Psilocybin dose-dependently causes delayed, transient headaches in healthy volunteers

[Jamie01]

I don’t usually get the headaches with microdosing LSD. It’s the lower to high doses that really get me.

 

[Jamie01]

Have you read John C. Lilly's "The Centre of the Cyclone"? There he describes (among other things, such as inventing the sensory deprivation tank) how he seemingly permanently cured his migraines with considerably more than a micodose of LSD.

Wasn’t it ketamine? It’s been a long time but I thought he took ketamine in the tank and experienced getting farther and farther away from the headache until he left it all together. I could be imagining that.

 

[Transform]

Wasn’t it ketamine? It’s been a long time but I thought he took ketamine in the tank and experienced getting farther and farther away from the headache until he left it all together. I could be imagining that.

Hm, it's a while since I read either CotC or "the Scientist" so it's possible I've mixed them up. They're both worth reading more than once so I may as well check.

 

[Jamie01]

It’s probly in the scientist..he does talk way more about lsd in centre of the cyclone

 

[Transform]

It’s probly in the scientist..he does talk way more about lsd in centre of the cyclone

Yeah, I don't think ketamine was mentioned at all in Cyclone so you could well be correct.

 

[Sabnock1990]

did it (5-htp) help with post-trip headaches or why did you take it?

I didn't notice if it helped with headaches or not, i don't tend to get headaches. I just took it because i wanted extra Serotonin lol.

 

[isntme]

Coming back to the main topic: transient headaches after psychedelic experience:
I was skeptical about 5-htp in relation to psychedelics and followed-up on this by some more research:
Here is what I conclude:

• Psilocybin, Lsd etc. occupy the receptors (e.g., 5-hta), they do not depend on serotonin
• 5-htp is a precursor of serotonin (melatonin etc.)
• taking 5-htp does not improve trip quality, no evidence and mechanism how it should address the headaches (this is different from e.g. MDMA which releases / depletes serotonin)

Headaches are most probably related to:

• delayed nitric oxide flush -> vasodilation
• glutamate spike, improving pain pathways in the brain

What might help (besides Ibu etc.):

• 200-400mg Magnesiumglycinate before the session, it stabilizes Glutamate pathways
• Pure Oxygen therapy, e.g. 95%, canned for prescription free application; test 1s boosts; Oxygene gently shrinks the dilated blood vessels
• Cold shock (for those who can ;-) )

This sounds sensible to me. I'll try Magnesium and O2 and report.
Are there any experiences with these measures?
Any contradictory experiences with 5-htp related to the transient headaches?