What is four hours funny ?

[TiredPhil]

This all starts with my desire to drink coffee. I was not a heavy drinker, and would only have two or three cups per day. Delicous, if made correctly, and a sociable, legal, drug. But then came a major problem. If I did without coffee for a few days I would get an intense headache. Sometimes the pain made me feel ill to my stomach. The pain would last for many hours, and no medication would work. After the pain subsided, I would not get another headache for a month or two. Then I heard about an exotic mushroom that could stop cluster headaches. I approached a friend of mine who had used these mushrooms in the past, and he said they were not legal. To cut a long story short, I obtained a small quantity, and ingested them. Apart from the room changing colour, and a little dizzyness, there is little else to report. My sense of humor must have been stimulated greatly, as I was laughing for two hours. Even the slightest guesture from myself seemed very funny. There was however one amazing side effect. I have not had a headache of any kind in the last nine months. Just need to know a couple of things. Why did everything seem so amusing. Why is this mushroom classed as illegal, when the health benifits are so great

[JoannaB]

Don't know about the mushroom, but do you still drink coffee? I recently reduced my coffee intake and I am beginning to think that I ought to try quitting it all together. Just because a drug is legal, smells and tastes good, does not mean it has good effects on one's body and mind. Yes, I too get withdrawal headaches when off coffee for a day or so. I also get very tired when coffee deprived, and my brain is more foggy less sharp on days when I drink coffee, something I do not notice until I drastically reduce caffeine. I am thinking that nicotine ill effects are now well known and being a smoker is beginning to be less socially desirable, and I am thinking that someday they will probably discover that coffee also is more harm than people like to admit. I am not convinced that the best answer to the harmful sideeffects of caffeine withdrawal such as headaches is to seek out another drug that messes with your mind. Be careful there.

[melanieb]

**Thread moved to Extended Discussion** Headaches caused by the removal of caffeine from regular consumption are not cluster headaches, despite how bad they make you feel. This is a normal symptom of caffeine withdrawal. Cluster headaches are worse. Still, glad you found relief. I, personally, would decriminalize mushrooms, among other drugs. As for legality...the problem isn't the drug...it's the people who can't seem to act responsibly and use them at times when they won't influence the lives and actions of other people.

[TiredPhil]

**Thread moved to Extended Discussion** Headaches caused by the removal of caffeine from regular consumption are not cluster headaches, despite how bad they make you feel. This is a normal symptom of caffeine withdrawal. Cluster headaches are worse. Still, glad you found relief. I, personally, would decriminalize mushrooms, among other drugs. As for legality...the problem isn't the drug...it's the people who can't seem to act responsibly and use them at times when they won't influence the lives and actions of other people. What I missed out in my opening statement is, I do not even get headaches from coffee withdrawl any more. In fact, I do not even remember the last time any headache occured. The mushroom seems to have flipped a switch in my brain that stops headaches. As for making mushrooms legal. Last week it was announced that research into Psiloybin mushrooms was to get the go-ahead Apparently they can cure a multitude of problems related to the human brain. Not by doing anything amazing, or miraculous, but just putting the balance of chemicals back to factory settings. It appears that modern life, and diet is not the ideal that it is made out to be. This is one of my new pet subjects to study, and I may return with more information. Don't know about the mushroom, but do you still drink coffee? I recently reduced my coffee intake and I am beginning to think that I ought to try quitting it all together. Just because a drug is legal, smells and tastes good, does not mean it has good effects on one's body and mind. Yes, I too get withdrawal headaches when off coffee for a day or so. I also get very tired when coffee deprived, and my brain is more foggy less sharp on days when I drink coffee, something I do not notice until I drastically reduce caffeine. I am thinking that nicotine ill effects are now well known and being a smoker is beginning to be less socially desirable, and I am thinking that someday they will probably discover that coffee also is more harm than people like to admit. I am not convinced that the best answer to the harmful sideeffects of caffeine withdrawal such as headaches is to seek out another drug that messes with your mind. Be careful there. A drug that messes with your mind will only do so if your mind can be messed with. Correct surroundings, and preparation can reduce likelyhood of a mental problem. The prescribed number of doses required by any individual with cluster headaches is one dose per year. Imagine going to your doctor with cluster headache problem. - Yes sir, I can prescribe these tablets for you. Take two on a morning, and two with every meal. The doctor, drug company, researchers, related trades, all big fat paychecks. Substitute all their crap with one home grown mushroom, once a year. Somehow, I think there could be a few spanners thrown in the works, along the way. There goes my paranoia again.

[FriendlyFace]

Johns Hopkins has been doing research on the effects of psilocybin dosed in a controlled setting for years. They currently have three studies going for people who are interested in spiritual advancement, people who are terminally ill and anxious about dying, and people who are trying to quit smoking cigarettes. Mushrooms can be great medicine for the mind, and as you found, the body. Stuff can also get very nasty very quickly if they are misused. In a heavily bemushroomed (one of my favorite words) state people can get violent or suffer long-lasting psychological damage, among other things.