title: Indoleamine Hallucinogens in Cluster Headache: Results of the Clusterbusters Medication Use Survey.
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.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology , Yale University School of Medicine , New Haven , CT .
authors.forename: Emmanuelle A D
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Schindler
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology , Yale University School of Medicine , New Haven , CT .
authors.forename: Christopher H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Gottschalk
authors.affiliation: b Clusterbusters, Inc , Lombard , IL .
authors.forename: Marsha J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Weil
authors.affiliation: c Department of Neurology , University of Vermont College of Medicine , Burlington , VT , USA .
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.affiliation: b Clusterbusters, Inc , Lombard , IL .
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: d Department of Psychiatry , West Haven Veterans Affairs Hospital , West Haven, CT, and Department of Neurology Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven , CT .
authors.forename: Richard Andrew
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Sewell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006213:Hallucinogens / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008238:Lysergic Acid Diethylamide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011562:Psilocybin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D006213:Hallucinogens; C016543:lysergamide; D011562:Psilocybin; D008238:Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
keywords: Internet survey; cluster headache; hallucinogens; lysergic acid amide; lysergic acid diethylamide; psilocybin