Psychedelics May Be Associated With Lower Migraine Risk, suggests study

A twin study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology revealed that psychedelic use may be associated with a reduced risk of migraine, with possible differences between males and females. The findings support the need for further research, particularly studies exploring sex-specific effects of psychedelics on migraine risk.

Migraine is a disabling neurological disorder which is often associated with severe headaches, nausea, light sensitivity, and reduced quality of life. Although several medications are available, many patients continue to experience inadequate symptom control or treatment side effects. Recent studies have begun investigating psychedelics for their potential effects on brain signaling pathways linked to migraine.

This research analyzed data from more than 50,000 participants enrolled in the Swedish Twin Registry to explore whether individuals who reported using psychedelics were less likely to have a history of migraine. The findings suggest that psychedelic use may be associated with reduced migraine occurrence, particularly among men, though researchers caution that the results do not establish cause and effect.

Previous experimental studies exploring psychedelics for migraine treatment have shown promising early results, but most involved small and relatively homogenous participant groups. Thus, this new study sought to address those limitations by examining a much larger and more representative population sample.

Among the 50,726 twins included in the analysis, 1,287 individuals reported psychedelic use. This research focused particularly on monozygotic, or identical, twins because they share nearly identical genetic makeup and many environmental factors. This approach allowed to better isolate the potential relationship between psychedelic use and migraine history.

The study identified 271 twin pairs in which one twin reported psychedelic use while the other did not. Of these, 40 pairs were also discordant for migraine history, meaning only one twin had experienced migraines.

Using statistical modeling, this study found that twin pairs in which at least one individual reported psychedelic use had significantly lower odds of migraine overall. Also, within identical twin pairs, the twin who reported psychedelic use was substantially less likely to have a migraine history when compared with their non-using co-twin.

The analysis suggested that psychedelic users had approximately 62% lower odds of migraine within monozygotic twin comparisons. This research strengthens the possibility that the association may not simply be explained by shared genetics or family background.

When this study analyzed men and women separately, the association remained significant among men but was not observed in female-only models. These findings highlight the need for future migraine research to consider biological sex as a potentially important factor influencing psychedelic effects. Overall, the findings suggest that psychedelics may influence neurological pathways involved in pain processing and migraine development. 

Source:

Simonsson, O., Sun, S., Wesseldijk, L. W., Ullén, F., Osika, W., & Mosing, M. A. (2026). Associations between psychedelic use and migraine history in Swedish twins. Journal of Psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), 02698811261449385, 2698811261449385. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261449385