Hi, this is my second experience with bridgesii cactus. I took 370g fresh whole cactus, sliced it thinly and cooked twice in a crockpot for 20 hours a piece. Each cooking was strained and poured through a metal coffee filter to remove all sediment, then reduced. This method produced minimal nausea and I was overall happy with the experience other than the fact a *mild* headache set in half way through the experience which did not let up until the effects wore off.

So my question now, is cactus well-known to cause headaches? Why is this? I went through all proper dieting, etc. so I doubt it was the cactus MAOI which caused it, unless it was in combination with the mescaline, in which case other trichocereus wouldn't have this problem. I feel like I did not take a big dose so this was unexpected. Any ideas?

It could be a blood sugar thing, or a hydration thing or who knows.

I've had severe headaches from cacti, very regularly and clearly dose dependent.

I started taking headache meds partway through the experience sometimes, snacking on fruit, drinking fluids (not too much or too little) and that all seemed to help.

I've had the headaches from seemingly pure mescaline too, not just cactus.

Experiment and you may find a a solution.

Hrm. What kind of diet did you follow? I myself have had short-lived issues with headaches on occasion with Cacti. Do you smoke cigarettes? I attributed it to cigarettes when I experienced them. It occurred on two different occasions when I was in my backyard trying to hold on to reality so hard that I didn't realize I was chain smoking. I could be totally wrong on this attribution, but when I realized what I was doing and returned inside and refrained from smoking for the rest of the experience they subsided probably 30 minutes after my last cigarette. Like Albert said though, everybody is different, just try different things and see what works for you. Everybody is affected differently by these chemicals

It was surely not hydration related as I made sure to drink plenty water before I partook. Whether it is blood sugar related, I don't know. I did fast the entire day of the experience. Doing a quick search shows that one of the possible side effects of mescaline is headache. I don't smoke cigarettes either so I don't know what a possible solution would be besides just taking an even lower dose..

Hrm. Maybe the Plant Teacher is trying to tell you something? No idea man. Maybe some headache medicine as Albert said, or look into some herbal remedies for headaches as kind of an admixture? Wish I could be of more assistance. Good luck in your travels.

Ive had bad headaches with cacti too..I think it's due to vasoconstriction..mescaline seems to make my body real stiff at times and that causes stress to my neck etc and I get tension headaches.

Sometimes I just have some willow bark tea after I start to feel like that from entheogens or just anything that might give me a tension headache.

I think the fasting might be related to it.
For me that makes a difference.

Hydration is huge with cactus, ime. I tend to cycle through a tremendous amount of water every time I dose and a couple friends have commented similarly.

I get headaches during about half my cactus voyages, usually during the last third or so of the experience. I do follow the MAOI diet beforehand and drink lots of water during.

When I recognize a headache starting to take over I take 600 mg ibuprofen and 1 tramadyl (50 mg?) to head it off (intervening early is important), and usually that takes care of it with no need to take anything further. I've noticed fewer headaches with mescaline acetate extractions, but then those doses don't feel as strong to me as regular cactus teas.

Headaches suck! But they usually don't spoil the trip. Love that cactus!