What helps with period pain?

[EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire]

Am currently sat in a hot bubble bath and feeling sorry for myself and feeling a bit silly asking this question at 29 years old.

Other than hot water bottles, painkillers, baths and chocolate is there anything else I can do to make this thing get lost .

I have found that actually avoiding carbs has made a huge difference. I didn't believe this was possible but it really is. I gave to give myself a stiff talking to to step away from the comforting toast, pasta and chocolate and make do with a frozen grape ( I mean, purleaze, how) but I no longer double over and essentially OD on ibuprofen ...

I have a tens machine. Marvelous contraption. I use it for both my cramps and the excruciating pain I get due to PCOS when I'm mid cycle.
I couldn't function before I got it. Literally would be doubled up.
The only other thing but now I'm a sensible mother of two I can't do that anymore that used to work was a cheeky joint, but clearly not now! Genuinely think they should give a prescription our for us afflicted.

Since going through childbirth twice ive always wondered why nobody suggests ‘breathing through’ the pain which was just like contractions when i used to have them? I went on the pill at 18 and stopped having pain then.

Transexamic acid , reduces the bleeding. Ask your GP for it.

Contraceptive pill really helped buts not for everyone. Ibuprofen/ painkiller has to be night Before or very first sign of cramp and on schedule. It’s too late once already cramping.

The other thing that has transformed my life is realising if I run , my periods are less painful. I think it’s something to do with balancing my hormones. So even if I don’t want to run, I remember the pain and get out the door !

@HappyHedgehog247

Contraceptive pill really helped buts not for everyone. Ibuprofen/ painkiller has to be night Before or very first sign of cramp and on schedule. It’s too late once already cramping.

I can't take the pill any more but it did help when I was on it.

I would love to just stop my period completley but not sure if I fancy depo. The horror stories have scared me.

Femimax - the ibuprofen lysine one is ace. You can buy it cheaper off brand, it’s quite often advertised as migrane relief. Just read all the ibuprofen boxes. This for example is Tesco:

www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/265827136

The sense of relief is real.

Feminax Ultra is the one with Naproxen and it really works. Unfortunately, there seems to be a shortage of Naproxen at the moment, I haven’t been able to get any for months. My GP prescribed mefanamic acid (she didn’t even bother trying to give me a script for Naproxen), I used to have this as a teenager and have found it helps a lot.

3 ibuprofen every 4 hours for 3 days. Sorted.

@BigPlanes

Femimax - the ibuprofen lysine one is ace. You can buy it cheaper off brand, it’s quite often advertised as migrane relief. Just read all the ibuprofen boxes. This for example is Tesco:

www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/265827136

The sense of relief is real.

I didn't know you could buy what is essentially off brand feminax. I might have to send DP on a mission.

@FoxtrotOscarPoppet

You have my sympathy OP.

Heard a rumour that brandy can help. Not tried it myself as I can’t stand the stuff.

It works, my dad gave me some once.

The right contraceptive pill. Painkillers, heat patches. Stop using tampons. Make sure you aren't anaemic.

OP, how do you sleep? I find sleeping in a foetal position (or similar) helps, definitely on the side, legs curled up towards the chest. I have a fab fluffy hot water bottle from Amazon which is my best friend every cycle - stays warm for hours. I curl up with it for the first 2-3 nights and it helps sooo much. I can get through the day no problem. Just be careful not to use water that is too hot and make sure it's sealed properly before taking it to bed. I tend to have it next to me.

I also stretch my back and curl up into a ball on the floor every morning at the beginning of my period. Crunchy/streching moves really help me.

I've been suffering from bad periods and pain for 21 years. Periods are a right bitch. Feel for you!

Also- reusable san pro. Using a cup instead of tampons and reusable towels. Made such a difference. Good luck finding the ibuprofen lysine. I go through so much of it I needed to find it cheaper. Asda/Tesco/Boots all carry it usually. One of the Nurofen Migrane Relief Is the same stuff too

www.weldricks.co.uk/products/nurofen-migraine-pain-tablets-pack-of-12?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShop%22&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhsWrhpv76wIVhM_tCh1D6ggGEAQYAyABEgINsvD_BwE

Oh OP, I have been there, many many times. It is totally shite!

Here are things that have helped me:

• poor diet definitely makes it worse. Especially too much dairy, alcohol and general unhealthiness in the preceding weeks.
• hot water bottle and breathing through the pain Literally imagining it relaxing and easing
• marigold essential oil
• meditative pacing up and down. Basically I don’t stop moving.
• Keep your blood sugar and water levels up when in the midst of it. I used to end up being very sick if I didn’t eat anything. Dextrose tablets can help.
• the pill did help but side effects didn’t agree with me.
• if I took co-codamol literally as I felt the first twinge I could sometimes nip it in the bud. If it had time to take hold though then game over.

Finally, it seems (and I hope to God this is true) that having children has “cured” me. My periods post kids are much heavier and I suffer more from PMS / PMT but they are a LOT less painful. I barely even take a paracetamol most months, which is amazing! It’s only been 6 months though so I guess it could change but so far, so good. I remember lying on the bathroom floor as a teenager, unable to sit up because of the pain, vomiting and with diarrhoea all because of my period and literally wanting to die. So if that can improve for me, maybe it will for other people too!

Buscopan here. Reduces the cramping as it's an antispadmodic. And codeine/paracetamol. And occasionally avomine tablets if the pain is making me feel sick as well. Dont take that little combination if you a) intend to drive anywhere or b) want to function really. Because the only thing you will do is float along on your own little cloud.

Unfortunately I'm rip roaringly allergic to ibuprofen so don't really fancy trying naproxen either. And I cant take anything with hormones in either as it sends me batshit crazy. And like another pp has said possibly have a think about reusable options. Not from an environmental point of view per se, but from a comfort perspective. Cups might be a bit too much to start with (they are for me), but I have some stupidly long, stupidly thick pads that are a hundred times better than any ultra thin and light offering.

Another endo sufferer - wow there's a lot of us!

Alcohol helps as it's both a muscle relaxant and a vasodilator (relaxes and opens the blood vessels - sounds counter intuitive I know)

Painkillers - take them pre-emptively DON'T wait until the pain strikes, due to allergies I'm left with tramadol too which is heavy duty

Hot water bottle BUT try it with cold water in it, sometimes that helps

Long term definitely go to gp and try your damndest not to be fobbed off but get a referral to gynae and find the cause.

I've had several surgeries and surgical treatments and medical treatments...

Currently on noriday so as not to have periods at all which is best option and quite honestly we don't NEED periods

Naproxen makes the difference to how I manage period pain (I have adenomyosis) and as someone else mentioned I was surprised by how good Feminax was, used in desperation when my meds had run out during lockdown 🙄.

Both my dr (female) and consultant (male) were brilliant in getting to diagnosis and both said that period pain isn't something women have to put up with. Try to see someone if you can.
I understand how you feel, it's so debilitating.

Won't be much help for your situation now, but a daily cup of red raspberry leaf tea could help your cramps next cycle. I gave it a go on a friend's advice and sailed through my next period with zero cramps I was amazed, I had to keep checking I was actually on!

Hope you're feeling better today, loads of really good suggestions so far.

Diclofenac suppositories are an absolute god send!
Reusable sanitary products (a cup or pads etc) or organic ones.
Exercise helped me a lot too.

Brandy does work
Also heat (pad or hot water bottle) for me, and painkillers. Preferably not with the brandy

I had a phone consultation with the GP and DD over DD's period pain. The GP was brilliant - far better than I was expecting. Was very happy to throw drugs at it, happy to try the Pill, queried why I hadn't had any investigations over my heavy painful periods - it was a breath of fresh air, and the exact opposite of every GP I'd ever been to, hence the lack of any investigation! My go to is soluble paracetamol and codeine alternating with ibuprofen, hot water bottle or those stick on heat pads, and moon cup.

@bilbodog

Since going through childbirth twice ive always wondered why nobody suggests ‘breathing through’ the pain which was just like contractions when i used to have them? I went on the pill at 18 and stopped having pain then.

I think if you had "normal" period pain then this might work, although intense labour style pain for hours on end every month for years would really start to get to you mentally as well as physically.

The issue is if this is endometriosis then those pesky blood producing cells are found outside the womb so they bleed into the tissue of wherever they are, ie on the outside the womb, on ovaries, bowel, bladder etc. They cause scar tissue, adhesions and cysts.

I have endo, it is shit. I use a Medifit TENs machine, 2 channels, 4 pads. It is about £60 from Amazon. Digital with push buttons to increase the levels up. It is my best friend because unlike codeine it doesn't make me feel like a space cadet, but my goodness codeine is the only way sometimes, with the TENs and chocolate.

You definitely need to see your GP, no one should have to put up with this shit. Periods are not meant to impact your life so much that you are not able to do things.

Have a look at this "comparative pain scale", which is so much better at describing what a 7 feels like. This is a good reference guide to take with you to your GP.

www.affirmhealth.com/blog/pain-scales-from-faces-to-numbers-and-everywhere-in-between

Fortunately having babies seemed to sort mine and set up a regular cycle. I was prescribed mefanamic acid, but it was of limited use on day 1 when a period would randomly turn up out of nowhere and floor me. It helped more for day 2 or 3. I say floor me because it was curl up on any floor going type pain. I remember being in the second hour of fruitlessly trying to push out a back to back baby and the pain relief had worn of and could feel the waves of fire from my knees to my ribs with the contractions, and got flashbacks to period pain!

It's interesting about the san pro because I stocked up on reusables prior to my periods starting up after DS2 and it has coincided with far more managable periods. I certainly don't get the thrush that I used to get regularly anyway.