Psilocybin or Oxygen Therapy for Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches cause excruciating pain. Even worse than that, these one-sided headaches return in unpredictable cycles (hence the name “cluster” headaches). Anticipation makes the pain even worse. Moreover, these cycles, once started, can be difficult to disrupt. No wonder some people are willing to entertain extreme therapies.

What Works for Cluster Headaches?

This reader has found a strategy that works for him:

Q. I’ve had cluster headaches for 20 years. Out of everything I’ve tried, there are only three things that work.

To ABORT a headache, I inhale pure oxygen and without fail, it is gone in 5 to 10 minutes. It’s a true wonder drug!

Imitrex Nasal Inhaler also works, but it’s slower than oxygen and extremely expensive.

To PREVENT clusters of headaches, I take several modest doses a year of psilocybin in the form of mushroom tea. I have some minor psychedelic effects, and the next day I have a lasting sense of positive self-confidence. A 2006 study at Harvard showed significant remission of clusters in people using small doses of psilocybin.

I’ve taken psilocybin over 50 times in the past several years. I still have cluster headaches but they are very few, far less intense and easily stopped with oxygen. Other sufferers in my Facebook group have obtained total relief.

Managing the Pain of These Intense Headaches:

A. Cluster headaches produce excruciating pain so intense that the multiple attacks have been described as suicide headaches. That’s in part because it is impossible to function during a bout of repeated searing one-sided head pain.

Treating Headaches:

High-flow oxygen is a treatment of choice for cluster headaches. So are triptan-type nasal sprays (Robbins et al, Headache, July, 2016).

What About Lower-Dose Oxygen?

Q. My girlfriend had her first cluster headaches last year that involved four or five consecutive days with 15 minutes of pure agony each night. I bought 95 percent “altitude oxygen” canisters online.

She used one once and had near total relief in a minute or two. That was her last headache. We have them at the ready should the headaches return. It’s only a sample of one but I hope this helps somebody.

A. Cluster headaches are excruciating, usually one-sided pain, that repeats on a regular basis. People who suffer are desperate for relief, especially since the anticipation that the pain will recur seems to make it worse.

Victims can often stop a cluster headache by breathing high-flow 100 percent oxygen with a non-rebreathing mask. You can learn more about cluster headaches and other treatments for head pain in our eGuide to Headaches & Migraines. This online resource can be found under the Health eGuide tab.

What About Psilocybin?

Psilocybin is a hallucinogen derived from mushrooms. The FDA considers it a Schedule I drug, meaning that it has no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. That said, some studies suggest that psilocybin may be beneficial against these killer headaches (Sewell et al, Neurology, Jun. 27, 2006; Schindler et al, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Nov-Dec. 2015).

A study published in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences, May 15, 2024 concluded:

“This study shows a significant reduction in cluster attack frequency in a repeat round of pulse psilocybin administration and suggests that prior response may not predict the effect of repeated treatment.”

Please share your own experience with headaches in the comment section below.