Can you imagine a pain so severe, that you would rather die? Pains that you cannot prevent and cannot cure? It sounds horrifying, and it is. People who suffer from cluster headaches often compare the sensation to an ice pick being pushed through the eye socket into the brain - and then spinned around some. While there is some medication available, they aren’t considered effective - and the side effects are sometimes even called worse than the headaches themselves. Well, there might just be a new medicinal-sheriff in town, and it’s called psilocybin.

'Suicide headaches'

Psychedelics like psilocybin and DMT have been used for many centuries to treat a wide range of physical and psychological problems, including stress, depression, anxiety and pain. With the increasing amount of research on the therapeutic applications of psychedelic drugs, psychologists, doctors and researchers are now beginning to better understand the value of these consciousness-altering substances. For example, recent research shows that 5-MeO-DMT effective in the treatment of addictions and that psilocybin could treat conditions such as social anxiety and PTSD. One serious health condition that you don’t really read a lot about, are cluster headaches. Research indicates that psilocybin, which is the main psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms and magic truffles, could be extremely effective in treating these unbearable headaches.

So what is a cluster headache? Well, to keep it short: a cluster headache is considered by many people to be one of the most unbearable pains imaginable. Patients with cluster headache often have multiple seizures per day in some periods and this pain is so severe that it is sometimes simply no longer possible to participate in society. Such a single attack can, in some cases, last up to several hours. We think it’s safe to assume that cluster headaches are a complete nightmare to have. It’s no wonder these headaches have been given the nickname of ‘suicide headaches’, given the fact that people suffering from this condition have a 20 times higher chance to commit suicide than people who don’t. Horrifying to say the least…

Well, why don’t we just treat these cluster headaches, you might ask. Well, right now it’s not really clear what it is that causes a cluster headache. Therefore treatment is considered difficult, if not impossible for some. There are some treatments available, but they aren’t considered extremely effective - and both the physical and psychological side effects are not very pleasurable. Many patients who are being treated with these traditional medication claim the cluster headaches are even more bearable than the treatment. Given the fact that the cluster headaches are one of the worst pains imaginable, it’s only safe to assume the treatment is a metaphorical hell as well.

Can psilocybin help against cluster headaches?

According to some research, 10 to 20 percent of patients do not experience any relief from typical treatments for cluster headache. This low success rate has caused for a lot of patients to start looking for alternative treatments. Two of the most promising so far are LSD and psilocybin-treatments. Psilocybin is the main active ingredient found in magic mushrooms and magic truffles.

New evidence suggests that LSD and psilocybin could treat cluster headache more effectively than current drugs. It has become clear during scans that during an attack there is an increased activity in the hypothalamus area of the brain. Psilocybin is known to temper this area in the brain and to decrease local activity. Although this sounds amazing, there is still no actual scientific evidence for the benefits of these compounds in cluster headaches. However, a group of researchers from a group called Cluster Busters has questioned nearly 500 patients on typical medication habits and found that psilocybin might just be ‘the one’.

The questionnaire showed that psilocybin users reported that the use of this medicine was just as effective as the leading treatments in which they were already participating in stopping cluster headaches. But the other result was even more impressive: both psilocybin and LSD were both more effective than current drugs in preventing these headaches altogether. At the same time, no serious side effects were found with the use of these psychedelics - far less than standard medication.

The result of this research and many reports on internet forums are clear: psilocybin and LSD are more effective in the treatment of cluster headaches than any existing form of medication. And while actual scientific evidence is still lacking, it might be worth a shot to try psilocybin yourself if you suffer from cluster headaches and if it is legal in your country.