Period pain and taken max dose of ibuprofen

[Bollard]

I have awful period pain. Usually so long as I take ibuprofen as soon as it starts, it’s manageable, but this time the ibuprofen isn’t making much difference at all. I’ve tried hot water bottles and yoga.

I’m 47 and my cycle length and period length have both been getting shorter. This cycle has been much longer, feeling for the last 2 weeks as though I’d come on any minute.

I’ve recently (started 3.5 months ago) lost weight on the blood sugar diet and and doing 5:2 and no sugar or refined carbs.

If anyone has any ideas that might ease the pain - immediately and in case this happens again - I’d be really grateful.

Take paracetamol too - you can take both at the same time.

And get in a hot bath if you can!

Sympathies, it's horrific, isn't it.

If it is really bad you can take co-codamol. Make sure that you never double up co-codamol and paracetamol, though.

yes to paracetamol for now. you can take it in addition (provided that you can take paracetamol)
for next time, possibly consider naproxen (you have to ask the pharmacist) as it's much stronger pain relief than ibuprofen.

Thanks so much. Is this the shape of things to come? I’m ok psychologically about perimenopause but could do without killer pmt and pain!

I do one paracetamol and one ibuprofen every two hours.

Period pain is nasty, feel better soon xxx

You poor thing. Maybe for your next dose and providing you do not have any aggrevating factors you could speak to a pharmacist about a stronger NSAID like diclofenac or naproxen.

Start the paracetamol. I take 3 and 2 for severe pain. 3 ibuprofen and 2 paracetamol and I can do that every 6 hours with no ill effects.

I take 4 ibuprofen and 2 paracetamol every 4 hours. With dihydrocodeine too, as directed by my consultant (I have endometriosis). I've used this combination for over 20 years, to no ill effect. My consultant told me that a dose of 2 ibuprofen was "more or less homeopathic" and in most other countries 3-4 would be the regular dosage.

A long hot bath will really help as well. As hot as you can manage

Co-codomol is the only thing that even takes the edge off when I have period pain.... it works wonders! As does curling up under a duvet in bed with a water bottle x

Hot water bottles under the desk at work for me

Poor you.
Unfortunately you can't buy Diclofenac over the counter and GPs won't prescribe it nowadays.
Buscopan might help as it's an antispasmodic and aspirin is better than ibuprofen in my opinion. It's miserable isn't it?
Hot water bottle helps along with gentle exercise like walking.

I've also been prescribed higher than normal doses of ibuprofen- it isn't like paracetamol and its narrow window of toxicity.

HOWEVER don't do this without medical advice as NSAIDS can be associated with cardiac side-effects. Diclofenac the main offender, naproxen may be safer.

to those of you taking high dose ibuprofen you need to be really careful if you become unwell for any other reason whilst taking them. NSAIDs are all nephrotoxic (meaning that they can cause kidney failure). You may be ok taking big doses when you're well if you have normal kidneys but taking high doses with a concurrent illness (particularly one causing dehydration) is a good way to cause renal failure.