To bust or not to bust?

Summary:

Should you make the leap to using illegal drugs to prevent CH?

page 1 of 212next »

To bust or not to bust?

Chris Hannah 23 Jan 2011 14:22

There are a number of cluster headache sufferers who have made the leap to using psilocybin (magic mushrooms), LSA - a derivative of LSD obtained from crushing and consuming certain flow seeds, and even LSD. There's strong medical evidence to support the effectiveness of these methods (click on LSD, Psilocybin, Seeds in the tag cloud to see studies) and there are many who swear by the approach. The fact is, it's illegal and it certainly doesn't go well with careers that frown upon such things, but at what point do you make the call to give it a shot?

I think for many, it's when you've exhausted the traditional routes but are still suffering. Even then, it's a big leap. -Chris

---

Re: To bust or not to bust?

Perediablo 24 Jan 2011 19:18

I took that leap last year and I am so glad that I did. Finding time to do it is my problem. Married with young kids, full-time student, and a part time job doesn't leave much time to do anything let alone letting my mind go for 6 hours. Hurry up with the BOL…

Re: To bust or not to bust?

JenT 25 Jan 2011 00:37

Phil and I sat down and talked about it. It wasn't a very long conversation. He had to do something…imitrex was going to kill him had he kept on the way he was going. He was already on medical leave and looking into medical retirement and such, so he didn't have to worry about the work part. His kids are older and they live with their mom, so he didn't have to worry about that either.

Re: To bust or not to bust?

Chris Hannah 25 Jan 2011 01:06

I definitely believe that about the Imitrex. I really hate to use it. I actually failed at the point of getting off of meds, twice. I was in so much constant pain that I slipped back to using the Trex injections.

---

Re: To bust or not to bust?

JenT 25 Jan 2011 04:07

I do believe that Phil slipped too. Honestly, it was so heartbreaking to watch him suffer through it without the trex at first. I just wanted to grab it and jab him in the arm to help get rid of that pain.

Props to you guys…you have to be a tough person to go through that much pain and not grabbing that trex everytime.

Re: To bust or not to bust?

Chris Hannah 26 Jan 2011 14:23

I think the legal aspect is a strong deterrent for many. I mean, we've lived our lives avoiding such things in the interest of our work, alignment with societal norms, and at the end of the day, no desire to use these drugs. That said, it's hard to refute the success rate that people at clusterbusters are seeing, and that's backed up by clinical study by Dr. Sewell and others. I guess the decision to bust or not is really a personal one that has to come from a level of desperation and truly weighing the risks versus rewards.

---

Re: To bust or not to bust?

JenT 26 Jan 2011 19:38

I agree Chris. Phil was to the point legal or not he didn't care. He needed to do something.

Re: To bust or not to bust?

RachelHawk 05 Mar 2011 22:25

It sucks. There is this possibility of something that could make all the difference in the quality of my husband's suffering, but he's not allowed to have it.

Hubs and I were recreational pot smokers in our twenties and even early thirties. I put the kabosh on all that when we had our child (actually, before - when hubs passed the bar). Hubs was resistant. My argument was this: at that point, the consequences were huge. The risk of getting caught might be miniscule, but the consequences if he did get caught were HUGE. THAT was the argument that woke him up to my way of thinking.

Now, I come to find out that something else that we each tried experimentally in our youth (but never used habitually) can possibly ease or even END this excruciating suffering. If we were in college with no kids, this would be a no-brainer. But we aren't. We are responsible adults with big responsibilities. Some of which we are unable to fulfill because of this debilitation, but others of which are threatened by the use of this possible "therapy". So we don't know what to do.

Totes on the fence. And if the decision is made to make the leap, good grief! Where does one acquire such meds? We don't know any of "those" people anymore! This whole situation is agonizing, and this decision is a small part of that. UGH!

Re: To bust or not to bust?

Chris Hannah 05 Mar 2011 23:08

I hear you, Rachel. And by the way, I'm really glad you're here. Your husband's career, and mine, are in direct conflict with the concept of using illegal drugs. And the family responsibility concern is shared by most that do so anyway. I sort of put that decision in the camp of continually weighing risk/reward, and what happens to your career and ultimately your family if you do nothing. I'm currently weighing the same for an occipital nerve stimulator implant. Is it proven to the point that it would have a high probability of success, and have I tried all other available options that don't carry the same risks. Still on the fence.

---

Re: To bust or not to bust?

RachelHawk 10 Mar 2011 20:14

Chris, I support whatever decision you make, but I would have to just say this: I would hope that you would make the leap to TRY alt therapy before letting someone cut into your head. That's where I stand on it. It's a difficult decision to make, but before I consider SURGERY, I will have to have serious talks with hubby about what we laughingly to refer to as "holistic" options. He's slow to get on board, but damn. SURGERY?

keep me posted

page 1 of 212next »