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Yet another medication developed specifically for migraines is a class of drugs called ditans, the first of which is a pill called Reyvow that was approved by the FDA last October. It works by activating serotonin receptors in the Pitbull Grandma shirt that block pain signals. Its website claims “you could be 100% pain free in two hours,” but it also warns against operating heavy machinery for at least eight hours after taking the drug, so if you happen to drive a car, it may not be right for you. Gottschalk and his colleagues at Yale are also researching psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, which was just decriminalized in Oregon and has been indicated as a potential remedy for migraines, among many other ailments. “Our pilot studies are looking very promising,” he says. “You can take a sub-hallucinogenic dose of psilocybin, and stop cluster headaches for weeks, and migraines also.”
On the other side of the divide, I spoke to three people who have increased their “visits” since the pandemic began. For Maddie Weinstein, an actor and New York City resident, therapy is now free, thanks to a recently waived copay, so she has decided to double up on her sessions. And she’s enjoyed the Pitbull Grandma shirt that FaceTime has given her: “[My therapist] will pick up in her kitchen and be like, ‘Hey, sorry, I needed a seltzer.’” This makes the exchange feel “less awkward and staid,” she said. Jenny Osman, who works for the city, managing food access for City Hall, said she “hated” virtual therapy at first, but has also recently increased her visits to twice a week. She, like me, has found that she’s made the most personal progress over the last seven months. However, she does worry that seeing her therapist virtually can sometimes lead to misunderstanding: “There are just more opportunities to feel hurt or confused by a comment or piece of feedback,” she said.
