# Menstrual Cramps.



## Jessica0984 (Nov 20, 2009)

Anyone have any tried and true methods of managing them? I have severe cramps every month so any recommendations are welcome! TIA!


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## SmokeSignal16 (Nov 20, 2009)

Heat patches are my best friend, that and 2 500 mg's of acetaminophen


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## MaskedBeauty (Nov 20, 2009)

I heard that those heat pads work really well. Also I've used Midol Menstrual Complete and that works really well for relieving all menstrual symptoms. Hope this helps!


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## gildedangel (Nov 21, 2009)

I take some Advil and use hot bottles pads right before I go to bed!


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## MACATTAK (Nov 21, 2009)

Heat patches as someone else mentioned, and Naproxen is all that has ever truly worked for me.


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## Machinegun_Cali (Nov 21, 2009)

My cramps are hit and miss, some months I get em some months I dont. When I do I take ibuprofen and use a heating pad. Those "therma care" patches are a godsend when my cramps are killing me. They are like a portable heating pad and discreet !  Ive even worn them while at work. And I know the last thing you wanna do when you have cramps is exersize but it really does help. Oh yeah sex too.

p.s. I have cramps right now YAY !!!!.................not


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## Chikky (Nov 21, 2009)

I'm a bad person to ask, but heat pads do nothing for me and exercising makes me hurt more. This is why I'm mentioning it at all, because it may be the case for you, too. You may want to talk to your doctor if the cramps are really severe. He had me taking 4 powerful Advil every few hours and it didn't even touch it. I have endo (and more), though, so that really makes a difference. Your doctor may be able to prescribe something for you (I cannot think of the name of it, but I know a few people who take it and they say it is wonderful). 

Good luck! I know how bad they suck.


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## Jessica0984 (Nov 22, 2009)

Exercising doesn't work for me either, chikky. This month I am lucky and Advil is actually working (I have been taking three). Thank you all for your suggestions! I am going to pick up some of the heat wraps tomorrow. I didn't think they would work as good as a heating pad, so I never thought to try them. It is possible that I have endo as well but since I don't have insurance right now, I don't want to go through the surgery to fully find out if I do or not.


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## ThePowderPuff (Nov 22, 2009)

Birth controll pills


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## computergirl200 (Nov 22, 2009)

Hi, have you tried taking evening primose oil or tablets.  That really helps me.  Something to do with the hormones.  I also drink camomile tea before and during that time (can be an aquired taste but helps me feel less bloated).  Drink extra water before as well as this can help reduce bloating and painful water retention.

Avoid too much alcohol, and have a few squares of chocolate. Chocolate has been proved beneifical by scientific tests!!

Hope it gets better sweetie.  There are lots of little things that can help.  Also do some gentle exercise as it will help release painful muscle tension.  I know a lot of people reach for the painkillers, but these can do more harm than good.  Try to do lots of natural remedies and reach for the painkillers only when you really need it.

Also hot water bottles... very useful!!


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## Delerium (Nov 22, 2009)

I take 600 mg of ibuprofen for my cramps...it helps to keep them at bay for the most part.


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## shatteredshards (Nov 25, 2009)

My cramps used to be so crippling that I would curl up in a ball and cry. Heating pads, warm baths, and exercise did nothing to help. I was immune to acetaminophen by age 15, and by 17 I was already taking too much ibuprofen. All of this was ontop of the fact that my cycle got progressively worse in timing since when it started at 13 - I'm talking it could vary from when I was "supposed" to get it by weeks. I talked to my parents and went on birth control (the pill).

There are specific pills that doctors are likely to prescribe for lessening cramps or regulating your cycle better. Myself, I had to be routinely switched (about once a year) because my body built up immunity to them. However, I went off birth control 6 years later with little issue.

I've been off of it for 2 years now, and my cramps are quite minor compared to what they used to be. My periods are are pretty regular, and also shorter. I'm not sure if regulating my hormones in that way trained my body, or if it just got me through the tough part of my teenage years, but I really don't know what I would have done otherwise.


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## Almond_Eyed (Nov 25, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Katjamo* 

 
_Birth controll pills_

 
I second this. Nothing else has worked for me. My cramps were so severe I couldn't move or do anything when they hit. After I went on Yasmin, it was like night and day, my cramps are barely a dull ache now, very manageable.


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## Pink_minx (Nov 25, 2009)

Mine can get really bad...I was on the birth control pill for awhile and that really helped my cramps like i felt no cramps at all during my period but now that im trying to go natural without any of that stuff my period is back to its old painful self! Now im setting an appointment to go back onto those pills again lol


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## Chikky (Nov 28, 2009)

EDIT - 

Um, nevermind, heh. I feel like I hijacked the thread complaining. I was totally PMSing grumpy last night! 

...in other words, I suck at anything to do with thread, but I'm grumpy and when I'm 'on', I can't shut up!


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## Ankica (Dec 26, 2009)

this is my topic 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I have problems with menstruation all my life.
It hurts, it is boring, it makes me go crazy.
So i am experimenting with everything (of course I still take a pill, but I am trying to use it as less as possible)...
I realized few things that might help you (it helped me to decrease the pain):

1. Eat as less as possible (first 2 days when you probably have strongest cramps) or eat something that won't push your digestion 
2. Drink chamomile (hope you like it because it is really good)
3. Lay down as much as you can (if you don't have to go to work or you have this possibility - don't waste it) and of course, warm yourself (even when you are sitting put something around you)
4. Masturbation - when you can and how you can
5. Do things that relax you (for me it is watching movies)
6. Sleep as much as you can (what else will you do??)
7. Keep in mind that this is happening not because you are sick, but because you are healthy.

Good luck to all of us


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## Cherrymint (Dec 26, 2009)

Try not to eat anything with acid in it (Citrus(lemon,oranges,etc.) chili, etc.) Also HEAT helps alot (warming up your body) like drinking something hot *I drink tea*, Putting a hot towel under the lower belly *were it hurts*, or even taking a hot shower! *keep warm with a heater or warm clothes* I drink Midol when I don't have time to do all that and it really works for me. Some people say that working out helps...maybe because it warms you up. Hope that helps!


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## nunu (Dec 26, 2009)

Maybe this thread can help?

http://www.specktra.net/forum/f221/periods-85132/


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## brokenxbeauty (Dec 27, 2009)

I used to have really bad cramps, sometimes so bad that I would get really sick. Since I've been on birth control I have had very mild cramps if any at all. I would suggest looking into birth control pills as a few others have already mentioned.

Also, for a quick fix, there's a stretch I like to do that really stretches out the area and feels great. Lie on your stomach and reach back, pulling your legs towards the front of your body so that you are forming a sort of "u" shape with your body.
I wasn't quite sure how to explain the stretch, so I hope it makes sense! Lol.

Good luck, I hope you find a cure for your cramps soon!


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## FiestyFemme (Dec 27, 2009)

Birth control really helped get the heaviness of my periods under control, but it really didn't do much for the cramps. The absolute best things I've found is... bananas! I start eating them about 2 days before my period, and it has completely lessened, sometimes to the point of nothing, my period cramps (and back pain!). It's the potassium in the bananas that does it, and I usually eat 2 a day right before and during the first day or two of my period. Just thought I'd share, as I'm one of those people with the God awful periods. I used to spend the first 2 days of my period in the bed, curled up in a ball crying. I went on birth control at 15 to help it, so I've been struggling with it my whole life (almost 25).


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## Hersheykisseslv (Nov 25, 2010)

Quote: 	 		 			this is my topic 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





			I have problems with menstruation all my life.
			It hurts, it is boring, it makes me go crazy.
			So i am experimenting with everything (of course I still take a pill, but I am trying to use it as less as possible)...
			I realized few things that might help you (it helped me to decrease the pain):

			1. Eat as less as possible (first 2 days when you probably have strongest cramps) or eat something that won't push your digestion
			2. Drink chamomile (hope you like it because it is really good)
			3. Lay down as much as you can (if you don't have to go to work or you have this possibility - don't waste it) and of course, warm yourself (even when you are sitting put something around you)
			4. Masturbation - when you can and how you can
			5. Do things that relax you (for me it is watching movies)
			6. Sleep as much as you can (what else will you do??)
			7. Keep in mind that this is happening not because you are sick, but because you are healthy.

			Good luck to all of us 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







  	I have bad cramps too like all of you gorgeous unfortunate ladies. I am only 17 so I out don't know about asking my doctor for birth control pills. If anyone knows how that would work let me know.  For now I will use Ankica's methods


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## miakepia (Feb 21, 2011)

Hey
  	If birth control is not an option (as many hormonal methods may not be for some women), and you dont feel like walking around with a heating pad, buy a T.E.N.S machine!
  	they are the size of a cellphone with little pads you stick on your skin. they send an electric pulse through your body to shut off the pain gate without any need for meds. They are used in hospitals here in the UK for chronic pain management and are also available to buy. I know they work like crazy because I had to have an induced miscarriage recently (long story) and the cramps (which are similar to labour pains) were wiped out with the t.e.n.s - this is where all other pain killing methods had failed me as well. you just put it on under your clothes and can get on with things. Changed my life!


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## Okami08 (Mar 17, 2011)

I get awful cramps and migraines with each period.  Right now, my gyn has me on birth control to where I only have one or two periods a year.  The cramps are still pretty bad, but they're not nearly as bad as without birth control, and since changing to having only one or two periods a year, the migraines have changed to bad headaches.  Most importantly, though, I only have to deal with it once or twice a year, and since my periods are so infrequent, I can arrange when I do have my period, so I can make sure I can have my period when it's going to be more convenient for me (like, when I don't have to leave the house for four or five straight days, so I don't have to do anything while I'm on my period).


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