minutes or half an hour or so. This is why dosing with mushrooms or LSD is an "all or nothing" thing. With alcohol or marijuana, if you think you are not yet where you want to be, you can have another beer or another joint, and another and another. But psilocybin and LSD take time to produce their full effect... sometimes as much as an hour or even longer from the time you take them till the time they start to work. By the time you discover that you have underdosed, it is too late to do anything about it. You will have to wait until next time around to adjust the dose. If you take some more immediately, it is a complete waste of medicine, since by the time the new batch of molecules make it to your brain, all the doors are firmly shut. These doors remain shut until all the molecules of psilocin or LSD have broken down (around 12 to 20 hours) and then the doors gradually start to re-open. This is why veteran "acidheads" back in the 1960s would only dose once a week or so. Some individuals can dose with only a three day break, others need as much as week. A good compromise for clusterheads is about five days. This door-shutting mechanism precludes the use of any other hallucinogen for that given period of time. That is to say, if you take some mushrooms Friday night, then take some LSD on Saturday night, the LSD will have no effect at all. Methysergide (Sansert) and other ergot compounds such as ergotamine and di-hydro ergotamine (DHE) will also shut the door. Due to the marked similarity between the various triptans (Imitrex, Amerge, etc.) and psilocybin, it is likely that they will also shut the door for at least as long as they remain in the body, and probably for some period of time after that. Bottom line... it is essential to wait 4 or 5 days between mushroom doses, and to avoid all other known "blocking" medications during that time as well. 4.3 If we aren't sure that there will be any interaction, do I *really* need to detox from *everything? If the existing meds aren't helping then stop taking the meds for a week then ingest the hallucinogen. Otherwise it is best to ride out the current episode and then ingest shrooms prior to the next episode. Don't get sucked into does or doesn't it react... the bottom line is that we don't know, and probably never will. In most cases it probably does react in some way. Also, it is important to understand that hallucinogens are not a complementary therapy. People will stick with pred or O2 for weeks or months on end even though they aren't working. By the same token those people will make a single half assed attempt at hallucinogens then coming back moaning that they didn't work! Anyone planning to take hallucinogens:
4.4 Additional Preparation Should you decide to use this method, there are a couple of
additional things you can do that may make the detox period a little easier.
Once you decide to detox and dose: The first thing you want to do is begin tracking your headache
activity even before you begin to detox. Clusterbusters has developed a
standardized scale for tracking cluster headache activity for people that are
considering using psychedelics for treating their headaches. This tracking
system should be started before beginning the treatment to give a good
accounting of how things were before the treatment and comparing how the
treatment is progressing. It can be valuable to show if things are improving or
not, and is useful in determining when the next dose should be taken, if at
all. Sometimes helpful, especially for people that have been chronic for an extended period of time. ( I know, chronic means you've had them for an extended time) After being chronic, many people report additional symptoms in their headache etiology that might indicate some additional types of headaches, whether that be migraine symptoms, tension headaches or rebounds to name a few. Adding certain suppliments may help reduce some of these symptoms and make the detoxing period a little easier, headache-wise. Add these as soon as you decide you will be detoxing. Most of these will take some time to reach maximum effectiveness so they should be started as soon as you decide to go this route. Even if you decide not to, they may improve a few of your headache symptoms. 4.4.1 add magnesium to your diet. Studies vary but most people that have reported that 400mg per day
shows positive results. If you decide to stay on the magnesium for an extended
period (month(s) you should consider adding calcium along with the magnesium.
This will conteract some of the side effects of magnesium and will add calcium
back into your system. Magnesium is a calcium blocker and adding calcium will
help keep your levels where they should be. Mg supplementation is safe during pregnancy, but it should be started in consultation with and under the supervision of the patient's obstetrician. Unless it is severe, diarrhea that is not induced by Mg supplements is not a contraindication to Mg supplementation. Patients with renal disease should avoid magnesium supplementation. Long term consumption of magnesium may require the addition of calcium to your diet to remain within a healthy balance. Calcium channel blockers, sometimes used for cluster headache prevention, can cause additional problems in acheiving a balance. Consult your physician. 4.4.2 Add Vitamin B2 to your diet. Adding between 200 and 400mg per day of Vitamin B2 has shown some good results in cutting down the frequency and the intensity of clusters for some people. 4.4.3 Some people have had positive results adding Melatonin to their diet. One study showed very good results when 9mg of Melatonin was added
at bedtime. This dose is high for some people as they have side effects such as
being very tired all day. You may want to try 1mg to start and build up to
where you see some positive results without the side effects being too
uncomfortable. Some people have reported using up to 12mg at
bedtime. 4.4.4 If you seem to have trouble with other types of headaches during your cycles, you may want to check out some of the following: 4.4.4.1 Co enzyme Q10. Used in fairly high doses (100 mg per day
has been shown effective and some patients tolerate as much as 600 mg/day),
this is said to provide very good relief-better than many of the older
prescription prophylactics with few side effects. Gastrointestinal upset may
occur at high doses and limit dose. Allow up to 12 weeks for effect. 4.4.4.2 A combination of magnesium, riboflavin, and feverfew (Migra-Lieve®) 4.4.4.3 Petasites hybridus rhizome extract 50 mg or 75 mg/day of Petasites hybridus rhizome extract was shown in a controlled trial to provide 50% or more reduction in the number of migraines to 68% of participants in the 75 mg dose group, 56% in the 50 mg dose group and 49% in the placebo group after four months. [floridian,bw] ^ back to top ^ 5. DosingAfter 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, 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 required more
than one dose to achieve complete remission. [PSM] 5.1 Sizes of initial dose 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. It is impossible to determine precisely how large the first dose of mushrooms should be for any given individual. It's not as if psilocybin is available in pill form containing a known number of milligrams... we are dealing with a natural substance that is subject to the vagaries of nature. The psilocybin content of each batch of mushrooms will vary, sometimes substantially. And, just as with Verapamil or Lithium or Topamax or any other medication, the sensitivity to psilocybin varies from one individual to another. The amount required for subsequent doses becomes much easier to determine, but for the first dose many individuals are (understandably) choosing to underdose. 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 given 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. It bears repeating 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. Scales: [psm] If you have been particularly sensitive to other similarly structured medications, such as Imitrex, sansert, or DHE, we would suggest starting with a very small amount and working up from there. Most people start with approximately one (1) to one and one-half (1 1/2) gram, of dried mushrooms and have little or no "disagreeable" side effects. You may want to start with less than this amount. [bw] 5.1.1 Safety of Mushrooms As a good psychedelic should, psilocybin, psilocin and psilocybian mushrooms have low toxicity -- in tests with mice, doses up to 200 mg of psilocybin/kg of body (in average human terms (65 kg) 13 grams) have been injected intravenously without lethal effects. The ED50 : LD50 ratio is 641 according to the NIOSH Registry of Toxic Effects; compare this with 9637 for vitamin A, 4816 for LSD, 199 for aspirin and 21 for nicotine. Poisoning, at least physically, is thus not a problem. [lycaeum] 5.2 What can you expect The effects vary from individual to individual but in most cases, if you follow the suggested dosing, "trip levels" 1 and 2 will be the effects you will experience. The most glaring effect for most people will be the total elimination of the headache symptoms. Not only does the pain seemingly "drain away" but your head just might feel more clear than it has in years. This elimination of pain and related symptoms is by far the most dramatic effect you will encounter, in this writers opinion. I experienced fewer bad effects with psilocybin than I normally did with Imitrex, DHE injections or opiods. Most of the *my* effects were actually enjoyable (guess that's why it's illegal)....I don't remember the effects of DHE injections being enjoyable at all. 5.2.1 The Five "trip"levels Don't let levels 3, 4 and 5 scare you......we aren't trying to get there. Consider the differences between going out and having a beer or two and deciding to have a case of beer to wash down a dozen shots of tequila. 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. 5.2.2 Consuming There are a few different ways to consume your dose. Anything from eating the dried mushrooms whole, grinding them up and adding to a drink or food, to brewing up a liquid and not partaking of the "flesh" of the mushroom. Some people have reported some gastric distress from the mushrooms themselves. Here are a few options: 5.2.2.1 Tea The Pink One's Kick Ass Tea Recipe Potential advantages of tea: the biggest
advantage of using tea is that is can greatly reduce possible stomach
upset. Potential disadvantages of tea (or advantage depending on your perspective): Psychedelic effects may occur more rapidly (according to posts on The Shroomery). Miquels Decoction
To make a decoction using mushrooms and C Take your dose and grind it into a powder in a coffee grinder. This maximizes the available surface area of the shrooms and speeds the process. Heat 3/4 cup water *almost* to boiling and let sit for 5 minutes.
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