An analysis of Swedish twin registry data found that twin pairs in which at least one twin reported a history of psychedelic use were 50% less likely to suffer from migraines compared to twin pairs with no history of psychedelic use. Among twin pairs, twins who reported using psychedelics were almost three times less likely to suffer from migraines than twins who did not use psychedelics. The paper was published in. Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by repeated attacks of moderate to severe headache, often accompanied by additional sensory and gastrointestinal symptoms. This pain is generally throbbing or pulsating and may affect only one side of the head, but it can also occur on both sides. Attacks are often made worse by physical activity and may last from several hours to several days.
Common accompanying symptoms include nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and smell sensitivity. Some people experience aura before or during a headache. This may include flashing lights, blind spots, tingling, speech problems, or other temporary neurological symptoms.
Migraine headaches involve changes in brain activity, nerve signal transmission, and blood vessels, and genetic factors are thought to play an important role. Common triggers include stress, lack of sleep, hormonal changes, skipping meals, dehydration, alcohol, certain foods, and changes in weather, but triggers vary from person to person.
Otto Simonsson, a researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and colleagues evaluated the association between psychedelic use and history of migraine headaches. The researchers note that several previous studies have shown that psychedelics, such as psilocybin (the active substance in “magic mushrooms”) and LSD, show promise in treating migraines. Several recent epidemiological studies have partially replicated these findings regarding the potential effects of psychedelics on migraine and other headache disorders. The researchers wanted to see if these findings, which help control for genetic and environmental factors, also held true in a sample of twins.
The study authors combined data from three Swedish twin cohorts participating in the Swedish Twin Registry. These datasets included information on self-reported psychedelic use and migraine history. One group of twins was born between 1992 and 2005, a second group included twins born between 1985 and 1992, and a third group included twins born between 1958 and 1985.
Across all three groups, 50,726 participants answered questions about past psilocybin or LSD use. Of these, 47,452 also answered questions regarding their history of migraine.
They found that 1,287 twins reported using psilocybin or LSD, representing 2.5% of the sample. Of these, 420 were identical twins. Researchers identified 271 identical twin pairs that differed in psychedelic use (one twin used psychedelics and the other did not) and 40 pairs that differed in both psychedelic use and migraine history.
Overall, the results showed that psychedelic use was associated with a decreased likelihood of a history of migraine. Participants who reported psychedelic use were 24% less likely to experience migraines compared to participants who did not report psychedelic use. However, this association was only present in men and not in women.
When comparing identical twin pairs, those in which at least one twin reported psychedelic use were 50% less likely to suffer from migraines compared to twin pairs in which neither twin reported psychedelic use. Within pairs, the difference in probabilities was even more pronounced. Twins who reported using psychedelic drugs were almost three times less likely to have had migraine headaches than twins who did not. Again, when the analyzes were repeated for male participants only, the results trended the same, but no association was found for female participants.
“The results of this twin study suggest that psychedelic drugs may be associated with a reduced likelihood of migraine, with potential differences by gender. This warrants further investigation and highlights the importance of gender-specific analyzes in future studies,” the study authors concluded.
This study contributes to scientific knowledge about migraine. However, the design of this study does not allow us to infer causality from the results. Therefore, it remains unclear whether psychedelic use reduces migraine risk or whether it is because migraine sufferers are less likely to use illicit drugs. Another limitation is that medical diagnosis relies on self-reported data.
The paper, “Association of psychedelic use and migraine history in Swedish twins,” was authored by Otto Simonson, Sanjuli Sun, Laura W. Wesseldijk, Fredrik Uren, Walter Osika, and Miriam A. Mosing.
