Post by BarbaraD on Feb 10th, 2012 at 8:31am
BOSTON -- It's psychedelic, hallucinogenic and, of course, illegal.
The drug LSD comes with a lot of baggage, but now, researchers at McLean Hospital and Harvard are working on an LSD pill they believe will help those suffering from a type of headache so painful it's been called the "suicide headache."
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It's described as the most excruciating pain one can imagine. Cluster headache sufferers can get them multiple times a day, sometimes for weeks or months at a time.
Sean Clancy has had cluster headaches most of his life.
"It feels like someone has your eyeball in a vice and they're just turning it slowly and slowly to the point where you just can't take any more pain," said Clancy.
Most prescription medications don't work or have dangerous side affects. So to stop the pain, some sufferers have resorted to a highly restrictive, illegal substance: psilocybin. It's more commonly known as "magic mushrooms," an LSD-related hallucinogenic.
"They would take LSD or psilocybin across 10, 15 days, a few times, and the whole cycle would end early and the remission time between cycles would extend," said Dr. John Halpern of McLean Hospital.
Back in the '50s and '60s the use of psychedelics for therapeutic study wasn't unusual. But it became taboo after academics like Timothy Leary used LSD on students. He was fired from Harvard for that.
But fast-forward to today, and that same institution is backing the development of an LSD pill for cluster headaches. It's called B0L-148 -- LSD without the ingredient that makes you hallucinate.
"It's replacing one hydrogen atom with a bromide that is so large, the LSD can't fit into the receptor that is involved with causing hallucinogenic affects," said Halpern, lead developer of the drug. "The doctor in me is saying 'Wow, wow, wow, This is just amazing.'"
The pill's been tested on patients in Europe with promising results.
"One of our subjects had a 27-year history of cluster headaches. A 2- to 3- milligram dose orally of two Bromo LSD on day zero, five, and 10, just three pills, and he went over a year without a single attack. It totally changed his life," said Halpern.
"Anything with the 'LSD' term is stigmatized," said Dr. Brian McGeeney, assistant professor of neurology at Boston University's school of medicine. "What we don't want to have happen now is that if we have a product that's non-hallucinogenic, we don't want that attribution to stigmatize its study and research for what might be a good indication for treating cluster headaches."
McGeenney said one of his patients described cluster headaches as feeling like someone is burning half your face off. Clancy agrees. He says he'd welcome any new drug that could keep his nightmare attacks at bay. He hasn't had a cluster headache for four months now and says he's due and dreading its return.
"You'll jump up like the bed's on fire. But it's not. Your head's exploding," said Clancy.
BOL-148 is a long way off from FDA approval. Halpern has started his own company to further develop the drug. He and his associates abroad hope to start larger scale clinical trials soon.
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The drug LSD comes with a lot of baggage, but now, researchers at McLean Hospital and Harvard are working on an LSD pill they believe will help those suffering from a type of headache so painful it's been called the "suicide headache."
Click Like For Boston News Updates:
It's described as the most excruciating pain one can imagine. Cluster headache sufferers can get them multiple times a day, sometimes for weeks or months at a time.
Sean Clancy has had cluster headaches most of his life.
"It feels like someone has your eyeball in a vice and they're just turning it slowly and slowly to the point where you just can't take any more pain," said Clancy.
Most prescription medications don't work or have dangerous side affects. So to stop the pain, some sufferers have resorted to a highly restrictive, illegal substance: psilocybin. It's more commonly known as "magic mushrooms," an LSD-related hallucinogenic.
"They would take LSD or psilocybin across 10, 15 days, a few times, and the whole cycle would end early and the remission time between cycles would extend," said Dr. John Halpern of McLean Hospital.
Back in the '50s and '60s the use of psychedelics for therapeutic study wasn't unusual. But it became taboo after academics like Timothy Leary used LSD on students. He was fired from Harvard for that.
But fast-forward to today, and that same institution is backing the development of an LSD pill for cluster headaches. It's called B0L-148 -- LSD without the ingredient that makes you hallucinate.
"It's replacing one hydrogen atom with a bromide that is so large, the LSD can't fit into the receptor that is involved with causing hallucinogenic affects," said Halpern, lead developer of the drug. "The doctor in me is saying 'Wow, wow, wow, This is just amazing.'"
The pill's been tested on patients in Europe with promising results.
"One of our subjects had a 27-year history of cluster headaches. A 2- to 3- milligram dose orally of two Bromo LSD on day zero, five, and 10, just three pills, and he went over a year without a single attack. It totally changed his life," said Halpern.
"Anything with the 'LSD' term is stigmatized," said Dr. Brian McGeeney, assistant professor of neurology at Boston University's school of medicine. "What we don't want to have happen now is that if we have a product that's non-hallucinogenic, we don't want that attribution to stigmatize its study and research for what might be a good indication for treating cluster headaches."
McGeenney said one of his patients described cluster headaches as feeling like someone is burning half your face off. Clancy agrees. He says he'd welcome any new drug that could keep his nightmare attacks at bay. He hasn't had a cluster headache for four months now and says he's due and dreading its return.
"You'll jump up like the bed's on fire. But it's not. Your head's exploding," said Clancy.
BOL-148 is a long way off from FDA approval. Halpern has started his own company to further develop the drug. He and his associates abroad hope to start larger scale clinical trials soon.
Read more: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to
or END PRINTPAGE