Informazioni generali
  • Categoria della malattia Malattie cerebrali (non cancro) , Malattie del sistema nervoso , Altro (BASEC)
  • Fase dello studio Phase 2 (ICTRP)
  • Stato di reclutamento reclutamento in corso (BASEC/ICTRP)
  • Luogo dello studio
    Basilea
    (BASEC)
  • Responsabile dello studio Prof. Dr. med. Matthias Liechti matthias.liechti@usb.ch (BASEC)
  • Fonte dati BASEC: Importato da 08.12.2025 ICTRP: Importato da 21.02.2025
  • Ultimo aggiornamento 08.12.2025 10:56
HumRes44565 | SNCTP000003144 | BASEC2018-01082 | NCT03781128

LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) - Treatment in patients with cluster headaches

  • Categoria della malattia Malattie cerebrali (non cancro) , Malattie del sistema nervoso , Altro (BASEC)
  • Fase dello studio Phase 2 (ICTRP)
  • Stato di reclutamento reclutamento in corso (BASEC/ICTRP)
  • Luogo dello studio
    Basilea
    (BASEC)
  • Responsabile dello studio Prof. Dr. med. Matthias Liechti matthias.liechti@usb.ch (BASEC)
  • Fonte dati BASEC: Importato da 08.12.2025 ICTRP: Importato da 21.02.2025
  • Ultimo aggiornamento 08.12.2025 10:56

Descrizione riassuntiva dello studio

Psychedelics (hallucinogens) may potentially alleviate cluster headaches. The study examines the effect of LSD on cluster headaches compared to placebo. A total of 30 patients will participate in this study. The study is conducted according to current Swiss laws and internationally recognized principles. The study has been approved by the local ethics committee and the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products Swissmedic, and an exception permit for the limited medical use of LSD has been issued by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

(BASEC)

Intervento studiato

Psychedelics (hallucinogens) may potentially alleviate cluster headaches. The study examines the effect of LSD on cluster headaches compared to placebo. For this, 100 mcg of LSD will be administered on three study days within 3 weeks. Four months later, placebo will be administered on three study days within 3 weeks. During a treatment sequence, the same substance (LSD or placebo) will be administered three times in a row. The order of the treatment sequences will be determined randomly. However, each patient will receive LSD three times and placebo three times. A total of 30 patients will participate in this study. Over a total of 46 weeks, the course of cluster headaches will be examined using a standardized headache diary. Additionally, quality of life will be assessed using questionnaires. During the study days themselves, you will fill out a few questionnaires about the acute effect, and your blood pressure and pulse will be measured. The study includes an entry examination of 2 h, six study days of 10 h, two visits without study medication of 1 h between treatment days and after completion of all treatment days, as well as a final examination of 1 h.

(BASEC)

Malattie studiate

Cluster headaches

(BASEC)

Criteri di partecipazione
- 25-75 years - Chronic cluster headaches OR - Episodic cluster headaches with regularly recurring episodes lasting approximately 2 months - The attacks must respond to oxygen - You must be willing to adhere to the study protocol - You must be willing to pause certain medications taken both acutely and prophylactically for cluster headaches and possibly psychiatric medication during the active study days (duration depending on the substance, usually between 3-7 days) - You must be willing to refrain from driving vehicles or operating heavy machinery for 24 hours after substance intake - You must be willing to abstain from psychoactive substances during the study, not consume alcohol 24 hours before treatment, and refrain from nicotine 2 hours before to at least 6 hours after treatment (BASEC)

Criteri di esclusione
- other causes of headache attacks (e.g., migraine) - Current or previous diagnosis of a psychotic or bipolar disorder. - Current or previous diagnosis of a psychotic disorder in first-degree relatives - Current substance dependence - severe physical illnesses - pregnant or breastfeeding women. - Participation in another clinical study (currently or within the last 30 days) (BASEC)

Luogo dello studio

Basilea

(BASEC)

Switzerland (ICTRP)

Sponsor

Universitätsspital Basel

(BASEC)

Contatto per ulteriori informazioni sullo studio

Persona di contatto in Svizzera

Prof. Dr. med. Matthias Liechti

+41 61 328 68 68

matthias.liechti@usb.ch

Universitätsspital Basel

(BASEC)

Informazioni generali

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland,

0041 61 328 68 68;+41 61 328 68 68

matthias.liechti@usb.ch

(ICTRP)

Informazioni generali

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

0041 61 328 68 68+41 61 328 68 68

matthias.liechti@usb.chmatthias.liechti@usb.ch

(ICTRP)

Informazioni scientifiche

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland,

0041 61 328 68 68;+41 61 328 68 68

matthias.liechti@usb.ch

(ICTRP)

Nome del comitato etico approvante (per studi multicentrici solo il comitato principale)

Commissione d'etica svizzera nord-ovest/centrale EKNZ

(BASEC)

Data di approvazione del comitato etico

16.07.2018

(BASEC)


ID di studio ICTRP
NCT03781128 (ICTRP)

Titolo ufficiale (approvato dal comitato etico)
Safety and efficacy of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) as treatment for cluster headache: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II study (BASEC)

Titolo accademico
Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) as Treatment for Cluster Headache: a Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Phase II Study (ICTRP)

Titolo pubblico
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) as Treatment for Cluster Headache (ICTRP)

Malattie studiate
Cluster Headache (ICTRP)

Intervento studiato
Drug: Lysergic Acid DiethylamideDrug: Placebo (ICTRP)

Tipo di studio
Interventional (ICTRP)

Disegno dello studio
Allocation: Randomized. Intervention model: Crossover Assignment. Primary purpose: Treatment. Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor). (ICTRP)

Criteri di inclusione/esclusione
Inclusion Criteria:

- Age = 25 and = 75 years

- Chronic cluster headache (according to the International Headache Society (IHS)
criteria) OR

- Episodic cluster headache (according to the IHS criteria) with recurrent predictable
episodes lasting approximately 2 months and expected ongoing cluster period for at
least one month beyond the inclusion

- Attacks respond to oxygen

- Sufficient understanding of the study procedures and risks associated with the study

- Participants must be willing to adhere to the study procedures and sign the consent
form

- Participants are willing to abstain from taking preventive and abortive medication
(except from oxygen) long enough before and after the LSD/placebo treatment session
to avoid the possibility of a drug-drug interaction

- Participants are willing to refrain from taking any psychiatric medications during
the experimental session period. If they are being treated with antidepressants,
lithium or are taking anxiolytic medications on a fixed daily regimen, such drugs
must be discontinued long enough before the LSD/placebo treatment session to avoid
the possibility of a drug-drug interaction.

- Participants must also refrain from the use of any psychoactive drugs and caffeine
within 24 hours of each LSD/placebo treatment session. They must agree not to use
nicotine for at least 2 hours before and 6 hours after each dose of LSD. They must
agree to not ingest alcohol-containing beverages for at least 1 day before each LSD
treatment session. Non-routine medications for treating breakthrough pain taken in
the 24 hours before the LSD treatment session may result in rescheduling the
treatment session to another date, with the decision at the discretion of the
investigators after discussion with the participant.

- Participants must be willing not to drive a traffic vehicle or to operate machines
within 24 hours after LSD/placebo administration.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Other forms of headache attacks (migraine, paroxysmal hemicranias, shortlasting
unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection, tearing,
sweating and rhinorrhea (SUNCT) or with cranial autonomic symptoms (SUNA))

- Women who are pregnant, nursing or of child-bearing potential and are not practicing
an effective means of birth control (double-barrier method, i.e. pill/intrauterine
device and preservative/diaphragm)

- Past or present diagnosis of a primary psychotic disorder. Subjects with a first
degree relative with psychotic disorders are also excluded.

- Past or present bipolar disorder (DSM-IV).

- Current substance use disorder (within the last 2 months, DSM-V, except nicotine).

- Somatic disorders including severe cardiovascular disease, untreated hypertension
(systolic blood pressure > 160mmHg without treatment, systolic blood pressure > 140
mmHg with treatment), severe liver disease (liver enzymes increase by more than 5
times the upper limit of normal) or severely impaired renal function (estimated
creatinine clearance <30 ml/min), or other that in the judgement of the
investigators pose too great potential for side effects.

- Weight < 45kg

- Participation in another clinical trial (currently or within the last 30 days)

- Participants taking higher steroid doses (>10mg/d) over a longer time period (>2
weeks), as this would require tapering

- Use of immunomodulatory agents (i.e. azathioprine) in the past 2 weeks

- Use of serotonergic antiemetics (i.e. ondansetron) in the past 2 weeks (ICTRP)

non disponibile

Endpoint primari e secondari
Change in frequency of the cluster headache attacks;Change in intensity of the cluster headache attacks (ICTRP)

Episode abortion;Change in duration of attacks;Time to first attack after completion of pulse regimen;Cumulative time with headache;Change in cluster period duration and interval between cluster periods;Number of attacks requiring abortive medication;Number of Attack-associated autonomic symptoms;Quality of life assessed by questionnaires: 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36);Quality of life assessed by questionnaires: 5-level EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D-5L);Quality of life assessed by questionnaires: Headache Impact Test (HIT-6);Effects on depressive /anxious symptoms assessed by questionnaires: State-trait anxiety inventory (STAI);Effects on depressive /anxious symptoms assessed by questionnaires: Generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7);Effects on depressive /anxious symptoms assessed by questionnaires: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS);Effects on depressive /anxious symptoms assessed by questionnaires: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI);Effects on depressive /anxious symptoms assessed by questionnaires: Patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9);Acute autonomic effects assessed by blood pressure;Acute autonomic effects assessed by heart rate;Acute autonomic effects assessed by body temperature;Adverse Events;Acute psychological effects assessed by questionnaire Visual analogue scales (VAS);Acute psychological effects assessed by SCQ;Acute psychological effects assessed by questionnaire 5-dimensions of altered states of consciousness;Persisting effects attributed to the LSD experience;Change of attack frequency at the end of the study compared with baseline;Change of attack intensity at the end of the study compared with baseline;Change in attack frequency before and after pulse regimen;Change in attack intensity before and after pulse regimen;Blinding;Expectancy (ICTRP)

Data di registrazione
non disponibile

Inclusione del primo partecipante
non disponibile

Sponsor secondari
non disponibile

Contatti aggiuntivi
Matthias Liechti;Matthias Liechti, Prof.;Matthias Liechti, Prof., matthias.liechti@usb.ch, 0041 61 328 68 68;+41 61 328 68 68, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland, (ICTRP)

ID secondari
BASEC 2018-01082 (ICTRP)

Risultati-Dati individuali dei partecipanti
No (ICTRP)

Ulteriori informazioni sullo studio
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03781128 (ICTRP)

Risultati dello studio

Riepilogo dei risultati

non disponibile

Link ai risultati nel registro primario

non disponibile