Intention: To explore the use of mushrooms as a natural remedy for migraines, highlighting research findings and anecdotal evidence on their effectiveness.
There are several studies showing the benefits of psilocybin and psychedelics for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Anecdotally, people are touting the benefits of microdosing for a multitude of ailments and wellness routines, and even using home mushroom growing kits to keep a fresh supply handy. But what about taking mushrooms for migraines? Will science find evidence that magic mushrooms just might be a possible cure for this debilitating condition?
What Causes Migraines?
A migraine is a severe headache that results in deep, throbbing pain. The pulsing sensations are relentless and usually occur on one side of the head. Attacks can last for hours or days and cause extreme sensitivity to light and sound. In addition, migraines can lead to nausea and vomiting, with such intense pain that it disrupts daily life.
Migraines are more than just a headache, they are a neurological disease affecting about 12% of Americans. It ranks sixth in a list of most disabling diseases. The true cause is unknown, though some risk factors affect vulnerability. Eighty percent of people who get migraine headaches have a close relative who also suffers, making migraines a genetic condition. Migraines affect more women than men, likely due to the difference in hormones. Additional factors, like stress and smoking, may contribute to migraines but are not the primary cause.
Migraines are said to occur in four phases over the course of approximately 72 hours. However, only about 30% of migraine sufferers will experience pre-symptoms. The stages are:
- Prodrome: Symptoms include difficulty concentrating, dizziness, trouble sleeping, nausea, increased urination, muscle stiffness, irritability, and depression. This is considered the “pre-headache” phase.
- Aura: Symptoms include blind spots in vision, seeing bright lights or sparkles, change in speech pattern, change in smell, tinnitus, and tingling skin. While an aura is a warning symptom for some, many people don’t experience the aura phase independently because it coincides with the headache.
- Headache: Symptoms include sensitivity to light, sound, smell or touch, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, sweating or chills, tender scalp, fatigue, and pale skin. A migraine can last anywhere from a few hours to as long as a week and will typically require lying down in a dark, quiet room to wait it out. It’s described as a drilling feeling starting on one side of the head and moving to the other side.
- Postdrome: Symptoms include difficulty concentrating, depressive feelings, fatigue, confusion, and mild euphoria. The postdrome phase occurs for a day or two after the migraine has stopped. About 80% of people who experience migraines have postdrome symptoms.
Although the exact cause of migraines remains unknown, research indicates that they most likely occur when abnormal brain activity interferes with nerve signals. This disruption also affects blood vessels and chemicals in the brain, resulting in a migraine. While genetics may contribute to the likelihood of experiencing migraines, there are many triggers. Dietary, physical, hormonal, mental, environmental, and medicinal factors should all be considered possible triggers.
Taking Mushrooms for Migraines
In a 2017 study, researchers examined the potential benefits of psychoactive substances in the treatment of migraine and cluster headaches. Studying online forums and collecting anecdotal evidence, researchers determined that the use of psilocybin mushrooms proved to be effective as a last resort. Many people found pharmaceutical therapy to be ineffective, with no long-term results, and instead opted for illegal forms of psychedelic drugs. Psilocybin being a top contender for this purpose.
Anecdotal evidence is found throughout the web, with people claiming that LSD and psilocybin have completely eradicated their migraines altogether. While some people are microdosing regularly to achieve these results, others report benefits after a single-use. These online communities have caught the attention of many scientists and researchers.
“As a headache medicine physician, I see the need for a better understanding of headache disorders, including migraine, and the need for more treatment options. I’ve also studied the neuropharmacology of psychedelics for a number of years and appreciate their ability to help us understand more about the workings of the human brain…When I learned that patients with certain headache disorders reported lasting improvements after just a single or few doses of psilocybin or other psychedelics, it made me wonder whether these drugs couldn’t help us better understand the underlying pathology in headache disorders, as well as serve as a new form of treatment.”
Emmanuelle A. D. Schindler, assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine.
Neurologists are becoming increasingly more fascinated with the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics for migraines, and research is continually ongoing.
How Does Psilocybin Work for Migraines?
One of the most commonly prescribed medications for migraine headaches is Rizatriptan. It works by narrowing the affected blood vessels in the brain, which halts the pain signals and stops the release of chemicals that cause the agonizing symptoms of migraines. The latter half of the word, ‘triptan’, indicates that the drug is a part of a family of tryptamine-based drugs. As a category, tryptamines are known to be serotonergic hallucinogens. This includes drugs like DMT and 5-MeO-DMT among others.
Looking at the molecular structure of drugs like Rezatriptan, they are strikingly similar to other serotonin receptor agonists, such as psilocybin. When broken down, psilocybin becomes the metabolite psilocin. Psilocin is a partial agonist that binds to 5-HT1A, 5-HT1D, and 5-HT2C receptors. Rizatriptan binds to 5-HT1 receptors. The 5-HT1D receptor is specifically focused on vasoconstriction, which is the narrowing of the blood vessels. So, both Rezatriptan and psilocybin actively narrow the blood vessels to halt the pain signals associated with migraines.
Taking Other Psychedelics for Migraines
When comparing the molecular structure of pharmaceutical drugs and mushrooms for migraines, psilocybin isn’t the only psychedelic worth mentioning. All drugs in the tryptamine family have the ability to act on serotonin receptor agonists in a similar way. LSD, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, 5-MeO-DIPT, 5-MeO-AMT, and a few other psychedelic tryptamines all share very similar molecular structures. The root structure of DMT is very similar to Sumatriptan, another medication frequently prescribed to treat migraine headaches.
Each of these substances may have the potential to halt a migraine, and perhaps, prevent them from occurring. While there isn’t concrete scientific evidence to support this theory, the anecdotal evidence cannot be disputed for those having found relief through the use of psychedelic drugs.
Microdosing for Migraines
For anyone dealing with migraines, the goal is to resume everyday life and not be debilitated by blinding migraine pain. Therefore, these people are not looking to “trip out” in pursuit of relief, as it’s difficult to go about daily life in that state of mind, let alone get to work. That said, microdosing is a viable option that can be supplemented to a regular part of one’s life. Think of it like any other supplement or capsule taken in the morning to start the day.
Microdosing is the practice of intentionally consuming smaller than standard doses of a particular substance to gain benefits without the psychedelic effects. When microdosing psychedelics, the intent is not to become intoxicated, so the dosage is very important. An average microdose is about one-tenth to one-twentieth of a standard dose. However, effects vary from person to person, so it’s best to start a microdosing regime on a weekend or a day off of work and to start low. It’s recommended to take doses one day on, two days off.
Microdosing works by activating the 5HT-2A receptors in the brain. This urges the brain to release serotonin, creating a domino effect for other chemical changes to occur. The effects should be sup-perceptual, leaving the user feeling “better”, but without noticeable intoxication.
If you experience migraines and have tried microdosing, we’d love to hear from you. Microdosing mushrooms just might be a new breakthrough medicine, and more anecdotal evidence will continually urge doctors and researchers to explore these options.
