Any experience of taking mefenamic acid

[Attenborough]

I've been prescribed it for bad period pain; I used to be on diclofenac. The guidance notes say "known to cause an upset stomach", which has made me rather grumpy as I have spent a couple of years working pretty hard to get IBS under control. Has anyone who's taken it found that it didn't give them an upset tummy?

I have no gastric problems with it - in fact it stops the tummy upset I normally get with my period.

I take it
Not had any issues

I had no problems with upset tummy but it did nix the period pain
My acupuncturist was very about what it is the drugs do to one's insides but she is a proper lentil weaving hippy and I doubt she'd take a nurofen for a headache iykwim.

I took it for a few years in my 20's. No problems with gastric upset and like wmmc it stopped usual cramps.

It was great for me.

Hurray. Thank you all - that's such a relief. I've been on long-term contraception for a while, so no periods recently, but they used to be horrendous and I'm not looking forward to their return.

Attenborough - you may not need it - periods can change quite a lot as you get older, I didn't have them for a few years (too busy being pregnant) and they came back completely differently! No so heavy or painful

I've found it a great help, I take it with tranexamic acid too.

That would be great, WMMC, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Will report back, as and when...

Attenborough

They should be looking for the CAUSE as well as treating your symptoms. Mefanemic acid tabs are often given to women who actually have endometriosis. Endo can often be misdiagnosed as IBS and I am wondering if endo has ever been mentioned to you. Another possible indicator to this possibly being endometriosis is that you described your periods as "horrendous".

What you could also do with now is a referral to a gynae if you have not already seen such a person.

Attila - thanks, that's food for thought. They were utterly terrible - vomiting, fainting, diarrhoea, pain so bad I once ripped a bedsheet by putting my foot through it while squirming.

However - things that make me think it probably isn't:

1. my mother was the same before she had children and didn't / doesn't have endometriosis.

1. the IBS seems quite clearly to be stress-related - for the last year or so, it's been largely under control except when I moved house. I presume that couldn't be the case if it was endo.

Is that about right? I've had no period (or pain) for about four years so haven't had a reason to think about it. I'll go and talk to my GP if the points above don't rule it out, as we're nearly at the point of TTC.

Hi Attenborough,

Your second sentence re your periods made me wince with some familiarity. I often did not know where to put myself when having such pains.

Any symptom that is cyclical in nature and gets worse leading up to or during menstruation may be due to endo and it should be confirmed or ruled out by a specialist.

1. Endo can be hereditary in some cases and the causes of it are not fully understood. My Mum for instance does not have endo but I most certainly do (was diagnosed with it at 31 by a gynae after suffering with it from the age of 14).

1. If periods are consistently very painful then this should always be checked for by a gynae (not the GP as their knowledge of this particular disease can be scant). Endo is very much underdiagnosed in women (it is the second most common gynae problem seen in women after fibroids). It can also get onto the intestines (intestinal endo) and it can cause cyclical pain. It is also mistaken sometimes for IBS hence me suggesting it could well be this. I sincerely hope it is not.

1. The pill can keep endo in abeyance if it is present (endo is very much estrogen dependent). The problems usually recur when the pill is stopped.

Would advise you to start keeping a pain/symptom diary if the pains return when you start to ttc.

Endo however, is usually only diagnosed through a laparoscopy (keyhole) surgery op. NO blood test or ultrasound scan will detect it if it is there.

Similar story here - I had terrible pain from 18 and was diagnosed with endo (by laparoscopy) at 24. My Mum had terrible pain but never sought treatment and so was never diagnosed with anything, and as Attila states, it can't be diagnosed without looking directly. Mum also had her kids earlier and had very different periods afterwards. I've had mine in my 30s and the few I've had lately have been much less painful.

I used to take mefenamic acid for the pain, along with paracetemol and used to have an awful stomach during my periods.

However, I experimented without pain relief one month and discovered I had a really upset tummy anyway, so it might not have been the drugs. As mefenamic acid is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, I used to take ibuprofen instead some months, as it's got similar properties only milder.

I took it for years for bad period pain with no problems. They couldnot find what was causing it. Last year had a Merina coil put in and its brilliant. No real periods since. so no pain!

i take mefanamic acid for my really bad periods, i have PMDD (premenstraual dysphoric disorder) and as such have incredibly painful, long and heavy periods so i need to take that aswell as being on the pill, but the combination works wonders for me, i too have IBS and dont have any gasto side effects from the mefanamic acid.

if you feel that you want to see a gynae anyway, its your right to ask to be referred for a second opinion on your symptoms, so dont be afraid to ask!