10yrs Update

[Nikkk]

Hi there,

10 years ago I discovered this website and made a post here after experiencing pain abortion via psilocybe semilanceata use. Back then this board helped me understand so much better how to manage my CH cycles and attacks than any doctor ever did. So just for that, thank you!

As a funny story introduction, I have to tell you how I discovered the use of psychedelics for CH; After being diagnosed by a dental surgeon, I was talking about it to a friend, which told me "CH? like in Dr House episode with the mushrooms?" - this is what originally brought me to this website

Now without going into every single detail of what happened to me in the last ten years, I wanted to give a brief update on my journey, as I realize that the knowledge built on this site is for a big part generated by anecdotal information, here's my humble contribution:

Ten years ago I ended a cycle successfully for the first time using mushrooms. I was amazed and spent the next months reading everything I could as why this is happening. And while I dont have a real answer, my vulgar understanding is that CH are like a brain that had his road map messed with and mushrooms reset it to factory settings  During that period I was trying to abort individual attacks with originally coffee, mushrooms in very small dose under my gums and tongue, and breathing exercises. However I quickly replaced coffee with lemon juice as vitamin C seems to fast track psilocybin.

Anyways, after that cycle, I prevented successfully many cycles for many years using psilocybe semilanceata that I religiously pick myself every year. Meanwhile I have tried to get prescription for oxygen for years (in the fear that an attack would eventually show up) but always unsuccessfully.

However, about 3 years ago a cycle started again, still not sure as why, I was traveling a lot back then and messed up my sleep cycles regularly, this could be the reason, I was also drinking alcohol more than usual, i'm still not sure what exactly happened but it did.

So, I went to the doctor, reluctantly I have to say, because I still have bitter memories of what doctors made me go through prior to me discovering mushrooms for CH. Anyways, the doctor discovered that I had high blood pressure, and while he wasn't really acknowledged about cluster headaches he wanted to treat my blood pressure, which he said would likely reduce the intensity of the CH attacks too. And so he gave me isoptin (calcium blocker) and an alpha blocker, in low dosage.

This did indeed greatly reduced the intensity of the attacks and fixed my blood pressure. He also prescribed me an abortive nasal spray, Imigran (sumatriptan), which I never took because I wanted to break the cycle with mushrooms anyways and i'm very sceptical by now about migraines medecines for CH. I then managed to break that cycle by doing the mushrooms protocol, took 0.5g then 5 days, 1g and 5 more days and it stopped. 

I went on with my life, I became a father even! 2 years went on, dosing according to the calendar and no pain. But as every father with a toddler in kindergarten, I eventually got a terrible flu, that turned into pneumonia, and therefore went to a doctor, who prescribed me steroids, which got me pretty intense.. but when I came off the steroids, omg.. the CH came in raging like I forgot how terrible these could get! 3 to 5 attacks per day and brutal and long ones! my partner couldn't stand seeing me that way and called my doctor and went on to give me the imigran nasal spray; in the midst of an awful attack I took the spray and within 20min it stopped. I was relieved. So after that I was taking a spray if the attack was getting out of control.. well.. little did I know, the attacks were coming in even more regularly and stronger than ever (if it's possible at this point..) One night I had an attack that just wouldn't stop and my partner called an ambulance to beg for oxygen, but I was too far gone and they probably didn't give me the oxygen like I need it, it was a nightmare, I ended up in the hospital hallway strapped on a bed begging to be killed and screaming at them that they better not give me opioids (because i had previous horrible experience with those before and they do nothing good to me). I eventually made it back home, absolutely beat. During a short period pain free I went online and looked up imigran and CH etc, and realized that it was a terrible mistake. So I decided not to take it anymore and rather either raw dog the attacks or bust them with mushrooms. And here we are today, no imigran for a week and two doses of mushrooms in, I had one strong shadow this morning, no attack yesterday, I am not holding my breath but it feels like I might be close to break the cycle!

That's my update, hope it is useful to some. 

Oh btw, I just read recently about using DMT vape as an abortive and it seems insanely efficient! i'm currently looking into getting the mimosas bark to make my own. If any of you have info on this I am very interested!

Thank you all for contributing to make our lives better, stay away from sumatriptan, stay away from steroids,

I wish you only the very best <3

Edit: I just realize that this could be more appropriate in the busting stories section, so if a mod would move this there it would be probably good. I don't personally care that this is public however.

Edited December 29, 2025 by Nikkk