try Feminax from your local chemist - they contain hyoscine as well as a painkiller so are really good at relieving stomach cramps. I swear by them!! Other than that - a hot water bottle works wonders too!
A bit of light exercise, something like walking fairly quickly works for me. I have a friend who does yoga and says it helps. Also a warm bath and a hot water bottle on your tummy when you go to bed or sitting watching tv.
you can also get heat pads from the chemist or supermarket that you put on where the pain is and can leave them for up to 8 hours. I just got my daughter some. But if you are at home a hot water bottle does the same or a nice hot bath, cup of tea, chocolate and listen to your fave cd, you may as well use it to your advantage!!!
I can still get very bad ones and sometimes find that I have to take some painkillers, doctors prescribed some special ones.
I cuddle up nice and warm with a hot water bottle and have a nice cup of weak sweet milky tea and some chocolate to keep my blood sugar up and go to sleep (for some reason it makes me want to sleep).
Feminax is definitely a good choice as recommended above. I used to be prescribed coproxamol for mine but now they have been taken off the market as they were so strong and easy to overdose on accidentally. Codydramol is also a good one but that is also prescription only. If it does get too bad have a word with your surgery nurse, She will be able to help.
3 hot water bottles, one on your lower back, one on your lower abdomen, and then stick the third one between your legs. The chinese herb dong quai, fennel oil and evening primrose oil supplements are all supposed to help with period pains.
All the suggestions above are great ones, but it might be worth a word with your doctor or practise nurse about it, if it really is affecting you.
I know that they prescribe a drug called 'mefenamic acid' for women with very bad menstrual cramps occasionally. The other suggestion they might give you is the contraceptive pill, which does relieve some pms symptoms.
Nic nic is right, mefenamic acid is prescribed but normally when accompanied by other symptoms, such as dizziness, headaches, clamminess, diarrhea, and really heavy blood loss as mefenamic acids helps prevent this. He is far more likely to suggest a contraceptive pill to help regulate your periods. Normally they give mefenamic acid to teenagers not ready to go on the pill to help control these symptoms.
plus mefenamic acid is a NSAID which is like nurofen and I am assuming that you dont want that in your treatment, so dont use feminax either. I am also assuming you dont want these cause you have asthma or a stomach problem or something if that ilk which makes NSAIDs unavailable to you.
Thank you all so much. I will try a lot of these ideas.
I am on the pill, but it just hurts so much this month and nurofen is not doing anything for the pain!