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I am getting over a bad attack of bilateral optic neuritis and have been getting horrible headaches ever since. It came on about 2 1/2 months ago. My vision is pretty much back to normal, but my head is not. I hurts so bad behind my right eye... kind of a dull, throbbing pain, that is definitely intensified whenever I move my eye to the side.

Anyone else had headaches stick around so long after your vision returned, and if so, is there any hope for them to go away???

All I wanted to do today is clean the house. I have so much energy, but this headache is taking everything out of me.

hi there FM since this headache sounds so specific to the eye, u may get some relief from a week or three supplementing vitamin A (3,000 IU/d) and zinc (25-50mg/d).

for migraine type headaches magnesium (600mg/d in divided doses) is an option. omega 3 fatty acids can't hurt either (2000mg/d)!

Thanks jimmylegs.

I have been taking magnesium and omega 3, but will def try adding in the vitamin A and zinc and see if I can get any relief from it.

good luck FM i hope it helps you out and please let us know if you get some relief!
JL

I suffer from the exact same thing. When my ON came on initially, I tell everyone I had a headache for 9 months. I'm not kidding. It seemed like nothing I could do relieved it. I could dull it out for a few hours with lots of ibuprofen, but never have it go away. I'd wake up with it and go to bed with it. Mine just went away, but I still get transient headaches all the time. A majority of the time it accompanies a flare of the eyes, so I can relate. I can pretty much handle them with ibuprofen now, but that first protracted headache I had was just iimpossible to make go away.

It makes me feel a little less crazy, Loobie, to hear that someone else knows what I am dealing with! You are right, it starts off in the morning and lasts all day long. On a good day, I won't need any Advil, but you never know. I got really excited for about a week because they just went away. I was taking Bromelain to try and relieve it faster, so perhaps it worked. Think that I will start taking some more of it again.

FYI

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4020044
When an optic neuritis occurs the lead level tends to be higher and the Zinc lower

Cimetidine-associated optic neuropathy
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1857549
Two cases of optic neuropathy associated with cimetidine therapy are reported. Recovery occurred in both after drug withdrawal. Rechallenge with the same agent totally reproduced the condition in the first case...Although the mechanism of toxicity is still unclear, cimetidine is a well-recognized zinc chelator, and zinc deficiency has been implicated in causing optic neuropathy...

Optic Nerve Changes in Zinc-deficient Rats
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/e ... 4/art90958
...The number of myelinated axons of Zn-deficient rats at 4 and 7 weeks were significantly decreased and the myelin sheaths were significantly thinner in the Zn-deficient groups and in the recovery group. Unmyelinated axons were more numerous than in the control rats. Destruction of myelin and proliferation of glial cells were found in the optic nerves of Zn-deficient rats...

please also see the thread zinc, ms, boys, girls and controls
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopict-5486.html

HTH,
JL

a diagram showing zinc functions in the eye:
http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content-nw/full/20/2/106/F1
once you click the link you can click on the image again for a huge pic.

Thanks again so much.

My magnesium tabs did have zinc in them, but only at 15mg, so I am now taking a zinc tab as well. I will keep posted as to whether or not this helps.

I will say that I took some Bromelain this AM on an empty stomach, and within 20 minutes my headache was gone. I think that I might have some residual inflammation, and I really swear by the effects that Bromelain can have on swelling.

good stuff FM. that's great that you're out of pain today.
i can't find anything specific on bromelain and the eye, but it is anti-inflammatory like zinc. i did note that there's some confusion whether one acts against the other, but i did run across some products for sale out there that contain both bromelain and zinc.

WTH is Bromelain?

it's a plant enzyme, protease thingy. anti-inflammatory.

Loobie-- bromelain is found in the fruit pineapple. It is also available in supplements. I have heard that it is recommended to relieve sinus congestion.

flautenmusik--is it possible that your headaches are caused by a sinus problem?

I don't think that they are caused by sinuses just because I have never had any sinus issues in the past. The headaches came on right after the ON onset, so I do think that they are related. But one never really does know, unless I get my head x-rayed.

I am still feeling a bit better now. Just a dull ache that I know is there, but no longer the axe pickers chopping away at my skull.

FM--the sphenoid sinus is right next to the optic nerve. I think you were making a joke about x-raying your head when you said: "The headaches came on right after the ON onset, so I do think that they are related. But one never really does know, unless I get my head x-rayed.", but that is exactly what a CT scan would do--x-ray. MRIs can also see sinus problems (always ask that the condition of sinuses be noted when you have an MRI).

BTW, I have had "severe sinusitis" noted on both CT and MRI, but I have never had sinus headaches.