Posted by Bob Wold (24.181.201.100) on September 02, 2001 at 01:15:38:
Hello,
With the help of some fine people here, I have been able to break a very bad cycle of clusters.
It took five "doses" to do the trick with "shrooms" to break my cluster cycle. The dose I used each time was only enough to get to a "level one" trip. (which seemed to be basically about what a "2 beer buzz" would be to me. No hallucinations.) With each dose, within a half hour of injestion, I could feel my head clearing more than it had been in years (except for the previous shrooms treatment). Also my sinuses cleared and I could breath easily through my nose for the first time in years. Even during remission periods, my sinuses have always been clogged/swollen. The only "side effect" other than a slight buzz was that I get a case of the "giggles" and spend a few hours smiling at everyone. Its something that my family really enjoys because I smile so little during a cycle.
The first time I used the shrooms I was clear for about 12 hours. I then started getting clusters again. I stayed off all my meds (about 15 of them including such things as Magnesium and Melatonin, Topamax, Zyprexa, Wellbutrin, and Clonazepam. I then spent about a month trying to procure more shrooms. I went thru a terrible time with clusters for several weeks with attacks hitting every 2 hours. I went through about 20 tanks of 02. I only used Stadol and a few shots of DHE. Slowly, the attacks started to come further apart and lessened in intensity. I was down to getting a couple a day but at only about a level 2 compared to the 10's I was getting..when I was finally able to procure more shrooms. It's nice to have teenagers living at home. It was also a bit reassuring to find out it would take them a month to find some for me!!! It would have helped my clusters if they could have found them sooner for me, but it would have been a bit troubling had they come up with a supply 2 hours after I asked them!! LOL
It was a little scary at first to try but with my families' full support, I decided to go for it. I could have gone into the hospital again for the histamine treatment, which has worked well for me in the past, 3 out of 4 times. I decided after my last trip to the hospital (February 2000) that I would try the shrooms. I wanted to know if it would work for me and also if it is really all its made out to be. I wanted to try them so I could report to everyone else I know with clusters, ( i know a lot of people with clusters ;-( ,with first hand information.
I do believe now that it is the best available treatment. Even if it takes a while to break my cycle, which it did, I feel it is better than using DHE or histamine and waiting for the cycle to break on its own, IF it will. Histamine is a two week stay in the hospital at a cost of about 35 grand. It is the only other treatment *I* know of that will actually break a cycle.
My wife could immediately see the swelling go away in my face/forehead.
As most of you here know, others have reported a much more swift end to their cycle. I believe they had tried the shrooms earlier in their cycle than I did. It took a while to get the shrooms. I also believe that the large amount of preventatives and abotives I was on, had a negative effect on the shrooms. I will now make sure they are "readily available" so I can use them at first sign of a new cycle.
The hardest part was clearing my system of the DHE and other meds. Also tough was refraining from using anything while waiting for more shrooms.
I now believe that we with vascular headaches were betrayed by our government for banning its use for vascular headaches back then, and by the medical profession for allowing them to do it. By now, researchers would have surely made a safe and "legal" treatment for vascular headaches based upon the use of the compound Psilocin and/or Psilocybin. The use of shrooms seems to have less of an effect on my body than even a shot of DHE or a spray of Stadol.(other than the outcome).
It has now been almost one month since my last cluster. The cycle broke at a minimum of 3 months sooner than any other cycle has broken through the use of prescription medications.
Hello to those of you here that know/remember me. I have posted here a few times over the years. I usually spend my time at a Usenet Migraine site. The people there basically saved my life 5 years ago and I've stayed there to help them and with the cluster sufferers that show up there. I have sent many of them here.
I know many doctors (and have seen most of them) that lead the way in cluster treatment. They are all being told of this success and additional background on shrooms.
I have also interested a leading researcher in Ca. in investigating this treatment. He is with what could be considered the leading treatment/research facility in the U.S.
Hopefully something good on a larger scale, will come from all this. I know something good came out of this for *me.*
If anyone ever has any questions or comments, please feel free to email me.
Bob Wold
(cluster sufferer in remission)