dealing with cramps

Published

Specializes in hospice, ortho,clinical review.

Hi All

As I'm sitting here almost done with my current job and my t.o.m. I'm curious if there are any good meds out there for bad cramps during that time. I also have complications with IBS which I saw there was a thread not too long ago...but this for me makes it even rougher. Right now I have a desk job, but really short of being able to curl up with a heating pad for the first couple days, nothing really helps.

I never tried midol or pamprin, but I understand it's just higher priced ibuprofen. I was really hoping that I was going to be in menopause by the time I started, but since I had a miscarriage a couple of mos ago...that doesn't look like the case. :(

Any tips would be great. I already drink peppermint tea to keep the stomach grumbles at bay early in the morning when that need arises. I really prefer more natural methods.

TIA

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Psych.

I feel your pain....literally. Mine are not just cramps, I get stabbing pains like someone is knifing my uterus. Never used to be like this, it started after I had my tubes tied last year.

Anyway, my Dr. prescribed Ponstel, which is an anti-inflammatory. I love it. No side effects and it kicks in within 1 hour as long as you eat a meal with it. Should tide you over until menopause!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg.

Have you tried yoga? There are some poses that are good for relieving pain. Also, calcium supplements help. Ginger tea is good for nausea, which I get sometimes. Last but not least, a pre-emptive 200mg Ibuprofen takes the edge off.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hormonal birth control might help, depending on the pill. I was on a triphasic birth control pill for a while and it helped a lot. I still had cramps, but they were manageable with ibuprofen. You could ask your gynecologist if s/he has any suggestions for you, and s/he could also run some tests to rule out conditions like endometriosis that cause severe cramps like that.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The key for me has been to stay ahead of the pain. around 2-3 days before my period starts I take small doses of ibuprofen to control the inflammation and it keeps it from getting out of control.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

You have my deepest sympathy! I wasted a lot of time in my life having cramps. Yuck.

The best 10 years of my reproductive life were spent on oral contraceptives, so if you can take them, do.

Here is an article I googled for you: http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050115/285.html .

(After my hysterectomy, I used to heat up IV bags for my co-workers to use on their tummies whenever they complained about those evil things.)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.

My GYN suggested taking 600 mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours. That seems to take the edge off nicely for me, but they do seem to take a while to kick in. Once they do, I live on them for 2 days or so and the minute I start to feel them again, I'm downing more meds.

I, too, am around that "special age" and I can't wait for these buggers to go AWAY!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in hospice, ortho,clinical review.
My GYN suggested taking 600 mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours. That seems to take the edge off nicely for me, but they do seem to take a while to kick in. Once they do, I live on them for 2 days or so and the minute I start to feel them again, I'm downing more meds.

I, too, am around that "special age" and I can't wait for these buggers to go AWAY!!

Do you ever suffer from migraines as well? That's always my concern of taking too much ibuprofen etc... I find I can get rebound headaches very easily. I went off caffeine for the most part a few years ago...I still have a cup now and then same with a coke, but not much...I usually stick to water or green tea if I want something different, but my migraines can sometimes be killers although they're getting more rare...to me, excess excedrine, or Bayer, or ibuprofen will set of a rebound one and I wonder if the meds "know" where to go! :D

I know what you mean though, I can't wait for this to be done either, if I have to stand a lot the first few days, it feels like my insides want to drop out...so that with cramps...I'd like to get a handle on it. Course it's probably like everything else, you don't know what you can really handle until you're in the thick of it. I find that very often when I have to...I just "do it" and wonder later how I did! Okay I'm rambling , oh and if anyone would suggest imitrex for migraines...they made things worse, I'm pretty sensitive to most meds.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.
Do you ever suffer from migraines as well?

Boy, did I ever when I was in my 30's. But then, the cramps weren't so killer (go figure, they used to say after you've had kids they get BETTER!! Liars.). Back then, I used to take: Fiorinal (aspirin/butalbital/caffeine). It would knock the socks of my headache within 20-30 minutes and I never had any side effects from it. I don't think I suffer too much from rebound headaches from the ibuprofen, but I would totally say it's never happened either. I just don't get the headaches like I used to.

I, too, just want to rip my insides out when the cramps get going. It's absolutely miserable and I hate feeling like a wimp where I just want to crawl in to bed with a hot water bottle. Thank heavens for ibuprofen is all I can say. I worry about what it's doing to my insides, but my gyn insists that if I'm only doing it 2 -3 days/month, it's not killing me. Hopefully she's not making THAT up, too! :uhoh21:

I had the NovaSure treatment about 5 years ago due to heavy bleeding. Was WONDERFUL for that, but seems that the rest of the equipment in there doesn't realize they don't need to be so aggressive still, lol! So don't be looking to that an any kind of answer to the cramps alone. And due to my age and the fact that I smoke, the pill is not an option for me.

Good luck!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU. L&D, PP, Nursery.

I can't take the pill (mom with estrogen-dependent, premenopausal breast cancer). I am too scared to get Novasure, plus I heard it is not 100% and for some people the cramps come back again after about a year. The Aleve/Ibuprofin option for several days before and during makes my blood pressure go through the roof and I become as water-logged as a fish. Not to mention that cripppling rebound migrane that comes after I stop the Aleve. Have you ever heard of a doctor that would prescribe a narcotic just for the first day and a half of each cycle just to take the edge off? Really, some months these cramps are worst than the afterpains I've had after childbirth.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Do you ever suffer from migraines as well? That's always my concern of taking too much ibuprofen etc... I find I can get rebound headaches very easily. I went off caffeine for the most part a few years ago...I still have a cup now and then same with a coke, but not much...but my migraines can sometimes be killers although they're getting more rare...to me, excess excedrine, or Bayer, or ibuprofen will set of a rebound one and I wonder if the meds "know" where to go! :D

I used to get terrible migraines and suffered from chronic pelvic pain/endometriosis. I took depo-lupron for a long time (longer than the manufacturer recommends due to bone density side effects) and it helped the pelvic pain somewhat and the migraines. Depo Lupron is very rarely used for migraines according to my neurologist but if you already have terrible menstrual pain it might work to cure both problems. The only problem with it and Depo Provera is that they are both given by injection so once the medicine is in you, you have to wait at least a month before it is out of you. This can be a problem if you have a reaction. I am very sensitive to medicines but did okay with Depo Lupron. I didn't do well with Depo Provera and had every side effect listed-I gained thirty pounds in one month-they say this is not possible but I didn't change anything else during that time.

If you want to try alternative medicine, my neurologist recommended for migraines fish oil or flax seed oil and it is also supposed to help pelvic pain. You have to take it for a few weeks before you see a difference. In terms of pelvic pain, Evening Primrose Oil is also supposed to be good.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in hospice, ortho,clinical review.

Thanks all...

I think I will start a day or so before and continue the first couple days with the ibuprofen and see how it goes. I like the flax seed oil recommendation, I think I've heard that too somewhere. I've also heard CoQ10 helps tremendously with migraines...I've just been too lazy to get them! Also, I just realized I slacked off on my Mg and that also used to lessen them.

I think evening primrose oil and chasteberry (from what I researched before) are supposed to help with the pms/cramping, but again I didn't stay on it long enough to see if it was making a difference. (I get lazy taking pills b/c I already take an herbal mix for intermittent IC...I sound a mess, but I'm really not :D)

I def don't want any BC methods/pills, and besides DH and I are completely open to having more children (yes even at our age!) So time will tell. There are no mountains put in front of you that you can't climb. Thanks again all for the help.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment