(no subject)

[specialkay.livejournal.com]

Hey, I've gotta question. I get REALLY bad menstrual cramps, and medicines don't work at all, I've tried tons! pretty much everything you can name.
Is there anything that works?

Comments

[gigglinggorgon.livejournal.com]

birth control pills help a lot.

[amylynn.livejournal.com]

hydrocodone. :X
that's just me, though...
supposedly, if you start serious doses of naproxen (Aleve) a week before you start your period, it's supposed to help a lot, and while it's never worked for me I don't think mine are the normal menstrual cramps, but something else...
anyway. yeah. hope this helps..
-amy

[gwenlister.livejournal.com]

I have severe cramps as well (so severe that I am brough to tears by them at least once a cycle) and I am on Naproxen... It doesn't work for me very well. I am also on Demulen, a brand of Birth Control, to help control my cramps and that doesn't work either.... Someof my friends are on Naproxen and think it to be the miracle drug so I guess it differs for people.

[corylus.livejournal.com]

smokling a bowl always works for me

Re:

[specialkay.livejournal.com]

yeah thats always good, but that isn't always an option

Some cramp relief ideas....

[azulita.livejournal.com]

The best way to deal with cramps is to take Ibuprofen or some other anti-inflamitory ONE WEEK before your period. Try 200mg twice daily. It will buffer the pain receptors before the pain hits your brain when the cramps start.

Orgasms can relieve the pain, but only for a short time. Warm baths help too.

Try it! Hope it works for you! Otherwise, there are some prescription meds that a doctor can try for you, though it has never worked for me.

I take the pill instead, but that's just me cuz I gotz lots of other period problems. Good luck!

[isolt.livejournal.com]

have you tried prescription medication?

anywhere from higher strengths of ibuprofen/aleve to opiates (tylenol 3, hydrocodone (vicodin), etc..) might be what you need.

also, if you're able to go on the pill, it will greatly reduce your cramps to the point where they are *easily* manageable.

camomile tea

[bonniebon.livejournal.com]

I find that strong camomile tea and plenty of it helps very much, much more so than painkillers. Camomile contains a natural muscle relaxant, so it helps reduce the cramps rather than just blocking the pain. You have to start drinking it before they get bad for it to work best.

[urania.livejournal.com]

what everyone said about starting ibuprofen the week before, yes; just remember if you're taking ibuprofen/asprin/naproxen sodium, to always take it with at least a glass of water, and optimally a glass of milk or the water with some food. otherwise it can upset your stomach (nd over time lead to ulcers), which is not what you need on top of cramps! :)

other meds: i've been for several years on a medicine called bentyl (don't recall the chemical name.. *checks* ah, dicyclomine, in 20-mg pills) which is a smooth-muscle antispasmodic. it's usually prescribed for people with gut problems, but the uterine system is very similar. my doc suggested i try it, and it's worked pretty well in combination with ibuprofen. (my sister uses it with some success too--her cramps are pretty bad sometimes as well)

other things: try taking a yoga or tai chi class or something like. non-jarring excercise (or even "jarring" excercise like running for some people :) or even breathing excercises or stretching can help many people--combination of relaxation and endorphins i'd think. also drink plenty of water, eat enough fiber (cause lots of people have intestinal problems during that time), etc, etc... and get enough sleep! those last three make the body better able to deal with anything.

oh, and hot water bottles are my friend :)

[missjessyjessy.livejournal.com]

hot water bottle, tea, and naproxen in high doses.