Can ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Help with Migraine? My Experience and the Research

Psilocybin is a psychedelic found in certain mushrooms. It may have the potential to reduce migraine symptoms, but research is in its early days. Here’s my experience.

I’ve had chronic migraine since I was a child. However, back then, doctors didn’t diagnose me. They assumed that because of my allergies, I was simply experiencing sinus headaches — a common misdiagnosis.

When I entered puberty and got my period, the attacks became even more brutal. Finally, in my 20s, I received a migraine diagnosis and have been trying various treatments ever since.

Psilocybin is one of my latest experiments. Psilocybin, aka “magic mushrooms,” is a psychedelic.

You’ve likely been seeing the topic of psychedelics pop up in the news as of late. That’s because lots of research is being conducted right now on psychedelics, including psilocybin.

In 2022, I began writing my book “The Psilocybin Handbook for Women.” As part of my research, I opted to undergo a psilocybin retreat. One of the unexpected benefits was a temporary and marked reduction in migraine attacks.

Read on to learn how magic mushrooms may help reduce migraine symptoms for some.

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What is psilocybin?

Before I dive deeper, I should explain that psilocybin is still classified by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) as a Schedule I controlled substance, though that may change in the future.

However, some states and municipalities have enacted laws for legalization or decriminalization. If you’re considering trying psilocybin, be sure to check the laws for your specific area.

Psilocybin is a compound found in psychedelic mushrooms. Psilocybe is the genus name of more than 150 species, some of which have multiple strains.

When ingested, the body metabolizes psilocybin into a different compound called psilocin. Psilocin is what causes the classic psychedelic effects, or what is sometimes referred to as “tripping” or “journeying.”

However, most people simply refer to the term psilocybin when talking about what happens in the brain and body.

Psilocybin binds to and activates serotonin receptors, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in digestion, body temperature, mood, and even migraine. Psilocybin’s activation of serotonin receptors can produce various effects, depending on the dose.

Can psilocybin help with migraine?

We need more research on whether psilocybin can help with migraine, but here’s what we know so far.

In an exploratory double-blind, placebo-controlled 2021 study (the gold standard in research), Yale School of Medicine researchers looked at the potential for psilocybin to help with migraine in 10 people.

The study involved two experimental sessions spaced 2 weeks apart. For the first session, all participants were given a placebo capsule. In the second session, all were given a microdose of psilocybin.

The participants kept headache diaries, starting 2 weeks before the sessions and lasting 2 weeks after. They did not know whether they were receiving a placebo or a dose of psilocybin for either session.

The researchers found that after ingestion of psilocybin, the participants experienced a greater reduction in weekly migraine days when compared to after taking the placebo.

The researchers concluded that a low oral dose of psilocybin produces a “migraine-suppressing effect.” They also noted that high doses were not correlated with migraine relief.

How psilocybin potentially helps migraine

As a science and medical journalist, I’m always wondering about mechanisms. Why would psilocybin potentially help?

Researchers suggest this may have to do with psilocybin’s anti-inflammatory effects and its activation of serotonin receptors.

Previous research from 2018, unrelated to psilocybin, observed migraine patients through PET scans. The researchers found that people with migraine have higher levels of serotonin in the brain but lower binding at receptor sites.

A 2021 study unrelated to migraine examined four psilocybin extracts. The researchers placed the extracts on human cells in a lab. The psilocybin extracts reduced the production of inflammatory signaling proteins in the cells and lowered the concentration of an enzyme called COX-2, which plays a role in pain.

Research from 2023, unrelated to psilocybin, shows that pro-inflammatory cytokines are elevated in people with migraine when compared to people without. And research from 2017 shows that COX-2 is elevated in people with migraine during an attack.

So psilocybin may lower the neuroinflammation characteristic of migraine. Still, we can’t know for sure just yet.

My experience with migraine and psilocybin

As part of the research for my book, I participated in a personalized psilocybin retreat led by qualified professionals. There, I macrodosed about 3.5 grams and set aside a full day to experience the effects.

Putting into words what a journey is like is quite challenging, but I wrote about my experience in the first chapter of my book. In short, my psilocybin journey was life changing. It ranks among the most profound experiences of my life.

After my psilocybin macrodose experience that summer, I was busy writing my book throughout the fall of 2022. Lots of things were different for me that fall.

How my migraine patterns changed

I typically experience more migraine attacks in autumn and winter. This is likely because sudden changes in atmospheric pressure are a trigger for me. I live in an area that experiences roller-coaster-like shifts during rainy seasons and cooler months.

However, I went through a period of 6 months that fall where I was completely migraine-free.

I can’t say for sure that psilocybin was the cause of my migraine-free time. Theoretically, I would have expected an uptick in attacks from fall’s atmospheric pressure changes and from stress. Of course, I was also excited about my book deal.

However, stress is a trigger for me, as it is for nearly 70% of people with migraine. I was under a lot of stress while trying to meet a looming manuscript deadline and juggling all sorts of other balls, like teaching and freelancing. Yet, somehow, I never had a single attack.

Takeaway

I’ve since had a return to regular attacks from my usual triggers. However, this fall I’m experimenting with microdosing to see if different patterns produce a reduction in attacks.

In the meantime, I hope researchers work toward larger clinical trials on the potential for psilocybin to help with migraine. I’m hopeful that we may be on the frontier of a new therapeutic option. So stay tuned!