Severe period pain - teen

[maymummy22]

Hi, my DD (17) has suffered with severe period pain since starting her periods (aged 11/12). She’s totally incapacitated for the best part of a day - doubled over with pain, vomiting, dizzy/faint, headache, feels very cold. It also affects her appetite a couple of days before - she says she feels full all the time.

The GP has been very helpful and she takes mefenamic acid and paracetomol from the 1st inkling her period’s due; she also uses a TENS machine that helps and wears a tummy warmer to keep that area warm. That usually works to reduce the pain enough to be able to still go to school but every few months the pain flares up again. She did try codeine (prescribed) instead of paracetomol but that made her feel worse (sick/headache).

On top of wanting to never go through this level of pain again she is particularly worried now about it coinciding with her exams this summer and also it happening when she’s away at university later this year.

The GP has suggested trying the pill but DD’s not keen on this due to potential short and long term side effects (this reluctance isn’t coming from me - I was on the pill for many years) and GP has also said that although it might be endometriosis she’s reluctant to refer for investigation because it is a very invasive procedure for her to go through at her age.

So I’d appreciate any advice as to what to try, what to ask or investigate or any shared experiences that could help her. Thank you

I had years and years of this as a teenager and pain relief didn't work. I've now been on prescription level cocodamol for the last few years and that is the only thing that helps. There's a lower dose that's available over the counter that she could perhaps try first. But for my pain level, opioid pain relief is the only thing that helps me.

After many many years of going through this with DD and trying everything the GP and others suggested DD saw a Gynae Consultant who prescribed Yasmin. GP had refused to do this
It has helped her quite a lot, its not 100% but she is at least functional

Thanks.
Fawn she has tried co-codamol 8mg/500mg tablets that made her feel worse; maybe we could try the lower dose 1st.
hoppinggreen I’ll have a look at that, thanks

ETA It looks like Yasmin is similar to Rigevidon which is what she was prescribed. I’ll look for more info to highlight the pros to her and put the cons in context

My DD is the same age and has been having painful periods for years. She has tried everything and the only thing that has helped is going on the pill. She wanted to try everything else before that but it was impacting on her life.

I also contacted the Exams Officer at her school before the exams because she was worried about being unwell. The EO was so helpful and allowed her to have rest breaks and moved her to the side in the main hall.

I had this.

Co-codamop has codeine in it and if codeine makes her feel sick then it is likely co-codamol will as well.

I got medically excused one of my exams as my period started and I was vomiting and had diarrhoea which for me comes along with the pain.

It is a problem.

I have endo. The only way to diagnose it is an operation ie they open you up and look.

If she is not prepared to look at any kind of hormonal contraception - pill, implant, etc then the painkillers are the only real treatment.

She may find that after a couple of years of it seriously disrupting her life and impacting her degree she re-considers on the pill.

I went on pill and took it without breaks. I struggled through at school / uni but in my early 20’s it was just interfering with work too much and tbh I wish I had just taken the pill years earlier and not had the worry and inconvenience. After my first pregnancy many of the symptoms eased.