Pebblesthecorgi

I would be very careful and skeptical about getting psilocybin from a "legal source" Its not legal anywhere but a few places its decriminalized. Heck getting a "kit" with mycelium isn't even legal. If this turns out to be legit its an amazing breakthrough. Just remember not to get caught in US because the penalties are not forgiving When you go direct to their web page it doesn't say anything about sale of stuff only investor info and trials proposed/underway

Mindmend is poking the bear with provocative statements. The skeptical cynical me says they are throwing out info to create investor support. Not bad in and of itself. I do not care for the proprietary approach several of these concerns are taking. I know they have investments to protect but they are patenting molecules and ideas that have been around a long time. Right now they are throwing a lot of stuff in the air to see what sticks and generate interest. MAPS has been at this much longer and seems to be a more inclusive route. Any of this type of research is a long way from clinical application. At least its getting done..

As I understand 4 grams of dried mushrooms is equal to 20-25 mg active ingredient. This being the case the max dose in the Yale study would be about the same as 2 grams dried fungus. If i recall the study design included input from several folks with descent experience and influence with cluster busters. The safety studies with psilocybin done at UW Madison used an escalating weight adjusted model of doses from 23-30 mg/70 kg body weight. Basically at the top end they received the equivalent of 5 plus grams dried which is often considered a "heroic dose". I do not believe any participants had adverse physiological or psycho logic outcomes. Many have participated in group discussions about the experience and have become actively involved in the psychedelic community.

Mindmend is a budding for profit enterprise which is trying to study and document the positive effects we all assume are possible from psychedelic use. I'm not sure if they a publicly traded yet but that is the ultimate intention. They have been fairly aggressive in obtaining patents. I believe they are actively seeking non hallucinogenic versions of classic psychedelics. I wasn't aware they had a product for sale. they seem well intended but some of the things they have done makes me suspicious. Time will tell.

This is a very well designed study by a researcher with great integrity. The amount of work done to bring it to enrollment is beyond comprehension. I am amazed recruitment has been so slow. One would think with the paucity of effective preventative treatments for cluster headaches, the reach of organizations like clusterbusters and desperate souls the study would fill up fast. Unfortunately I suspicion travel, time away from home and exclusion criteria (not much) play a role. I have often wondered if you could have a real placebo for a classic psychedelic if you were using perceptual level dosing. Placebos are important in studies but gee whiz.... Paul Staments has been working on psilocybin micro dose supplement ideas for a while and has proposed adding niacin to discourage taking “too much”. Maybe a niacin effect type placebo is used. It does beg the question of placebo.

Great reply's to a provocative article. Its reports like these taken out of context that provide inane arguments from reimbursement decision makers and scare off those who would potentially benefit from Oxygen to treat a cluster attack. I have attached the original article which is "Hyperoxic Brain Effects Are Normalized by Addition of CO2". The OP placed a link from a PR arm of UCLA (self promotion) to bring our attention and concern. The PR department took great liberties with the content going so far as to state the info in being incorporated tin Europe to modify resuscitation. In reality the article has only been referenced 10 times (since 2007) in other literature, mostly basic science and peripheral to O2 harm. Please read the editor notes at the end of the article. Basically there is no follow up and no real concern with O2 as it applies to safety and treating a cluster attack. O2 clearly works much of the time, its not perfect and there a are a few variables that must be managed but properly delivered and used multiple studies support its efficacy and safety. It is interesting to see the study does confirm O2 affects hypothalamic activity which supports theories where clusters are propagated. It also gives support to the notion of vasoconstriction being a mechanism of action. I suspicion a change in hormonal milieu may also play a role and be an explanation for inconsistent response to therapy. oxygenandharm

I gave it try a couple of years ago. I was well into a challenging cycle and gave it a 3 month trial. My cycle stopped for 18 months and when it reared its ugly head this past August I tried it again without any relief. After the Amovig I tried Emgality for three moths without any relief. In retrospect I belief the first Amovig trial corresponded witht eh end of my cluster cycle and it gave the illusion of success. I never had side effects from Amovig but emgality made me feel pretty crappy (flu like) for a day or two after injection. When you read the studies For this class of meds (a least Emality) they talk about reduction of frequency\intensity with 30% relief being the threshold. For me that's not worth the huge expense esp when other things have the potential to work better (D3, busting, o2, steroids, triptans) Every intervention has its ups and downs and often it seems like trying to hit a moving target. Sometimes the beast wins.

Kepra is used for seizures but there is not a clear mechanism of action. There are no drug-drug interactions noted and its metabolism is different than classic psychedelics. Withdrawal of Kepra can lead to seizures. Lamotrigine works in the brain by interfering with some electrolyte transfer and is mediated with a transmitter glutamine. Serotonin anf Glutamine often are balance together in a normally functioning nervous system. Lamotrigine metbolism should not effect a classical psychedelic. I believe mixing centrally acting medications like Kepra and Lamotrigine with a substance like psilocybin or LSD is potentially very dangerous. You are already dealing with a "wiring problem" in the central nervous system and these Rx meds are also used in disorders like bipolar so they have further reaching effects. Withdrawing these meds to accommodate busting could lead to harm physical and psychiatric, Unless you can find a situation with an understanding physician and a supervised setting busting probably isnt the best option. There is theoretical risk and real risk which is impossible to quantify.

Much is written no need to rediscover the wheel. In the end it is a personal choice that only he should make.

In principle I agree with @CHfather. If one fails to respond to injectable imitrex then the diagnosis should be scrutinized. I have a similar belief to properly administered oxygen. If it doesn't work I would be skeptical of a CH diagnosis. There is general agreement oral forms of triptans are useless for aborting CH. Subcutaneous triptans should be highly effective in a person with classic cluster headaches. Many find reduced doses of 2-3 mg highly effective in aborting an attack. Using multi dose vials or splitting autoinjector doses helps reduce side effects and increases available doses. As @glo points out when you are getting hammered several times a day its impractical and virtually impossible to keep up with the shots. Between limitations on prescription amounts, side effects and rebound headaches very few could maintain control over 3 plus daily attacks. I live just south of Michigan's Upper Peninsula in a similar climate and can't say cold exposure helps much. Tried it naked in the snow and all. I'm not sure most of us can get cold enough to trigger vasoconstriction in the brain without developing hypothermia. Also when you warm up you are going to vasodilate like crazy which might be counterproductive. Its good you are seeing a headache specialist. They are a peculiar group. It must be exhausting to deal with headache people all day especially if you deal with non responders. With a few exceptions I suspicion many get jaded and burnt out pretty fast which is why you have to be your own resource and advocate. The very most important thing is to have a proper accurate diagnosis because that allows you to guide your own therapy. Personally I believe besides the classic criteria for CH you should also respond to sq triptan and\or oxygen to support the diagnosis. All the rest of the treatments are hit or miss and vary widely between and within individuals. @glo mentioned many. There's an endless list of things to try, scattered case reports about IV therapies, hormone intervention, surgery and stimulators but in truth none are consistently reliable. Things like steroids (used properly), verapamil and other pharma have significant down sides which makes prolonged use impractical. Also it seems the beast is a moving target and what may have worked for a cycle is a fail during the next emergence. If you are confident in the diagnosis and maxed out conventional therapy, have followed the latest iteration of D3 and still struggling then it might be time to consider busting. This is a very individual decision and choice which each person must be individually responsible.

As studies progress we will have a better understanding of these molecules in the treatment of traditionally challenging conditions. Avoiding a once size fits all simplistic approach is paramount. Its easy to get the impression that you can use these substances without direction to address emotional or psychiatric disorders.While going it alone has appeal and is some cases it may work for certain folks the preliminary experience suggests a programmatic approach will yield consistent results. Of course there are lots of variables and we still need to see the studies presented. With unbridled enthusiasm organizations like Compass are putting together programs, patenting approaches (and drugs) in an effort to commoditize care. Our discussions of psychedelics are a bit different because CH may be more amenable to self treatment because of the receptor theories and no direct need for guided therapy. In the end anything that makes these drugs more accessible and safe helps us all

your own demand valve nice

Thanks for the update. In the throws of a difficult cycle I tried Ketamine nasal spray. I have had it administered as part of a general anesthetic in the past and had a favorable impression. Not so with nasal. I used it at first onset of attack with a total dose of 60 mg. Hated it and it did not help. The dissociation between my situational awareness and the pain was unsettling. I think its called a K-hole when it happens. I had high hopes of mitigating the attacks but not for me either. I know others have had a positive experience but not me.

You will find it more cost effective and less painful to just get multidose vials and draw up yourself. You can get 2-3 doses per vial using a TB or insulin syringe. There is considerable cost savings with the vials if available and for some reason that prescription sometimes skirts quantity limitations insurances impose. You can bet there will be no savings in a reduced dose auto injector.

Strong relevant work

On this day in 1938 Albert Hoffman synthesized LSD for the first time. His mission was to discover new drugs to treat headaches and cardiovascular disease. His impression was that the molecule was not very interesting so he shelved it. 5 years later he thought it was worth a second look. The worlds eyes have been opening ever since. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann

There is a lot of misinformation about cardiotoxicity and triptan. Most of it is exaggerated. Adverse cardiac effects are largely single case reports and advise caution when using. Individuals who have had documented cardiac damage largely had pre existing predisposition. Of course there are always exceptions but the very vast majority of folks can use triptan with relatively safety. The rationing of triptan comes from several different directions. First it is primarily a drug for migraine headache. Providers feel if you are needing to inject more than 4-6 a month you should be on a preventative med instead. There are a fair number of effective preventative meds for migraines. Cluster headaches aren’t migraines and because of the cyclic nature and intensity sq injection is the only route aborting the headache is effective. When you need it and choose to use it much should be available (hoard off cycle). Triptan also can cause horrific rebound headaches so judicious use is warranted. Triptan ma expend cycles making remission further down the path. You can get triptan in multi unit bottles and inject smaller doses 2-3 mg with an insulin or tb syringe. This gives you a lot of flexibility. Triptan likely interfere with busting so a drug holiday is required prior to bust. Oxygen should be your go to abort if possible, reserve triptan injections for fails. Experiment with D3 see if it works for you Triptans are a tool, not the devil but sometimes its hard to tell the difference sometimes imes and like all things self education leads to a rational treatment approach for you.

Hope you have it backed up. These things have a way of heading south and the knowledge here is not replaceable. Kudos to our fine administrators for keeping everything up and civil (unlike my first marriage).

Get it evaluated. Probably not related. If it’s in the upper or lower lid it is likely a chalazion which is benign and treatable.

I think the point of the article is in their model anti-inflammatory properties were noted in a non psychoactive component of certain psychedelic drugs. The mechanism for the that property is still being investigated. Personally I suspicion there is an "entourage effect" to all the interventions many find helpful. Somehow the presence of certain substances has an stronger effect than a single substance alone. If you think about it, n=most of the treatments we find helpful are generally found to help reduce inflammation: D3, antihistamines & Steroids come to mind. Whatever triggers the inflammation starts the cascade which results in misery.Of course this becomes complicated because of all the other factors to consider. In the end we do what we think works explaination be damned. Rest assured it won't be something simplistic or easily treated by existing knowledge. Much work to be done.

I'm curious how one defines "great success". A years worth of Emgality and D3 program but currently in a difficult cycle. I think about what success means to a cluster head. Personally I define it to be completely headache free. So when I get 18 month remission and then have 3-6 months of hell does that mean the busting\D3\CGRP\whatever bought you the remission or was the remission coincidental with the cycle itself? Sometimes when sucking O2 for the third time a night I wonder if all our solution seeking is just mental masturbation and the cycles will come by whatever path they choose and the busting just helps us cope. In the heat of a cycle it makes me wonder if anything really works or we are just kidding ourselves.

The Haylard stimulator is designed for determining the amount of skeletal muscle paralysis during general anesthesia and to help determine proper needle placement during certain procedures. Basically it is a diagnostic tool. Any use in therapeutics would be " off label" and the frequencies generated are generally not regarded as therapeutic. I suspicion because it makes muscles twitch one gets the impression it is doing something but there is no data supporting therapeutic efficacy. The device has been around a long time and I'd think if it had recognized benefit there would be some reports in the medical literature. I am glad you are having a positive experience\results It will be interesting to see if its sustainable.

Great post. This is one of those cost benefit things where theres no down side. Keto diet is tough for the carb lover. I hope folks who try this provide feedback.

Clusters suck and are immutable part of our existence. I fully agree with advice given. There is no way in hell you can ever get anyone to appreciate the pain or come close to understanding unless its a fellow clusterhead. Even then our experience is our own. People think we exaggerate, embellish or plain seek attention. Of course thats not true at all. The bigger issue is anyone who has experienced the pain of childbirth, kidney stones, gout, a broken limb or othe painful event usually only has it once twice or a few times. We get way worse over and over and over. The way I deal is by trying to be my best self and carry on while in cycle as normally as possible. I do my best to not let the beast win. I do tell my staff when I'm in cycle so they understand my asshole self has a reason but I never expect anyone to understand; s\cause they can't. Yo must constantly work to be the best you and avoid self pity at all cost. Ignore the well intended suggestions of the essential oil, ibuprofen, gratuitous "i have that too", Forgive them for theres no way they can do anything but leave you alone

My error it looked like the question was about the article/website info not about your Vagus stretch. I'd say the answer remains the same. Vagal stimulation has been tried and used in migraine and clusters but overall I would say the results are disappointing. A few folks think it helps, even fewer are convinced. Ultimately all nerves can be connected and to be sure the Vagus is a critical pathway but I suspect if manipulation and treatment of that area was truly helpful we would have more positive data by now.