Severe period pain

Bessacadia

Can anyone reccommend anything over the counter except nurofen?
I am sick sick sick of it, and fed up of monthly agony..... I can't function for at least three days a month.
I know this is not a medical board, just looking to hear if anyone has tried any alternative medicine even......

tinkerbell

Think there are herbal things like evening primrose oil or somethin to reduce the pain.

Best option would be to go on the pill though, I would imagine. See your doctor and they can suggest something for you to do.

CathyMoran

Panadol are similar...hot water bottle helps me if it is really bad...chocolate works for me also but only if it has a high coco content, I also go for long walks...

Nightshiftguy

my gal uses femenx (pronunced that way not sure about the way its spelt.) There an over the counter tablet and she swears by them usually she wouold be in agony and i was finding it hard to deal with. it was my sister that suggested them.. They work!

Tiriel

Nightshiftguy wrote:

my gal uses femenx (pronunced that way not sure about the way its spelt.) There an over the counter tablet and she swears by them usually she wouold be in agony and i was finding it hard to deal with. it was my sister that suggested them.. They work!

think that's feminax...

b3t4

Bessacadia wrote:

I can't function for at least three days a month..

If it is that bad then consider having your doctor to check if you have endometriosis. Here is a website about it http://www.endometriosis.com. It is suprisingly common but very few women know about it.

A friend of mine had this and unfortunately it did not have a happen ending.

In my own circumstances I swear by nurofen plus. However I very infrequently get cramps.

A.

Nightshiftguy

Ah well done thats how its spelt!

Victor

Get pregnant.*

* Eventually

Bessacadia

Victor wrote:

Get pregnant.*

* Eventually

Had three kids already thanks! Pain seems to have got worse after children, not better :mad:

Beruthiel

if you haven't talked to your doctor about it, I suggest you do

newgrange

Go to the doctor.
If you are finished your family, there is a procedure called an ablation that may help (it's kind of like a very deep D & C).

There is also the possibility that a short course of progesterone monthly might make things better.

If it is extensive endometriosis, there is sometimes nothing they can do, but going to the doc and just getting it all checked out cannot make things worse.

I am MAN

Tiger balm!

Winnie

just go ont he pill, that stopped all the pain for me

revelate

just go ont he pill, that stopped all the pain for me

Actually, I found that the pill made symptoms worse for me.

It's the sort of thing that requires a different solution for each person as a lot is dependant upon hormones etc.

Go to your doctor. If they are dismissive of it as "just something that happens and you have to live with it", get a 2nd opinion and insist that something be done. You shouldn't be in agony every month.

De Hipster

Soluble solpadine. Tastes rancid but if taken in a tumbler of (off the boil) hot water, works quickly & effectively

koneko

The pill helped for me, massively so, but you really should go to the doctor!

rainbow kirby

Feminax are in fact the greatest painkillers ever, they work for me.

*Page*

i often get stabbing pains if you drink lots of water with feminax it helps lots if you dont like that, reflexoligy is really good even if you just check out the pressure points and do it your self.

namaimo

Nothing beats two panadols... and if that fails try four.... etc. I think im keeping GlaxoSmithKline in business

Bessacadia

Panadols??
I take 3 nurofen liquid capsules at a time, more than the no of times rec per day, and am still in agony!

OLDYELLAR

I used be the same taking nurofens and syndol and all sorts and nothing would work , went on the pill yay no period pains but holy **** the chest pains i was gettin on it , definetely feminax there great!

bug

Im no doctor..
most people (of the non professional kind) generally state that period pain should ease after the woman has been pregnant.
It could possibly be a case of something else not right, maybe something simple but your only option really is to go to the doc, since they would know your medical history etc.

Ba_barbaraAnne

Bessacadia wrote:

Panadols??
I take 3 nurofen liquid capsules at a time, more than the no of times rec per day, and am still in agony!

Get to a doctor girl! I used to have endometriosis and it was agony - worse then labour pains. Before I was diagnosed the doctor had to come to my house every month with injections for the pain. There were times I couldn't even move for the pain.

Definitely worth getting checked out rather than overdosing on painkillers with no effect.

good luck

shiv

I would go to the doctor in case it's endo as several others have suggested.
Ask them to do an explorative laporoscopy (keyhole surgery) to see what's going on inside. Look up endometriosis on the web and see if you have any other symptoms (heavy/long periods, back pain, pain during sex, depression, problems with bowel movements).

As for a painkiller, ask your doctor for distalgesic, it's worked wonders for me. takes about 30-45 minutes to kick in, but once it does you're flying.

Whatever you do, don't accept it's just normal and some women have lower pain threshholds. that's bullsh*t.

Bessacadia

Thanks for all your replies- I was at one point taking co -dydramols, voltarol and they worked for a while but now I find nurofens quite effective, as long as I take LOADS, as in practically overdose. Not good for me I know, but anything to dampen the pain.....

I had a D+C about 4 years ago, made no difference. I need to get checked out, but it costs a load of dosh, which I don't have!!

fizzy

sorry to hear you're affected by this bessacadia...
like others have said different women respond to different treatments - there is no panacea. i have heard similar stories of d+c s etc not working for people but try not to give up...
on the tablets front, i actually found feminax useless - so just in case you try it and it does not help don't despair cos no tablet works for all - i hope it will give you some relief though! personally the lighter tablets like panadol don't do any good, i used to be a nurofen bunny but in recent years i've come to learn that solpadeine are a girl's best friend! good luck

miniperson

Yeah.
I think it would be better if you went to the doctor.

As they say prevention (not getting any pain at all during your period) is better than cure (having to pop so many pills to get rid of they pain).

It could be a number of things from fibroids to clots to Poly Cystic Ovaries to a hormone imbalance.

I am partial to some pain - which if I get I try and breathe it out. I am not kidding. As period pains are mini contractions. Breathing like you are having a baby contraction helps. Short quick breaths usually does it for me.

Also, I read in Bella magazine about 2 weeks ago about some products that help period pain (they were tried and tested by a few women) and there was one product that stood out. All the women were raving about it.

Its something like a "slendertone" belt that sends ultra sound shock waves down around the lower half. Everyone that used it was mega impressed!

monroe

Have you had Ponstan prescribed, that works reasonably well for me. I wnet to the Doctor and had a laparoscopy carried out and they found no trace of Endo, just in case you're scared to visit doc.

On another point...I've heard Solopdene can be addictive .....don't know if this is an urban myth though?

Corruptedmorals

It sucks. I get them every single month. And I can't take Feminax, I can't swallow pills. Most stuff makes me go all drowsy, which isn't good in school so I have to stick with Dispirin.

CathyMoran

On the Solpadine - they contain codine phosphate which can be addictive...

I tried Ponsodin - it worked great...must get a new prescription now that I think about it...

beachbabe

I totally sympathise, personally I went on the pill and that helped enormously. Neurofen and Paracetamol can be taken together as they are different types of painkillers, and they work well together. Lillets have a new range of products, including a rub in gel with essential oils and also stick on heat pads for your tummy, I find the heat pads great, like walking around with a hot water bottle strapped to your belly, very nice. I buy these in tesco, I am sure they are available elsewhere.
good luck.
bb

Miss Polaris

Hi!

The pain could be a symptom of endometriosis, I have endometriosis and I work with the UK National Endometriosis Society on both their helpline and their support network. Feel free to PM me if you wish, I have more info on www.kathies-pain.com

Endometriosis is not all doom and gloom there are viable options, not all radical either.

Victor

Whoa! Folks, easy on the pain killers. If you are suffering from regular pain, go to doctor and get a recommendation. If you are not happy with the results after a few months get a second opinion.

If you have occasional pain talk to your pharmacist.

Be vary wary of being constantly using painkillers. Solpadine and several others are addictive and it's all too easy to overdose with quite a few types. In addition they are quite hard on your liver and can cause damage.

Avoid mixing alcohol or recreational drugs with any medication as they can prevent the medication from working. If taking more than one medication, advise your doctor or pharmacist.

Warm baths, massage and some complimentary therapies like aromatherapy can also help with a lot of pain.

Blinda

Try ponstine!!!

fizzy

just to clarify, i was certainly not advocating overdosing on solpadeine or using them daily! i suffer quite a lot from period pain myself, which on rare occasions has meant a few hours of quite extreme pain. solpadeine would not get rid of that but for less intense pains, i've found taking 2 helps a lot. taking a painkiller every now and then when you have bad period pains or headaches etc is very different to popping them every day and ain't going to make you an addict.

while i realise that some people think that just because something is available over the counter it means you can have as many as you want, the whole point of them is that they are available to provide relief when you occasionally are in slight to moderate pain which does not require medical intervention or prescribed drugs.

beach babe'e heat pads suggestion sounds great - i'm obviously a freak since i find hot water bottles make things worse but i know the majority find them a huge comfort.

also when i started to drink a lot of fluid/water a couple of years ago i found that i gradually started having less and less pain so that could be worth a shot in the long term...

Bessacadia

Thanks all for your suggestions - I am going to check out the endometriosis side of things, as it has now got to the stage where I live in dread for a week before my period, anticipating the pain, and I don't think I can go on much longer with this.

Miss Polaris if you don't mind I may PM you if I need to know more! I truly sympathise with all of you who suffer every month,it can be hell. You boys have got it sooooo easy!

Miss Polaris

Hi Bessacadia

I have sent a PM with my email addy