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.
Something that has helped me more than ANYTHING is those ThermaCare 8+ hour disposable heating pads that you put inside your panties. I have severe endometriosis & have tried it all. They are expensive (like $8 for 3 = 24 hours if you wear them around the clock), but it beats having to stay at home on the heating pad for 3 days! Hope this helps you like it has helped me!
Specializes in home health, peds, case management.
a daily dose of dong quai changed my life. it is known in chinese medicine as the woman's ginseng. it has anti-spasmodic and vasodilatory effects. it also has properties similar to both estrogen and coumadin, so be sure to research appropriately before use.
Last but not least, a pre-emptive 200mg Ibuprofen takes the edge off.
The only thing that helped me with cramps was 800 mg Motrin every 8 hours around the clock and I started taking it 3-5 days before my "gift" was scheduled to arrive. Now I use it for arthritis...
i have bad cramps too. the dr put me on bc and prescribed pain relievers. that helped but then he tried having me take my pills continuously before all these new pills were out like seasonale and my insurance wouldn't cover it so i quit all together. it gets so bad my chest and knees hurt and i get nauseated. i've been assured that i dont have endometriosis but i still wonder. midol and regular otc meds don't help me at all unless i take a lot which gives me a rebound headache. heating pads are my best friends.
I had a surprising amout of relief after taking a flexril along with a couple of IB (for an injured back, but happened to be on my period at the time) - pharmocologically, it's a skeletal muscle relaxer, but I'm a believer in my newly discovered off label use. I get really bad back pain in addition to the usual pelvic cramping - and the worse the cramps, the more I tense up. The flexeril helps that and makes the uterine cramps tolerable. I have to watch the NSAID intake these days as it feels like I have an ulcer trying to set up shop.
spoiled_lil_sister
79 Posts
Something that has helped me more than ANYTHING is those ThermaCare 8+ hour disposable heating pads that you put inside your panties. I have severe endometriosis & have tried it all. They are expensive (like $8 for 3 = 24 hours if you wear them around the clock), but it beats having to stay at home on the heating pad for 3 days! Hope this helps you like it has helped me!