medication for 12 yr olds period pains

[parsonjax]

Hi,

just wanted a few thoughts on what anyone has done to help alleviate period pains apart from the obvious (hot water bottle, rest etc).
My dd has started to get quite bad pains in school - I don't want her to start relying on paracetamol so early as pains can come and go, but at the same time I don't want her to suffer needlessly either - do you just give them paracetamol to self medicate? I am torn between expecting her to 'cope with it' and wanting to help with medication. Any thoughts greatly appreciated thanks

[OddBoots]

I'd let her have the paracetamol, sometimes the pain can be awful. Most 12 year olds could be trusted to self medicate sensibly but if you think she can't then ration them to the safe dose.

[MojitoMagnet]

I had horribly heavy and painful periods at this age. I was prescribed Mefenamic Acid, which is an anti-inflamatory similar to ibuprofen, which reduced the amount of blood and made it more bearable. That was a long time ago though so there may be better options. Take her to the GP.

I'm concerned by "I don't want her to start relying on paracetamol so early" - if she needs medication she should have it, 12 is very young to be trying to instill stoicism!

[livinginwonderland]

You expect her to "cope" without painkillers? Periods can be really horrible things - please don't make her suffer with cramps unnecessarily. I would recommend ibuprofen over paracetamol though - it's an anti-inflammatory and reduces blood flow so it's even more effective than paracetamol. Heat pads/hot water bottles help too, and mefenamic acid (you can get it from your GP) helps as well.

[Jollyb]

Please let her use the analgesia. I had horrible period pains at that age. As a PP said ibuprofen may be a good alternative.

[Madmog]

I used to get periods pains so bad (they felt like labour) I would faint, be sick and I felt almost dazed for a couple of days where they had taken me out of it. I fainted once in town and was in so much pain and not making sense, my Dad got the car and took me to A&E - looking back I wish my parents had given me more help.

I appreciate you don't want her taking a lot of tablets, but if they are limited to once a month (or whatever her cycle is) if won't be so bad. You can buy tablets especially for fast period relief which contain Ibuprofen, so they might be worth a try, perhaps giving her one to start with and see if that helps. If not you could give her the second one an hour later. Also hot water bottle, massaging her own tummy and I know its the last thing she'll feel like doing but tell her she has to keep moving as that's meant to help.

If this doesn't provide some form of relief, then don't be afraid to see the doctor - you hear there are so many wonderful things to help these days.

[ripsishere]

Can you still buy Feminax? I had a friend at school who had such horrendous PPs, she used to faint regularly.
Feminax was her friend. I was one of the rare breed who sailed through hers.

[nooka]

Ibuprofen is the best ordinary painkiller for period pains and I really have no idea why you would deny painkillers to someone in pain. My periods were extremely painful when I was a teen, and my mother (who never had any pain) essentially told me to grin and bear it. It's not something I love her for! We did eventually visit our family GP who was really quite useless too.

I didn't really get a handle on my periods until I went to university and got a new doctor who promptly put me on the pill and prescribed high does ibuprofen, and it was just wonderful not to live in fear of the pain.

I do understand worrying about dependency, and it is something to keep an eye on, but personally once I knew I could get rid of the pain I found it much easier to ride it out in the early stages. When my dd started her periods fairly recently I gave her a bottle of ibuprofen to go in her little emergency bag. Like your dd she is 12. She does also have some much stronger painkillers for the migraines that came along with puberty, as for migraines it is very important to take the painkillers as soon as possible. So I guess I already trusted her to be sensible, which might have helped me to feel OK about the ibuprofen perhaps.

[GW2]

Completely agree with Nooka. My DD started at 11 and the pain was a shock for her. I give her 1 nurofen when it's bad. She isn't regular yet, but even so I doubt she'd get dependent on that dose. Having suffered bad period pains for years myself, I have every sympathy. If pain relief helps DD get on with her life, rather than throwing up and lying down for hours till it passes, then surely that's a good thing?

[readyforno2]

YY to feminax. Couldn't have survived my early periods without it.

[Drhamsterstortoise]

I was like madmog.Awful period pains and fainting and very heavy periods.Had an injection of morphine once as the pain was so bad.Then took diclac every month and eventually went on the pill.Can't see the harm in giving her paracetamol

[nooka]

I thought Feminax wasn't much cop when I tried it, but in any case I don't think it's still around is it?

[TigOldBitties]

Feminax is still around. I swear by it.

There was brief amount of time when they didn't include the anti-cramp and it was useless then but Feminax Express exists now and I use it often.

I've been prescribed Mefenamic Acid but I found Feminax equally as effective. Although there are lots of specific period pain medications.

I don't see why she should go without it, especially at school where she can't just go and get a hot water bottle or i expected to concentrate on other things.

I have also worn those heat pads you can get for back pain, to work or somewhere I don't have access to a hot bath.

[bigTillyMint]

I used Feminax from when I first started, but it did't even touch the sides and I had to have great horse-pills prescribed by the GP.

Please get her proper pain-relief - periods really can be extremely painful.

Giving birth to DS was like a really bad period for me.

[heronsfly]

I'm also interested as to what age they can use Feminex ? I went to buy some for dd3 who suffers badly on day 1 and 2, the packet recommends 16 and over.

[bigTillyMint]

I used it from age 12, but I was very tall and well-built

[livinginwonderland]

I used Feminax from about 13 I think :) it's just ibuprofen, essentially, isn't it?

[specialsubject]

paracetamol or ibuprofen are fine - give her only the maximum she can take in a day and tell her how she needs to space them. Ibuprofen should not be taken on an empty stomach.

she is possibly still too young to take aspirin safely.

[Snoot]

I don't understand why you wouldn't want her to "rely" on paracetamol? It's the gentlest pain killer going. Would you rather she be in pain? My 12 year old daughter goes quite yellow and obviously feels awful with her period, I'd do anything I could to help! I take co-codamol and ibuprofen for those few days a month, nothing else touches the sides. I give per paracetamol and ibuprofen, as necessary, why should she suffer? It's grotty enough already!

[specialsubject]

Magic, eh? Reported for being spam. Suggest learning some science if you have been stupid enough to buy this, and giving yourself a good kicking if you sell it.