Migraines are a medical condition found in nearly 1 in 4 households in America (the writer of this piece is 1 of those 4). 18% of women, 6% of men, 10% of children in America experience migraines (both the author and Microdose are not advocating or suggesting that children should consume/consider psilocybin). Migraines are considered a common chronic condition that can last for years or a lifetime and according to the Migraine Foundation. Migraines are the 3rd most prevalent illness in the world.
Causes and Types of Migraines
There are multiple migraine types. Many have some of the same symptoms, but they can also differ:
- Migraine with aura
- Migraine without aura
- Chronic Migraine
- Migraine with brainstem aura
- Vestibular migraine
- Abdominal migraine
- Hemiplegic migraine
- Menstrual migraine
- Cyclical migraine
- Medication overuse headache
The causes of migraine can be many things like stress, hormonal, and/or weather changes. Treatments for migraine are reported as:
“Medications used to combat migraines fall into two broad categories: Pain-relieving medications: also known as acute or abortive treatment, and preventive medications: taken regularly, often daily, to reduce the severity or frequency of migraines.”
Western medicine criminalized nature, and because of that lab-made treatments are the only documented source for migraine treatment. Until now. With the legalization of psilocybin in various cities and states around the country, migraine and psilocybin research is now being released.
Psilocybin Treatments for Migraines
Psilocybin decriminalization and legalization have heightened the coverage for psilocybin as a potential medicine for many conditions. A search for “psilocybin and migraine”, provides a multitude of resources with insight like:
- “Schindler and her colleagues found that psilocybin was associated with a greater reduction in the frequency of migraines.”
- “A new small scale study reveals psilocybin appears to have a beneficial effect for chronic migraine sufferers.”
- “An exploratory study has found a single dose of the psychedelic psilocybin can reduce migraine frequency by 50 percent for at least two weeks.”
Though prohibited and on the DEA’s list of Schedule I “drugs”, the U.S National Library of Medicine, National Health Institutes state the following about psilocybin for migraines:
“Overall, LSD and psilocybin were reported as highly effective for both CH (cluster headaches) and migraines. Both substances were reportedly effective for prophylactic as well as acute treatment.”
Psilocybin for Migraines: What the research is saying
Here’s a quick dive into what research is saying about psilocybin as a treatment for migraines:
- New Atlas News reports the following from a study conducted by Yale School of Medicine researchers: “the preliminary trial was small but the promising findings suggest potential for psychedelics to treat migraines.”
- MAPS, reports the following from New York Magazine, who explored scientific research on psilocybin and headaches: “Over 50 percent of the subjects studied revealed that one dose of psychedelics caused total cessation of their headaches, while about a quarter said that the drug aborted a headache mid-attack.”
- The Growth Op reports the following from a study published in the journal Neurotherapeutics: “there is an enduring therapeutic effect in migraine headaches after a single administration of psilocybin.”
The above does not include active research/ studies regarding psilocybin for migraine treatment.
Final Thoughts
In places like Oregon, California, and Denver, we will begin to see more insight and information regarding psilocybin treatment for migraines. These states have legalized and/or decriminalized the consumption of psychedelics for medicinal use; however, we will also see results from the multitude of psilocybin as a treatment for migraine studies currently underway.
As we are seeing with cannabis, plants heal and should not be criminalized. Lives have been lost due to these laws and research is showing that this no longer needs to happen. Research shows that it’s time to decriminalize nature.
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About the author
Veronica Castillo is a writer from Miami with a pre-Cannabis background in insurance and human resources. Currently, she is a resident of the road on an exploration of all things cannabis and hemp in the United States, with plans to leave the U.S to explore Cannabis and hemp abroad. Veronica’s mission is to educate, inform, and destigmatize because she believes in the power of love for all plant medicine.
IG: www.instagram.com/vee_traveling_veg_canna_writer
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vee-traveling-veg-canna-writer/
Editor’s Note
This piece is part of a series produced by guest contributors to expand the voices on our site and in the greater conversation. While Microdose supports the education and exploration of these topics, the facts and opinions presented in this work are the author’s alone.
