And from migraines too
Psilocybin helped with migraines
Oleg Lischuk, N+1
American researchers presented the results of the first controlled clinical trial that showed the effectiveness of psilocybin in migraine. The article was published in the journal Neurotherapeutics (Schindler et al., Exploratory Controlled Study of the Migraine-Suppressing Effects of Psilocybin).
Migraine is one of the most common and severe causes of headaches. About 15 percent of people suffer from this disease; in developed countries, it is one of the three most frequent reasons for temporary disability. Descriptions of the positive effect of psilocybin (an alkaloid contained in more than 200 species of fungi that belong mainly to the genus Psilocybe) and similar substances for migraines first appeared more than half a century ago during the heyday of psychedelic research, but more serious work was not carried out due to subsequent legislative restrictions. Recently, Swedish researchers found similar information on thematic sites where self-medication is described, however, a registered controlled double-blind clinical trial, albeit very small, has been conducted only now.
14 people aged 21 to 65 were invited to participate in the work led by Emmanuelle Schindler from Yale University, but only 10 of them were included in the final analysis of the data. The inclusion criteria were the presence of a clinically established diagnosis of migraine, the absence of significant somatic and mental illnesses, as well as the intake of recreational psychoactive substances during the last 3 months, alcohol – 1 week and drugs acting on serotonin receptors (antidepressants, antiemetics, vasoconstrictors) – from 2 to 6 weeks depending on the specific medication. Triptans were not forbidden to use, but no more than twice a week and subject to complete elimination from the body before the introduction of psilocybin.
All participants were injected with psilocybin twice at two-week intervals of 0.143 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (the average hallucinogenic dose). Each of them kept a diary of headaches (migraine and non-migraine) starting two weeks before the first dose of the drug and ending two weeks after the second. The data provided was used for statistical analysis.
It turned out that the number of migraine days per week decreased significantly after taking psilocybin compared to placebo: on average -1.65 (95 percent, CI 2.53–0.77) versus -0.15 (95 percent, CI 1.13–0.83). The proportion of participants in the experimental and control groups whose number of migraine days per week decreased by at least 25, 50 and 75 percent was 80, 50 and 30 percent and 20, 20 and 0 percent, respectively. Interestingly, contrary to previous observations, the strength of the therapeutic effect of the drug did not correlate with the intensity of psychedelic experiences during its action.
As Schindler noted, in the near future their team plans to expand research on the effects of psilocybin in migraines, and is currently studying its potential use after a concussion. Another diagnosis in the list was cluster headache, the same issue is being dealt with by research groups from Denmark and Sweden.
Studies of the therapeutic effects of hallucinogens have not been conducted for a long time due to legal restrictions. Recently, interest in them has resumed and increased; through the efforts of enthusiasts from among scientists and officials, more and more scientific institutions are getting the opportunity to conduct such work. To date, the effectiveness of these substances has been shown in major depressive and anxiety disorders, as well as in PTSD. In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assigned the status of "breakthrough therapy" to the use of psilocybin for the treatment of depression, which should ensure the accelerated introduction of this technique into clinical practice.
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