easing period pains etc

[HSMM]

My DD started her periods back in August and has been fairly regular. This month, the day before she came on, she had back ache so bad that she couldn't stand. What followed has been 2 days of storming tempers. This is out of character.

Should I be giving her some extra vitamins, or something like zinc, or a particular kind of food? I want to make this easier for her and me and try to avoid missing school!

Any ideas?

Tty a hot water bottle for her back and/or gentle yoga ( going by what works for me), try thinking back to what worked for you. She might just need a cuddle and to be told that it is normal. It is really scary. If she is in an awful lot of pain try giving her some painkillers and if it doesnt help take her to the doctors. Chocolate, a decent film and a cuddle always helped me. I used to get snughled into a big fluffy dressing gown with my best friend ( we were like sisters) and sit in front of a friends dvd and have a giggle and it makes it all go away. Also gentle exercise is good hence the yoga, which will do her back good too. x

Thanks. I have tried being sympathetic, but as your post shows, actions speak louder than words. She is having a much worse time of it than I ever had.

Thanks for the ideas.

I hope she feels better soon. Its hard being a teenager. x

Hot water bottles and hot baths make a massive difference to me, though not easy when at school! Re the tempers, Evening Primrose Oil is good for PMT and can really make a massive difference. If DD is young might be worth checking a suitable doasge with GP first. I remember back to uni days I had horrendously iregular periods, and a close friend had the most awful PMT - she said she felt totaly out of control of herself and her emotions and it was noticable to friends - she'd be manically gigely and hyper active, then really down, all in a flash. We both got prescribed high doses (1000mg I think) of evening primrose oil and both found it worked wonders. I vaguley remember being told you had to take quite a bit and most tablets over the counter weren't that strong.

Thanks. I'll look into evening primrose oil.if I can do anything to help her feel better, I will.

Warm drinks always help me, and I usually do have to resort to painkillers. I get one day a month where the cramps are so painful I am actually ill, dry-heaving and whatnot.

Poor girl, it can be so hard. :(

Often drugs are the only way . They certainly are for my DD. You can get stick on warm pads as well which DD wears under her school skirt. Doesn't take the pain away but helps.

I had terrible period pain as a teenager, and whilst high doses of ibuprofen did help (along with the hot baths, hot water bottles, collapsing into bed etc) they didn't really ease off until I went on the pill. I'd see how the next period goes and if she is still in a lot of pain (I assume that she took pain killers this time?) encourage or take her to the GP.

I have terrible period pain (I now know I have endometriosis so maybe why). Hot water bottles, painkillers and rest all seem to help. Warm drinks also and ofc lots of chocolate. I do find period pain is much improved when I'm exercising more generally. Eventually the Pill made a big difference but not sure if you want to go down that route yet.

I have read that teenage girls are often iron deficient because of periods so trying to up her iron intake may be good?

Thanks for all the advice. Pain killers and heat pads for back ready for next month (did give nurofen this time) . Got some over the counter evening primrose oil ready to try this month. Lots of tlc and chocolate ready to be offered. If all else fails we'll try our lovely gp.

I hope she feels better soon. And I just wanted to say what a fantastic job you must be doing as a mum because she has obviously come to you, which shows both respect and trust, so well done and i hope that when my little boy grows he will do the same. x

Thanks Ellen. I do my best ... but it doesn't always work

No one gets it right all the time, you can only do what you believe is right at the time, and pick up the pieces if or when it does go wrong. x

My friends DD suffers very badly and the only painkiller to touch it was Nurofen plus.

Thanks bruffin (stores in memory bank in case needed)

I had really bad ones at school, pain shooting down back to legs etc and the only thing that got rid of the pain totally was Feminax

I remember Feminax - I think that's what my Mum gave me sometimes. Thanks for reminding me :)

I found having a fish meal (tuna or salmon) helped me a lot tho maybe taking Omega3 will help. Also I have found if I have iron rich foods the week before and the first couple of days it helps to ease the aches I always seemed to have.. (I was and am quite anaemic)
For pain additional pain relief I took ibuprofen with caffeine.

Magnesium supplements are meant to help. Also I found taking Feroglobin 3 times a day helped (and mine were so bad I ended up in hospital a few times).

Thanks. She takes omega 3 already. Will experiment with meat and fish ...

My DD has very heavy and bad period cramps, we were once at a friends party and she had what she calls a "blood explosion" (a rather humongous clot, forgive the crudeness) in front of 7 boys of over 13 (most were 16) and her close friend. Ever since GP has prescribed tranexamic acid and they also seem to relieve period cramps, though might just be for her.

Thanks. Hopefully we will be able to get it under control