Lifetime classic psychedelic use and headaches: A cross-sectional study.

People who had ever used classic psychedelics such as LSD or psilocybin showed 25% lower odds of reporting frequent bad headaches, based on data from over 11,000 British adults. The analysis controlled for many other factors, suggesting a possible protective association. This finding adds to evidence that classic psychedelics might one day be developed as preventive treatments for migraine and cluster headache, though the study cannot prove cause and effect.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Migraine and cluster headache are two primary headache disorders for which conventional treatments are limited. Classic psychedelic substances such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin are potentially promising new treatment candidates for these conditions. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible relationship between the lifetime use of classic psychedelics and frequent bad headaches in a large British cohort sample. Using data (N = 11,419) collected in 1999-2000 as part of the 1958 British National Child Development Study, this cross-sectional study used multiple logistic regression, controlling for a range of potential confounders, to test the hypothesis that lifetime use of classic psychedelics would be associated with lower odds of having frequent bad headaches. Lifetime use of classic psychedelics was associated with 25% lower odds of having frequent bad headaches (adjusted odds ratio = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.59-0.95, p = 0.016). The results of the present study add to the literature suggesting classic psychedelics as a possible future prophylactic treatment option for primary headache disorders.