Treating Cluster Headaches & Migraines with Psychedelics Survey
by Flash, Pinky, & Erowid
2001-2004
Updated in November 2004 to add notes about new research.
(for information about cluster headaches and mushrooms, see Mushrooms & Cluster Headaches)

This survey is part of a study of the home treatment of vascular & migraine headaches using hallucinogenic drugs (such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, etc.) If you suffer or have suffered from these symptoms AND you have tried to use hallucinogens to manage symptoms, we would appreciate your participation in the survey. Thank you for your time.

User Info
1)Name (need not be real name) - required
 
2)Email (optional)
 
3)Gender
 
Female Male Unspecified
4)Age
 
 
Research Participation

NOTE: The information you complete in this survey will be reviewed by doctors at Harvard Medical School's McLean Hospital as part of their efforts to evaluate the therapeutic potential for these substances as a treatment for cluster headache. Your information is important! In order for your information to be included in a case report series that will be submitted to a peer-reviewed medical journal for publication, these doctors will need to communicate with you through email and/or telephone to answer a few more specific questions about your medical health and to have you sign a release form to obtain some of your relevant medical records. Your confidentiality will be maintained at all times and no identifying information would ever appear in the case report series when published.

RP-1) Will you permit Dr. Andrew Sewell and/or Dr. John H. Halpern of McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA to contact you so that they can learn more details about your cluster headache diagnosis and treatment?
  Yes   No
RP-2) If Yes, please provide either an email address (above) or phone number where it would be OK for them to contact you about the research:
 


 
General (required)

6)What is the highest level of school you've completed?
7)What is your employment history ?
8)Please briefly describe in serious terms the primary symptoms of your vascular headaches
9)Please briefly describe how you heard about this survey
10)How long have you had vascular headaches?
11)Do you suffer from
12)Who have you been diagnosed by?
Myself Doctor Neurologist   -   Other (please describe)

Episodic CH Sufferers Only
13)How often do your episodes/cycles occur (select closest)
14)How long does your episode/cycle typically last (select closest)
15)How many attacks do you experience each day during the peak of an episode/cycle?
16)What is the approximate length of each attack during the peak of an episode/cycle?
16)How many attacks do you experience each day during rest of the episode/cycle (on average)?
17)What is the approximate length of each attack during rest of the episode/cycle?
18)How far into your episode/cycle have you typically taken hallucinogenic treatment?
19)Have you found that hallucinogenic treatment works best if taken


NON EPISODIC CH SUFFERERS
20)How frequently do your headaches occur
21)What is the approximate length of each attack?


All Headache Sufferers
22)Have you ever used a hallucinogen as a treatment for your headaches?
Yes No
If No, go to question 43

If You Have Tried Hallucinogens
23)Had you ever used a hallucinogen prior to trying them as headache treatment?
Yes No
24)Have you used a hallucinogen non-medically since you first tried them as headache treatment?
Yes No

25)Which hallucinogen(s) have you taken to treat your vascular headaches?
Substance# of times tried
as treatment		Not Effective - - - - Very Effective
LSD   ?   1   2   3   4   5
Psilocybin Mushrooms   ?   1   2   3   4   5
Amanita muscaria (See Note)   ?   1   2   3   4   5
Mescaline   ?   1   2   3   4   5
Ibogaine   ?   1   2   3   4   5
LSA   ?   1   2   3   4   5
DMT   ?   1   2   3   4   5
DXM   ?   1   2   3   4   5
5-MeO-DMT   ?   1   2   3   4   5
AMT   ?   1   2   3   4   5
Other   ?   1   2   3   4   5
Other   ?   1   2   3   4   5

26)For the most effective hallucinogen you've tried, what effect did it have on the following factors?
FactorIncreased - - - No Effect - - - Reduced
(worse - - - better)
Severity     ?     1     2     3     4     5
Frequency     ?     1     2     3     4     5
Duration     ?     1     2     3     4     5
27)What dose do you normally take to get optimum effectiveness?
28)What duration of improvement have you gotten from hallucinogens?
29)Was the improved period...
30)How many treatments did it take to produce an improved period?
31) If you have any comments about how hallucinogens improved or worsened your headaches, enter them below.
32)Were you taking any of the medications listed below immediately prior to or during the hallucinogenic treatment? (select all that are appropriate by holding down the Ctrl-key while clicking)
      Other :
33)Did you follow Flash & Pinky's dosing guidelines (taking the treatment once every 5 days until an improved period was achieved, and trying each hallucinogen 3 times before switching to another if it hasn't worked)?
34)How would you compare the most effective hallucinogen you tried with the most effective other medication you've tried?
35)Has the hallucinogen of your choice ever stopped working?
Yes No No Answer
Used succesfully for years and months
Used number of times during that period
Used unsuccesfully for years and months
Used number of times during that period
36)Are you willing to accept "tripping" as a side-effect of reducing your headaches.
37)Have you ever had a bad trip or difficult psychological experience while on a hallucinogen?
38)Have you ever had a positive or mystical experience while on a hallucinogen?
39)How would you compare the side effects to those of other headache medications you've used?
40)How do you normally feel the day after taking hallucinogens?
41)If they were legal, would you recommend the use of hallucinogens to treat vascular headaches?


Mushrooms
42)What type(s) have you used? [multiple cntrl-click]



Only For Those Who Have Not Tried Hallucinogen Treatment
43)Which of the following medications have you tried to treat your headaches? (select all that are appropriate by holding down the Ctrl-key while clicking)
      Other :
44)How would you describe the side effects for the medications you've tried?
45)If they were legal or recommended by your doctor, would you consider the use of hallucinogens to treat vascular headaches?



All Respondents
42) Please provide any other relevant comments in the box provided:
Thank you for your feedback.

Notes:

Amanita Note: We have had some people be confused by this question. Our inclusion of the question about a. muscaria does NOT mean that they should be considered a treatment for cluster headaches. They do not contain the same chemicals as psilocybe species mushrooms.