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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> To Anyone Considering Mushrooms...
        
(Message started by: THANK_YOU_FLASH on Aug 8^th, 2007, 3:04am)

Title: To Anyone Considering Mushrooms...
Post by THANK_YOU_FLASH on Aug 8^th, 2007, 3:04am

Hello all.

I would like to provide information and encouragement to anyone considering mushroom therapy as an alternative to conventional medicine as a treatment for cluster headaches.

I have suffered from this horrible condition for about 11 years. I have treated myself with hallucinogenic mushrooms for the past 5 years. Before I began the treatment, I tried to combat the problem with more traditional forms of medications than I can even recall at this point. They provided me with nothing more than temporary relief at best, many of them were useless.

I decided to investigate alternative remedies that I read about on this site when it became apparent that traditional meds were not only ineffective, they actually made my condition worse. The relief I have experienced may be described as miraculous, but I believe there to be a very rational scientific basis for what I am experiencing.

My cycles used to hit about every other year. They became longer in duration each time, my first lasted about 3 months and the last one I experienced before I began this therapy lasted over 10 months. The attacks were becoming more frequent with each cycle, and the pain level typically ranged from about 7-10 on the Kip Scale. My 10 month bout ended after a detox from all medications followed by treatment with hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Since then, I have consumed 6-10 grams of mushrooms once or twice every 6 months. I have experienced only one cycle in the past 5 years. That cycle arrived after I skipped a 6 month maintenance dose. I was able to beat it down immediately by dosing on a weekly basis. It lasted only 1 month in contrast to the 3-10 month cycles I had previously. In comparison to those cycles, it was nothing more than a nuisance. The pain level of my attacks was bad at first, but by the second dose, it dropped to about 3-5 on the Kip Scale. Also, the attacks were far less frequent than they were in previous cycles. They hit only about 2-3 times in a week as opposed to daily.

This condition was destroying my life before I began this treatment. I am utterly grateful for the efforts of the individuals that provided information on this treatment to me such as Flash, PinkSharkMark, PinkFloyd, and Tommy D to name a few.

I have my life back as a result of their efforts.

I strongly encourage anyone considering this treatment to give it SERIOUS thought. RESEARCH IT THOUROUGHLY before attempting to treat yourself. It is an inexact science, but you can provide structure to it through personal diligence. Personally, I would recommend it over conventional medicine. It may not work overnight, but I believe that when administered properly you may find significant relief. I truly hope that you find relief any way that you can, no one should have to live with this.

I should add that I have also instituted a number of lifestyle changes in addition to this treatment. I exercise, eat well (organic as much as possible), avoid alcohol, and do as much as I can to take care of my body. There may or may not be a relation to my relief here, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Good luck, I wish you all the best.

Title: Re: To Anyone Considering Mushrooms...
Post by THANK_YOU_FLASH on Aug 8^th, 2007, 3:12am

And, most importantly, THANK YOU DJ for providing us with a forum to find this information.

Title: Re: To Anyone Considering Mushrooms...
Post by nani on Aug 8^th, 2007, 12:07pm

on 08/08/07 at 03:04:53, THANK_YOU_FLASH wrote:

Since then, I have consumed 6-10 grams of mushrooms once or twice every 6 months.

Welcome, I'm glad to see that this works so well for you.
I thank Flash, too.

Please elaborate on the above. I assume you mean 6-10 gms wet? Otherwise, I think it would be overkill.

continued pf wishes, nani

Title: Re: To Anyone Considering Mushrooms...
Post by THANK_YOU_FLASH on Aug 8^th, 2007, 3:28pm

on 08/08/07 at 12:07:53, nani wrote:

Please elaborate on the above. I assume you mean 6-10 gms wet? Otherwise, I think it would be overkill.

continued pf wishes, nani

Hello Nani,

I typically consume 6-10 grams dry. I find that in my case, I tend to benefit more from large doses. I realize that many sufferers find substantial relief from smaller doses, and frankly, I wish was one of them!

I tend to reach a pretty high level of "buzz" when treating myself. I don't really enjoy being that inebriated, but the pain relief gained eclipses those feelings.

I can't imagine living through another brutal cycle at this point, and therefore I am tolerant of the fact that I feel like this :o to achieve relief from this monster! I am very interested in the RC seeds however, as I understand that the psychedelic side effects are mild in comparison to the mushrooms.

As I stated in the original post, I would recommend THOUROUGH RESEARCH of this treatment to ANYONE before they decide to attempt it. Large doses are not for the faint of heart. I would definitely recommend starting with small doses and then working your way up to find your own personal level of "buzz" necessary for proper treatment.

I believe that my need for larger doses may be uncommon. I will be attempting to get by on smaller doses in the future as an experiment.

If anyone else has ANY questions at all for me, please do not hesitate to ask. I will be happy to help if I am able to.

Title: Re: To Anyone Considering Mushrooms...
Post by LeeS on Aug 9^th, 2007, 1:53pm

Hi TYF – so glad of your success and long may it continue 8)

I thank Flash too; and all the Bobs (there are many); and nani-pajaro; and DJ; and Margi (where is she btw?) and the list goes on ...

I'm still in touch with Flash periodically (grumpy old bastard that he is), and he would be the first to say that higher doses of the alternative treatment are not usually necessary (apart for some sufferers who tend to have higher tolerance levels in this respect).

As a former chronic, I have had to experiment over the last three years or so with differing dose levels, with different entheogens, and can confirm that lower doses of all types offer greater efficacy for me personally, in the long term. It's not an exact science by any means, but I would guess that Tommy's accumulated anecdotal evidence would support this?

YMMV may vary of course; always read the label ;)

One other crucial aspect is that 6g dried of one type of medication (say Mexican Cubensis) does not necessarily equate to 6g of another (say Hawaiian Copelandia). My advice to anybody considering this treatment would be to read everything at http://www.clusterbusters.com , and then read it all again.

-Lee

Title: Re: To Anyone Considering Mushrooms...
Post by THANK_YOU_FLASH on Aug 10^th, 2007, 11:14pm

on 08/09/07 at 13:53:52, LeeS wrote:

Hi TYF – so glad of your success and long may it continue 8) ...

...As a former chronic, I have had to experiment over the last three years or so with differing dose levels, with different entheogens, and can confirm that lower doses of all types offer greater efficacy for me personally, in the long term.

Thank you for the kind words!

I really hope I will be able to get by with smaller doses in the future as well. I'll post the results of that experiment in the future.