Utterly wretched period pain - what can I ask for?

[SunsetGirl]

Laid up in bed once again with the most utterly wretched, debilitating period pain. Hot water bottle taking the edge off and praying that the ibuprofen kicks in soon - sometimes it just fails to work though.

It's gotten much worse in the last year, I'm going to go to the GP, what can I ask to try?

+I can't use transexamic acid due to family blood clot history
+ditto the combined pill
+Mini pill makes me bleed constantly
+Ditto the mirena coil, plus the last one I had slipped and got embedded on the way out.
+Tried mefenamic acid once, it worked but made me very spacey - I wouldn't feel safe to drive
+Can't use a TENS device as I have ectopic beats

I take the max on-the-box dose of ibuprofen, but it takes an hour to kick in and the effects only last for 3-4 hours so I'm stuck when I can't have any more.

I'm sick of losing three or four days of my life out of every 26. Help!

Can you use the contraceptive injection? It stops them entirely for 12 weeks and can be used consecutively without the requirement for a break

I think feminax has something in it to help with cramps? Or try buscopan that's what I used to use and it worked well alongside paracetamol
and ibuprofen

I had absolutely excruciating period pain this month. I alternated ibruprofen and paracetamol for 5 days. That worked a little bit but not completely. You could try codiene instead of paracetamol but I think you can only take that for 3 days. I can’t take it as codiene makes me sick. I feel for you, it’s not fun at all.

Thanks all, some interesting ideas.

I'm not contraindicated for the contractive injection, but I've never heard anything good about it. I suspect I'd have the same issues as I've got with other progesterone-only meds.

Can't take Buscopan (over 40, heart issues).

Have thought about trying codeine, I hate it as it makes me randomly fall asleep, but I could try it for my night dose.

Mefenamic acid and minalgine are the only things that help me. If mefenamic acid makes you spacey maybe take it at night so you're able to sleep. It will have less side effects, particularly the next day, than codeine. Luckily for me I don't feel spacey or anything after it, it's been an absolute lifesaver for me. I take it when I feel the beginnings of pain and it prevents it from getting bad. Taking it when the pain is already bad means it takes longer to work (for me at least).

Are your periods regular? Don’t wait for the cramps, start taking ibuprofen a couple of days before bleeding starts. It can help reduce flow as well.

Mefenamic acid is the only thing that works for me

Naproxen? You can take with paracetamol in the day. I use heat or be you patches too, then take codeine at night

Yeah, they're reasonably regular. Thing is, I don't always get pain for my whole period, and it feels like overkill to use it when I don't need it. (But perhaps I ought to try this.)

I tried Naproxen once, in my early 20s. (I was in the US and it's easy to get there.) I had a side effect I wasn't happy with and my boyfriend at the time said I probably shouldn't take it again. (But I can't remember what the side effect was! Headache?)

After years and years of horrific pain I discovered a supplement that helped me so much.
Starflower Oil (Borage Oil) capsule taken every day of the month. It’s similar to EPO but much more potent. If made a massive difference to the pain and I only needed the odd paracetamol now and again which was life changing for me.

My periods were still very heavy but I could deal with that if I wasn’t in agony/struggling with diahrroea etc.

Can you at least alternate the ibuprofen with paracetamol? So you're taking pills every two hours.

Codeine knocks me out so I tend to use at night, as you say. Then again if you're in so much pain you can't do much, then it doesn't really matter!

I had a tooth infection recently and only got thru it with ibuprofen + paracetamol + codeine whilst waiting for the antibiotics to work.

I've decided to try Paracetamol as well today since I need to drive my mum somewhere. Usually it doesn't touch period pain for me though.

Paracetamol doesn't do much for me either; ibuprofen is my go-to. It definitely helps to use both though, I find.

Have you been checked out to establish what the cause is? Endometriosis is a very common cause of these type of symptoms, and it's worth getting it treated because it can cause all sorts of complications if it's severe.
Sorry you're suffering.

Is the implant a possibility?

In terms of pain relief, alternating ibuprofen and paracetamol will have more impact than either on their own.

You can also buy cocodamol at pharmacies in the U.K. which is a codeine paracetamol mix. Not much codeine but the combination is quite powerful.

They tend to be reluctant to prescribe naproxen (more powerful version of Ibuprofen) as it can impact the stomach.

I was prescribed Naproxane for this problem and then also took paracetamol with it. Started the Naproxane as soon as I felt the pains starting, don’t wait for it to become unbearable. I only needed it for 3 days per month.

Have you had investigations into the pain? They shouldn’t be that painful. Endometriosis might it need to be looked into for example.

and @LittleSleepingDog
I had a large ovarian cyst removed laparoscopically about 10 years ago, it turned out to be an endometrial cyst so they did an investigation whilst they were in there, but didn't find much if any evidence of other endometriosis.

(So I guess I'm lucky that I know that's not the cause...)

high strength omega 3 helped mine

Boots' own combined Ibuprofen & codeine tablets are good - you have to ask for them at the counter.

I'd be pushing for more investigations op. Fibroids, endometriosis etc. you shouldn't have to put up with this level of pain. No man would be expected to.

Syndol in the blue and red packet. There are several versions, but the one with Paracetamol, Codeine, Doxylamine Succinate and Caffeine is brilliant.

Kwells travel sickness tablets are also brilliant, but I would not take them together with Syndol. You can take them together with paracetamol and ibuprofen, though.

I think Syndol if pain is the major issue, Kwells if nausea is bad.

Feminax used to contain Hyoscine, which is what is in Kwells, but they no longer do.

Have you looked into magnesium supplements?

Er, unfortunately you don't know that's not the cause! It probably is the cause, if you already know you definitely have endometriosis.
The situation 10 years ago, in terms of what was present at that time, is unlikely to bear any relation to the situation today. It's worth going back tk the GP and pointing out you have excruciating pain and a history of endometriosis, because the two are probably linked and it would be better to establish the extent of it and work out a treatment plan.

Good luck with getting to the bottom of it.

A long shot but just posting in case it helps you or anyone - If you know anyone in France can you get them to send you Spasfon (helps with the cramps) and they also have a (I think prescription only) tablet that seems to work way better than anything in the UK (blue pills, unfortunately I can't remember the name but maybe some French mners may know).